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Componentised TV Services
A little under a month ago I started (but didn’t finish) a blog post about how the launch of Netflix in the UK (and the ready availability already of Lovefilm) created a special situation for the UK, caused by the quality of the Freeview/FreeSat platform. This situation was that it was perfectly possible to hand [...]
Ubuntu TV… nice
Saw these post online showing the Ubuntu UI and I must say that the Unity UI stinks as a PC UI but as a TV UI it is sure pretty. I hope someone will post some video of it so we can see if its flow is as nice as the static shots. It’s still [...]
Ultraviolet could actually work
Ultraviolet has been working steadily from concept to practice and it has had a number of problems, mostly around usability… something that its main competitor (Apple Fairplay) does not suffer from. Now though, it has reached an important point in its attempt to hit the big time and it is not the signing up of [...]
Google TV and 3D TV
The pre-CES announcements are coming thick and fast, and particularly interesting are the announcements around Google TV. Google are announcing that they have engaged with multiple parties in the delivery of Google TV integrated into TV sets, particularly LG and Samsung. Samsung was understood to be getting involved already last year, so they are not [...]
STB Bugs
I have worked with a number of clients in the delivery of new STB code and new STBs over my career. I have prided myself that I could work a team to identify bugs that ultimately would be seen as customer defects (the difference between bugs and defects is something worthy of an entire post [...]
Happy Holidays and a Fruitful New Year
Everyone’s thoughts are now focusing on relaxation, family and, for the tech inclined, what interesting gadget will be acquired either through the gifting process or via the retail sales that follow soon after. We wish you all a relaxing and enjoyable holiday, and let all your tech be good and at least be cutting [...]
Carrier IQ and STBs
The furore around Carrier IQ’s diagnostic and usage logging on mobile phones is a salutory lesson for the TV operator industry about logging too much information and not informing the viewer sufficiently. What! I hear you say, usage is tracked on my STB? Of course it is tracked particularly on IPTV and OTT services, as [...]
Desire for 3D
… and the 3D silliness continues. 3DTV marketing ramped up significantly this year, though the vendor sales pitches continue to fall on deaf ears for a number of reasons. Despite the hype, data suggests people generally find the technology expensive, 3D content limited, and the glasses annoying. 3DTV set sales haven’t taken off, and they [...]
Do ISPs Understand The Nature Of Business?
I saw this interesting analysis of US data caps and whether they make sense to ISPs… Of the 75 million broadband subscribers in the US around 42 million, or 56%, have some form of data cap in place from their internet service provider ISP according to data from Leichtman Research Group. However, despite all the [...]
Steve Jobs – So long and thanks for all the fish
There is going to be a lot said about Steve Jobs in the coming days, but I would just say two things. 1. Jobsian – an approach to product development that was singularly successful and others aspire to. 2. Watch his 2005 Stanford commencement address and be inspired.