DBS PC cards. Some to use DVD decoder chip and add a tuner card that's cheap(I bet it only works with hardware decode)....................
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DirecTV's HDTV Pledge Gives PC Makers Inroad Back to the High End, But Satellite Provider Continues to Hedge on DBS PC Card Ship Date
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LAS VEGAS-DirecTV Inc.'s [GMH] commitment to broadcast HDTV satellite programming should give PC makers the impetus they need to ship desktops with DBS add-in cards in time for the broadcast format's launch this fall. But desktop vendors will be able to take advantage of the high-resolution content only if the satellite-programming provider makes the DSS peripherals available by the summer.
EchoStar Communications Corp. [DISH] will beat DirecTV to the punch with a DVB card capable of decoding satellite programming in late March, but the company has yet to commit to broadcasting HDTV.
HDTV is a low-cost proposition for PC vendors because existing products already include monitors supporting the 1080i format, which is the most expensive piece of the puzzle for TV makers. For companies already incorporating MPEG-2 for DVD-ROM playback, adding a card to receive HDTV and a card to capture DSS programming is all the more compelling.
Given DirecTV's HDTV pledge, look for a peripheral maker to integrate chips that combine DBS and HDTV receiver technology on one card.
If PC makers leverage high-definition programming strategically, it might become the killer app they need to revitalize the high-end of the market - a segment hit hard by the sub-$1,000 fervor - and regain margins.
In addition to video quality with resolution about twice as good as images from a DVD, PC vendors will be able to offer data services that accompany Digital TV programming. DirecTV needs to find a way to stimulate development of content that interleaves video and Web data. DirecTV had planned a late _97 data debut, balked and has yet to commit to a date for the data services roll out.
EchoStar will broadcast video-based Bloomberg L.P.'s Bloomberg Television later this quarter and offer data from Bloomberg Interactive Television in the summer, allowing users to receive information in video and text form simultaneously. The company could ofer PC makers an advantage over DirecTV if Charlie Ergen and company complement those data services with HDTV.
Lawrence Chapman, DirecTV executive vice president said the company wants to try and synchronize data services on a product for the PC and the TV to take best advantage of resources and make content development as easy as possible.
Bandwidth Available
DirecTV officials said they are not using the bandwidth originally dedicated to those data services for HDTV broadcasts.
"We've always kept some capacity in reserve," Eddy Hartenstein, DirecTV president, told Multimedia Week.
He said the company would be announcing additional satellite capacity as early as this week.
EchoStar officials committed last week to sell DBS add-in cards in late March (likely to coincide with the Windows 98 debut) to OEMs and retail. Adaptec Inc. [ADPT] co-designed the board and will leverage its wide-ranging PC distribution strength to sell the hardware. (see MMW, Sept. 22, 1997)
DirecTV officials seemed unfazed by EchoStar's announcement that it will roll out a DBS add-in card when they're confident subscribers want the product.
IBM Corp. [IBM], which had originally committed to selling the card as part of a high-end Aptiva PC, also is hedging about when the company will sell the card. James Bartlett, IBM's vice president of product marketing for the consumer division, wouldn't commit to a ship date and said he expects PC companies to ship desktops with the DBS capability in the second half of '98.
Gateway 2000 Inc. [GTW], an early proponent of DBS technology, would not commit to a ship date but is likely to be among the first to offer an add-in card PC.
What About Cable?
Look for DirecTV's HDTV commitment to spur cable programmers to keep pace and announce broadcasting commitments soon.
PC vendors can look forward to cards on the market that bring in HDTV and cable programming to the PC. Lucent Technologies, [LU] which debuted its HDTV add-in card for the PC card last week, is working on a second-generation card to that will receive HDTV broadcasts sent via cable.
Tony Grewe, manager of application strategy for Lucent Microelectronics, said although DirecTV has committed to HDTV before cable companies, he believes the installed base of the later is a bigger market play for his company and potential PC partners. (DirecTV, 310/726-4656; EchoStar, 303/799-8222; Lucent, 800/372-2447; see MMW, March 31, 1997 and Jan. 13, 1997 for related stories.)
Company at a Glance
DirecTV Inc.
2230 East Imperial Hwy
El Segundo, CA 90245
tel 310/726-4656
directv.com
The company is a unit of Hughes Electronics
Names to Know:
Eddy Hartenstein-PresidentLawrence Chapman-Executive VPEd Huguez-VP, New Media
Milestones:
June 1994: Service debutDec. 31, 1997: 3.3 million subscribersJanuary 7, 1998: Pledged to broadcast at least two channels of HDTV programming nationally in 1998. Initially, programming is expected to be delivered to customers on a pay-per-view basis. |
