Folks,
I'm getting a little (not a lot) frustrated by the series of questions that keep coming up about IPGs and how they will or won't be used. I am not directing this at anyone in particular (honest, I'm not!), but if you have not read the Stephens report that addresses ALL of that and if you are asking fundamental questions about the expected features and benefits of IPGs, you have not done the smallest part of your due dilligence. There is no single document I am aware of that addresses these and other major issues about Gemstar's opportunities and obstacles in such an easy-to-read manner.
In that light, I will offer a few items from the report which is not copyrighted. It was available for free at the Stephens web site though someone reported that it is no longer there. Sadly, I only have a paper copy; otherwise I would e-mail the electronic file to anyone who asked.
Now, some pertinent quotes from the research report:
The IPG "functions as a search engine for TV as well as a portal straddling the intersection of the TV and Internet platforms. ... We also expect that IPGs will become as ubiquitous as the remote control and will eventually command more page views than most (and perhaps all) major Internet portals."
"Next-generation digital set-top boxes should help introduce a meaningful portion of mainstream America to the online world for the first time -- over the TV platform --through a suite of interactive services. We expect these to include IPGs, [and other services]. .. In short, we believe interactivity will fudamentally change how, when and why consumers use their TVs. We also expect Gemstar to stake out -- and defend -- a position as one of the leading providers of interactive services into the home."
"IPG Features:
* Program schedules and descriptions
* Search capability by category, theme, title, actor and rating [I didn't see the last four search criteria at Yahoo but I could be wrong.]
* Picture-in-guide capability, which enables the consumer to continue watching a program while using the guide [something the Net doesn't offer unless your computer is close to your television]
* One-touch tuning, which enables the consumer to highlight a title and then tune to the program automatically [John, that's why I won't surf the Net to get to the information if I have that capability on my TV; my computer hooked up to the Net won't do that.]
* One-touch recording and scheduling [My computer won't record anything that's being distributed on the TV platform.}
* A smart filtering agent, which enables the TV to self-select the ads it receives based upon the consumer's viewing habits. [Okay, so when I watch a football game my TV is bound to think I want to see beer ads even though I hate the stuff; even so, do you have any idea how much more advertisers are willing to pay for the benefit that targeted advertising does to their bottom line?]
Back to Buckley mode.
I'm not asking that anyone on the planet agree with me about the potential of Gemstar nor the company's past successes in the three years I've been following the company. But please folks, the information so many of you are asking about is almost at the tip of your fingertips in that Stephens report.
Is there anyone who has an electronic file of the report willing to e-mail it to folks who ask for it by PM?
--Mike Buckley |
