[opendtv] Re: Technology evolves
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 10:11:42 -0500
> On Jan 20, 2014, at 5:38 PM, "Manfredi, Albert E"
> <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> The important point of this is that the "national footprint," heck even a
> "global footprint," is available for Internet radio, as cellular coverage
> becomes more contiguous. As of now, in developed countries, 3G coverage is
> very well distributed, and 4G is ramping up. Especially so on highways, which
> works in Internet radio's favor, in-car usage of radio being a primary
> concern here. So this makes the satellite solution, or for that matter the
> shortwave solution for a global footprint, close to superfluous in developed
> countries. Of course, there is that huge installed base of radios in cars.
> You'll note many new cars come with Pandora and other such options, built-in.
Yes, the connected car may well be the next big thing! Pandora is very
interested in gaining access to vehicles directly, rather than relying on smart
phones that have the wireless radios needed to connect to the Internet. This
article provides a nice analysis of the Sirius vs Pandora competitive landscape.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/10/us-sirius-pandora-idUSBRE90914K20130110
70% of new cars are enabled for Sirius. 75 models now are offered with support
for Pandora. But Pandora is just one app. It is unlikely that they will be a
driving force in the the "connected car" business, but they will certainly
benefit from going along for the ride.
Much will depend on the initiatives that are moving forward with respect to
integration of mobile platforms in vehicles. Microsoft was an early mover with
Sync in Fords, but this has not led to much interest from other car
manufacturers. Apple is working with almost everyone, and we may see
significant announcement this year. And Google is trying to get into this as
well.
Frankly, I am surprised it has taken so long to get connectivity into vehicles.
Perhaps the ability to monitor almost everything you are doing, ala the NSA is
a factor.
>
> And cell networks are being deployed heavily in developing countries now.
Yes. In many cases they have simply skipped wired phone networks. But it is not
the lack of infrastructure holding back these developing countries. It is the
lack of jobs that pay enough for people to afford the devices and the monthly
fees.
> So bottom line, when radio is involved, everything seems designed correctly.
> When TV is involved, all the designers become brain-dead (I know, you're
> going to say it's to "protect" something or other, which only means that
> greed promotes brain-death). This has been true for decades and it also
> applies to recorded TV vs recorded audio. With the exception of digital
> radio, radio has always been globally compatible worldwide. And it just may
> be that Internet radio will make DAB/IBOC/DRM/DTMB superfluous as well. This
> incompatibility disease has yet to affect Internet products. Here's to hoping.
You are trying to equate two very different things.
Radio is a mature industry that has found its niche. At one time it was
dominated by music formats, and served as an important promotional tool for the
music industry. Those days are over.
People love to listen to and collect music; the fact that old farts like me
still listen to "classic rock," say volumes. Each generation seems to hold onto
the music of their era.
TV is mostly disposable, and frequently event oriented. Some people collect
movies, far fewer collect TV shows. Few people turn on their radios during
prime time, unless they are driving. The big money is in TV and movies - and
they want to keep it this way.
And yes, Digital Radio Broadcasting has been a bust. iPods killed music
stations, and Internet connectivity may be the final blow - the radio formats
that still work will increasingly move to IP distribution.
> Well, personal music libraries can also be stored in "the cloud," and really,
> that's somewhat different. Radio gives up-to-the-minute news, weather, and
> traffic reports, which a stored music library doesn't. And for music lovers,
> radio also exposes people to material they don't already know. So honestly, I
> see recorded music as a separate and more limited category, and I see
> podcasts as an interim solution as well.
Radio once relied on recorded music...
Pandora still does.
And most radio stations are already streaming on the Internet. Radio
broadcasting will not die quickly - it will take a decade or more before the
U.S. Automotive fleet is fully connected, although the integration of connected
devices will help bring legacy vehicles "on-line."
Podcasts are not an interim solution. They are audio on demand, and as such
provide a huge library of content that people tap into regularly. This is a
growing business with all manner of applications.
> Yes, but there are 10s of thousands of free Internet radio streams out there
> too, for the entire world to enjoy, in full hifi sound. I'm talking more
> about the technology here. Radio content has migrated already.
No argument here. The technology has enabled new business models such as
podcasts, and new ways to access audio content. But broadcast radio will still
be there when a storm hits, power goes off and your broadband connection is
down.
Regards
Craig
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