Jeff_Vinson's blog

• MSFT Can Fight GoogleTV and AppleTV
• Netflix Can Expand Beyond the US
• Hastings Can Be Groomed As Next CEO of MSFT

Video Interview – Jeff Vinson at Connections 2010

Yesterday I was given a private interview with Intel GM for Retail CE, Digital Home Group, Wilfred Martis, after his keynote presentation on Intel and GoogleTV at the CONNECTIONS 2010 Conference in Santa Clara.  An enormous amount of marketing buzz was created leading up to the announcement of GoogleTV which is designed to blend linear TV broadcasting, online features and personal content into a more compelling TV viewing experience.  The buzz continues in both the technical and general public media outlets.  As one conference attendee told me, his father in Sweden even knows about GoogleTV. . . and he never hears about anything new.

As anticipated, and demonstrated today (streaming live on YouTube), Google announced their GoogleTV product.  Although there were some persistent live demo problems with their remote, the product did offer improvement over some traditional search and presentation formats.

It looks like Logitech is getting on the bandwagon with a new "companion box" (read additional set top box).  More offerings are to come.

The rest of my blog is available at:  http://wp.me/pyWiU-62

“CableCARDs have failed to stimulate a competitive retail market for set-top boxes.”

Speed and Access Only Part of the Story:  While most of the press attention on the FCC’s recently released Broadband policy plan focused on increasing broadband speed and availability, little attention has been paid to some significant changes proposed for in home internet access equipment.  This includes home gateways and set top boxes.

[Read the rest of this article on my IPTV Blog:  http://wp.me/pyWiU-5S ]

Turner, AccuWeather and Sky Angel in Attendance

Last week's STB 2009 in San Jose was a well received, quality event in the heart of Silicon Valley.  Greg Fawson and his X Media Research staff put on this 3^rd annual conference which attracts a select, albeit, small crowd for the 2 day event.  The 300 or so attendees were exposed to a wide cross section of the Digital TV and entertainment eco-system with trends and predictions explained by key insiders.

“The FCC must be a smart cop on the beat preserving a free and open Internet.”  FCC Chariman, Julius GenachowskiSeptember 21, 2009

“Preserving a Free and Open Internet”

Launch Delayed:  The long awaited launch of ZillionTV has hit a snag.  The latest “hope” is to get something launched “in the second half of next year” according to this weeks press quotes attributed to their CEO, Mitch Burman.  Unfortunately in the ever crowded space of IPTV VOD services, hope is not a very useful business strategy.

What BSkyB Started:  It seems all of Europe is buzzing with the hopes of seeing actual 3D content on their telly next year based on the BSkyB announcement in July that it will launch Europe’s first 3D TV channel programming in 2010.  The frenzy was further stoked by the Guardian Newspaper’s “Question of the Week” asking readers “Will 3D TV be a Hit?” So the new buzz word in the television industry must be “3D”.

In recent published reports, the South Korean Government has removed strict controls on IPTV content available for broadcast to its citizens.  The previous requirement that only Korean majority owned companies could provide IPTV content for broadcast has been eliminated.

AT&T for TV On The Go:  Our friends at AT&T are beating the drums louder for their in car satellite live TV service called “CruiseCast” since their nationwide US launch date on June 1, 2009.  And with the rather steep installation price of just under $1,300 their success will be a sure sign that consumer spending is up and the economy is really rebounding.

Working Both Sides of the Connectivity Puzzle

The DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) and the CABA (Continental Automated Buildings Association) may want to explore joint opportunities to influence the  Connected Home of the future.

The Money Machine is Working for the Over The Top Video Market

Press stories based on SEC filings show that two of the premier OTT providers have turned on their money magnets:  Roku has raised at least $24 million over four financing rounds, including a $6 million investment from Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) according to Paid Content.Org. In the meantime, Ustream.TV pulled in another $2M for their live streaming service.  Not bad when times are still considered tight.

Disney-ABC and Taiwan TV Shows Now Available to Subscriber

The OTT (Over The Top) IPTV market continues to show strength of the business model with separate announcements from Netflix and NeuLion channel KyLinTV this week on top of Qwest's proclamations last week.