Tag Archives: Intel Media

News, Politics, Government

Intel Set-Top Box Camera Controversy: Much to do About Nothing

Leave a comment

By Patrick Moorhead, Contributor

Last Tuesday, Erik Huggers, Intel’s corporate vice president of Intel Media,  announced at D:Dive Into Media that Intel is building a set top box and pay TV service that includes live TV.  Huggers talked about the service which will most likely include friendlier bundling and also the living-room device itself, which will operate more like a 21st century media device, not the slow and unfriendly devices most consumers use today.  Intel has assembled a group of entertainment veterans from companies from around the media industry and blended with Intel employees to pull off this new form of TV entertainment nirvana.  The ensuing press coverage ranged from optimistic to a bit skeptical about their chances, but that’s to be expected as many have tried and failed in this space, including Apple and Google.  One element some in the press criticized was the camera, which some fantasized was some big brother nightmare come to life.   I want to provide the reality of what is going on, and it is much to do about nothing. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

Science & Technology

Intel Confirms Set-Top Box, Calls It 'Vastly Superior' to Cable

Leave a comment

Well, the rumors of an Intel set-top box were true. On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported the company has announced its plans to sell the proposed cable-replacement unit sometime this year. A representative for Intel Media, Erik Huggers, says the company is aiming to offer a “vastly superior experience” to what’s available from today’s traditional set-tops.

Continue reading…

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Tech

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Intel Goes After Set-top Box Market

Leave a comment

By 24/7 Wall St.

Intel logo

Filed under:

One of the worst-kept secrets in the technology world was finally confirmed today. Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) is building an Internet TV set-top box that it says will launch by the end of this year. Intel has big plans for its Internet TV — but then which company doesn’t.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) both have Internet TV boxes out there already, as do smaller makers like Roku, Boxee, as well as Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) and Vizio, both of which use Google’s technology. Hardware and software are not the problem.

The problem is content. Intel and all the others face reluctant entertainment and pay TV industries that either do not want to license new streaming content except at very high fees (studios) or do not want to offer a la carte programming to subscribers (pay TV). The vice-president of Intel’s new Intel Media group told conference audience today, ” We’re working with the entire industry to figure out how we get live TV to consumers over the Internet.”

The TV and movie studios do not want to give away the farm the way the music business did to Apple iTunes. Whether or not Intel and its deep pockets can make a substantial difference here remains to be seen. Rather than keep their movies and programming locked in a vault, the production companies should be trying to forge partnerships with the techie crowd and make their content available at reasonable prices to consumers.

And the pay TV cable and satellite providers are not going to hide behind their bundling practices forever either. But Intel is going to have to break through to these guys as well

If any of this were easy, someone would already be doing it. And one has to wonder about Intel’s vice-president who wants to get “live TV to consumers over the Internet.” The reason to make programming available on the Internet is not so people get to choose their transmission scheme. Who cares?

People want to watch their favorite shows and movies when it’s convenient for them, not the pay TV channels or the broadcast networks. About the only things people want to watch live are sports and award shows. The next episode of “Downton Abbey” or “CSI” can be watched anytime.

Intel probably has no better chance at getting all the various players to agree on an Internet TV scheme than does Apple or Google or anyone else. Still, it’s nice to think they might be able to do it.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Entertainment, Internet, Technology Companies, TV Tagged: AAPL, GOOG, INTC, SNE

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance