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Technology Stocks : Advanced Micro Devices - Moderated (AMD) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: dale_laroy who wrote (71313)	2/10/2002 9:11:07 AM
From: TechieGuy-alt	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 275872

Depends on what you mean by foreseeable future. Next 2 years for SURE. Most likely the next 5+ years. The fundamental problem with the set top boxes is the low resolution of the TV's they connect to. Additionally, it's also a family thing. One spouse likes to surf, while the other (or the kids) watches the TV. If you use the main TV for internet you have the following problems: 1. Low resolution 2. Race for shared resource (main TV in den/living room). And the biggest problem is that all these boxes are specific purpose devices. The PC and the internet are still developing technologies. The PC is a multipurpose device. You not only compose mails, but do your taxes, print tax forms (pdf's), your kids rip and burn music CD's, you edit your video clips and upload your still images from your digital camera. You also may of course install and run your choice of hundereds of thousands of available software. In a way, a digital set top box is like trying to establish a new architecture to compete with the PC- with a new OS, Browser, Micro etc. If you consider it like that, I don't think the PC is going to be relegated from the top of the throne any time soon (5-6+ years). Then there is this issue of price. I don't believe that anyone out there can build an internet box, with enough functionality/expandability to really compete with a PC and come in any cheaper than a low end PC. In another 2-3 years we'll be able to buy a low end PC with a 15" flat panel+color printer+cdrom(rw?) for <$250. Let an internet box match that! TG