[opendtv] Cable, MIPS missing in GoogleTV picture
- From: Albert Manfredi <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 22 May 2010 18:39:38 -0400
"Given competing advertising models, cable operators are not likely to back the
Google initiative anytime soon, potentially cutting the Google service out of
the brunt of its market."
I'm not sure what this means, exactly. That cable operators would limit their
broadband bandwidth deliberately? Or that they will block Internet TV except
the TV they distribute over the Internet to their paying TV subscribers?
Net neutrality will have a tough row to hoe.
Bert
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Cable, MIPS missing in GoogleTV picture
Rick Merritt
(05/20/2010 6:00 PM EDT)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=224900606
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Two big pieces were missing when Google rolled out its
picture of the future of integrated Web and TV services at Google I/O
Thursday—cable TV providers who deliver most of the broadcast content and MIPS
Technologies that powers many of the sets.
Google announced a partnership with satellite TV provider Echostar, but no
other service providers at this point. "They don’t have a broadband cable TV
partner and that’s the weak underbelly of this so far," said Richard Doherty,
principal of market watcher Envisioneering (Seaford, NY).
Given competing advertising models, cable operators are not likely to back the
Google initiative anytime soon, potentially cutting the Google service out of
the brunt of its market.
"Cable operators provide half the world and two thirds of Americans with TV,
and I don’t know of a cable operator who would want to work with them," said
Doherty. "I was at the Cable Show [the cable TV annual event] last week and
Google TV did not come up once though I am sure everyone knew about it," he
said.
The GoogleTV roll out echoed another big industry event that brought together
giants, but eventually fell flat. "It reminds me of General Magic a few years
ago—it's not a complete solution yet," said Doherty of the mobile systems
startup.
Software developers in the audience at Google I/O where the initiative was
launched may take offense that Google is not releasing a GoogleTV developer's
kit until after Sony and Logitech ship their first systems. Giving those
companies an opportunity to have a market-making exclusive is, in a way, a
small sign of a lack of the openness Google touted at the event.
On the processor side, Intel's Atom based SoCs are apparently the only chip
currently available to run Google TV. However that is expected to change
eventually. Google said it will make its software available as open source code
in the summer of 2011.
Sony and Logitech are building the initial GoogleTV systems using Intel's
CE4100 chip, aka Sodaville, an SoC with an Atom core. A port of the code to
MIPS processors which power many of today's TVs is apparently not yet available.
But MIPS was quick to remind Google about the search giant's open charter and
MIPS' willingness to be a partner.
"Google TV is the latest architecture-neutral solution from Google and,
leveraging our past work with Android and our ongoing relationship with Google,
MIPS Technologies is now in an excellent position to work with our licensees as
Google TV moves beyond its initial reference platforms and into mainstream
development within the digital home market—a market where MIPS is already the
number one processor architecture," said Art Swift, vice president of marketing
at MIPS in a press statement.
Meanwhile, Intel is planning to roll out a GoogleTV reference design that other
OEM can adopt. "You will see it over the next two or three quarters," said
Wilfred Martis, general manager of the retail consumer business in Intel's
Digital Home group.
"Our goal is to help Sony and Logitech ship product in fall," Martis said.
"Once we do that we will do the scale designs--essentially reference
designs--any OEM can use," he said.
The wins mark the first time Intel has gotten one of its TV SoCs design into a
TV or set-top. Its first generation part, Canmore, was announced in August 2008
but never designed into a system.
The Sodaville SoC can handle all the broadcast and GoogleTV processing.
However, some TV makers will prefer to use their own pixel processing SoCs in
addition to Sodaville. "Most digital TV OEMs are very particular about their
picture quality and do a lot of fine tuning of the panel and use their own
secret sauce," Martis said.
Intel still supports the Yahoo Connected TV software platform launched about
three years ago in tandem with the Canmore chip. However, now Intel only
supports the Yahoo software through Metrological, a third party in Europe.
Intel plans to work directly with other smart TV software platforms, but would
provide no details. "There will be other players in this market once the
smart-TV phenomenon happens," Martis said.
In a press statement timed with the GoogleTV launch, Yahoo said it has
partnerships around its connected TV software with five of the top ten TV
makers including LG, HiSense, Samsung, Sony and Vizio. It has 7,000 registered
developers for its Widget Channel and more than 50 applications developed to
date.
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