Dear iTV Doctor:
A few weeks ago you wrote about Vizio Internet Apps built into their HD sets. I was particularly intrigued by the snazzy programmable remote with keyboard. You suggested that that remote might be able to emulate the cable, satellite or telco remotes currently being used, including advanced features like iTV navigation. But now I read about a company named Ceton, which appears to have a product that not only replaces the remote control, but replaces the set-top box entirely--a digital cable quad-tuner card.
And that suggests all kinds of questions. Obviously I'm going to connect my PC to my HDTV to watch shows. That's easy. But when I subscribe to a cable/satellite/telco service, who connects it all? I'm pretty sure the cable guy ain't gonna do that!
But let's get past that. Let's say I'm a cable subscriber, using the PC as a set-top box. Do I change channels with my keyboard (assuming the PC is in the same room as the HDTV)? And please explain how I subscribe (and pay for) premium services. Does this fall under the scope of the "TV Everywhere" project?
But mostly, I really don't want to have a live-in Geek Squad member.
Bemused, Bothered and Bewildered
Dear Bemused:
Well, I think you've hit a number of nails on their respective heads. We all know that technology will not be denied, but there seem to be a lot of pieces that have to fall into place before Mr. and Mrs. Middle America will be using their PC as a set-top box. But I may be missing something, so I turned your questions over to Ed Graczyk, Ceton's CMO and a Microsoft TV veteran. Here's what Ed has to say:
First of all, I should say that we recently announced the final name for the product, "InfiniTV 4," which was the result of a "Name the Product Contest" we held that resulted in more than 1,000 name suggestions from hundreds of fans. "InfiniTV" is the name of the Ceton digital cable tuner product line in general and "InfiniTV 4" is the name of the four-tuner version that's coming to market first. We also recently announced a pre-order program for people who want to make sure they get one of the first units off the production line. Anyone interested can visit Zones.com to order their unit today. We expect units to ship on May 31st.
For years, Microsoft has been adding capabilities to Windows to make it a great platform for digital entertainment in the home. The vast majority of Windows versions in use today include a very powerful feature called Windows Media Center that lets you do things like organize and share your digital photos, videos and music; watch or record live TV; and share that media with other TV's and devices in the home over the home network. With Windows 7 that just came out in October, Microsoft added some cool new capabilities to Media Center, including integrating over-the-top services like Netflix into the user experience, as well as some enhancements designed specifically for digital cable services.
While Windows Media Center has supported live TV for years now, a big missing link has been a good solution for live subscription TV services like those offered by cable operators, whether you're just watching basic cable channels like ESPN or a premium channels like HBO. Up until now, your only options for TV on the PC have been single-tuner solutions for unencrypted cable or over-the-air broadcast, or a pretty expensive single-tuner solution for digital cable. With some solutions you could spend twice the money to add two single-tuner products to be able to watch one show and record another at the same time.
So, historically, the value proposition for TV on your PC hasn't been terribly compelling. Why would you want to spend all that time and money to add a single tuner to your PC and not even get encrypted or premium channels, when you can rent a dual-tuner DVR from your cable operator for $15-25 per month? That's where we come into play.
Ceton developed the world's first multi-tuner solution for subscription TV services on the PC. Since cable is by far the predominant way people in the US get their TV services, we focused initially on a solution for US cable subscribers, taking advantage of the CableCARD technology developed by the industry.
Our first product coming to market is a four-tuner board that you install inside a PC. It is a "low-profile" board, so you can install it in a variety of PC's, from full-height desktops and towers to slimline entertainment PC's. And there are enough folks who are comfortable opening up their PC's to make the board a very profitable enterprise. Down the road we'll also offer USB versions that can be plugged into laptops and all-in-one PC's that don't have internal expansion slots available, as well as for people who just want an easier upgrade option than installing an internal card. And before long we'll see new PC's come right out of the factory with the Ceton board pre-installed. Plug n' play, and there you go!
A Windows 7 PC with the Ceton InfiniTV 4 installed becomes essentially the world's most advanced set-top box for digital cable services. With this configuration you can do things like:
- Record up to four live channels of HDTV at once, including all encrypted channels as well as premium channels like HBO and Showtime,
- Watch one live channel and record three others simultaneously, and
- Access live TV and over-the-top video services (including "TV Everywhere") on the same device, viewable on the same TV set, even at the same time if you'd like.
We also take advantage of the whole-home capabilities built into Windows Media Center so you can share the experience on other TV's in the home using Media Center Extenders. A Media Center Extender is kind of like a small set-top box. It is a device that you plug into your other TV's and that connects to your main Media Center PC over your home network. With an Extender attached, you can use most of the Media Center features on those other TV sets, including watching live HDTV channels and DVR. Perhaps the most popular Media Center Extender is the Xbox 360, which has the Extender capability built in already.
So, let's say you have a Media Center PC with the Ceton InfiniTV 4 that is connected to your main TV in the family room and you have three other TV's in other rooms, each having a Media Center Extender attached. With a set-up like that, you have even more capability, including being able to:
- Watch a different live HD show on each TV at the same time, all from the one Media Center PC,
- Set up DVR recordings from all four TV's, with all recordings stored centrally on the Media Center PC,
- Play back recorded HDTV shows from each of the four TV's at the same time,
- Start watching a show in one room, pause it, and pick up playing where you left off on a TV in another room, and
- Take advantage of the other Media Center capabilities like digital slide shows, music and home video streaming from all TV sets in the home.
While you can certainly enjoy TV on the PC using a mouse, a keyboard and a PC display (the so-called "two-foot experience"), we think most of our customers will connect the Media Center PC to their big HDTV set and prefer the "10-foot experience." The Media Center user interface is designed for that and you can control it with a remote, just like you would a set-top box. You could also use a wireless mouse and keyboard if that's your preference.
So, you might be wondering how InfiniTV 4 does all that. Well, it takes advantage of the CableCARD technology developed by CableLabs that is designed to enable exactly this type of third-party innovation. A single multi-stream CableCARD (M-Card) supports up to six live cable channels from a single CableCARD. Now, Windows has a limit of four TV tuners of each type per PC, which is why our consumer product is a four-tuner solution. We actually have a six-tuner version that we use in a product line we have for the hotel/hospitality market.
So, bottom line, if you want the world's best device for digital cable, pop over to the InfiniTV 4 pre-order program today to order one of the first units for your Windows 7 PC. If you're in the market for a new PC, the Ceton card will also be available as a pre-configured option from leading OEM's later this year.
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The iTV Doctor is *Rick Howe*, who provides interactive television consulting services to programmers and advertisers. He is the recipient of a CTAM Tami Award for retention marketing and this year was nominated to Cable Pioneers. He is also the co-author of a patent for the use of multiscreen mosaics in EPG's. Endorsed by top cable and satellite distributors, "Dr" Howe still makes house calls, and the first visit is always free. His services include product development, distribution strategy and the development of low-cost interactive applications for rapid deployment across all platforms. Have a question for the iTV Doctor? Email him at itvdoctor@itvt.com
