>The fundamental problem with the set top boxes is the low resolution of the TV's they connect to.<
True, but this will be approached from two different angles. First of all, HDTV is coming. Not within the next year, but probably within the next 3 years, DISHNetwork will probably be making all their receivers HDTV ready, and since computer screens are the cheapest display devices that have the resolution to display true HDTV, these receivers will probably have SVGA out ports to enable viewers to watch HDTV without investing in an HDTV capable television.
Second, one of the problems with satellite receivers is that, even with the ability to watch TV in a PIP window while viewing the menu, if one is making a recording and wants to see what is on next, the recording will be ruined by the display of the menu. Additionally, the resolution of the set unduly limits how much information the receiver is able to display at one time. Both of these issues can be addressed through the provision of an SVGA output port for the display of the menu on a separate monitor.
> 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: >edited<<
When I signed up for WebTV, I was told that the service would automatically be activated on all the DishPlayers in the house. When it was actually activated it was only activated for a single DishPlayer, and when I called back I was told that I could only have it on one DishPlayer. But, just because this is the way Microsoft runs their show doesn't mean that this is the way that DISHNetwork will run their show with their own DishPVR721 and following products. The DishPVR721 will have a UHF remote control and presumably a UHF keyboard. This will make it convenient to have the DishPVR hooked up to two televisions, perhaps one in the bedroom and one in the den, and carry just the keyboard to the location from which the viewer wants to access the internet.
The DishPVR721 has two tuners but only one output, the next logical progression is to provide two outputs, with each output controlled by a separate remote control frequency. With such a unit a parent could, in theory, allow their child to have one remote keyboard in their bedroom while keeping the other in the living room or sometimes moving it to the master bedroom. The parent could then use PIP to view in a window what their children are accessing on the web while either watching TV or accessing the web concurrently through the same receiver. Upgrading such a receiver to more than two simultaneous outputs would also be possible. In theory, both parents could watch different programs, while up to two kids watch two other different programs in their own rooms, and it would even be possible to have four users on the Internet concurrently through a single receiver, with the master control enabling a parent to keep track of their children's Internet usage through PIP windows.
>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.<
The DishPlayers have printer ports to print out web screens. My current receivers record programming on hard drive. In the future, I will probably be able to purchase a
receiver that allows me to back up my recorded programming to CD-R and/or DVD-R. These receiver are also programmable. If they wanted to, DISHNetwork could install Linux on my current receiver. It would be severely limited because of the capabilities of the current receiver. But once DISHNetwork gets around to adding CD-R/DVD-R drives, USB ports, and other features, the DISHNetwork receivers will essentially be fully functional computers, using a proprietary non-MS OS that is accessed through the receiver menu.
>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).<
No argument here, except perhaps with the timeframe. The DISHNetwork receivers could take on most of the roles of a PC in about three years. And, unless the government derails the merger with DirecTV, I would look for DISHNetwork receivers to become the substitute for PCs in over 10 million households within six 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.<
This would be true if it were not for the issue of support. The problem with PCs is that, because of their flexible configurations, they require a lot of highly technical support. By contrast, a DISHNetwork receiver is a fixed configuration, which requires less flexibly trained personnel to provide the same excellent level of support. Some people need the flexibility that a PC offers. But most can do just fine with a box having a set configuration, more or less like a notebook PC. Indeed, with the exception of the receiver capabilities and multiple concurrent user access, the DISHNetwork receiver of five years from now will resemble a notebook PC much moreso than a desktop PC with regards to its capabilities and configurability. |
