[opendtv] Re: iPad remote for Comcast
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 08:21:10 -0400
At 12:03 PM -0500 5/17/10, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
The bigger picture is really simple, Craig. Comcast is trying to
ride the iPad hype wave, that's all. Might as well create an app for
the iPad to control your refrigerator for all the sense this makes.
This is all about finding some excuse to use the iPad. It doesn't
have to make sense.
NO BERT. This is NOT the bigger picture.
This is the bigger picture for the cable industry:
http://blog.comcast.com/2009/06/on-demand-online-and-tv-everywhere.html
Please note that I am not endorsing what Comcast is doing, nor do I
expect it to be successful in the long run. But the Comcast iPAD play
is not about riding the hype wave; it is about leveraging all kinds
of devices to get their content everywhere. And, as I explained
yesterday, it is about solving the problems with the GUI for the big
"communal" screen in the family room. You idea of a push button
remote and a wireless keyboard is not the future...
> Are you suggesting that TV manufacturers provide remotes that offer
the equivalent functionality to this iPad APP?
Of course not. I'm suggesting that the TV monitor is already
available, in this case, and that monitor gives you far more screen
real-estate than any iPad can. So use it.
Actually the monitor does not provide that much more screen real
estate - the iPAD is 1024 x 768 at 132 dpi. But this completely
misses the point.
The whole point here is to control what you see on the big HDTV
screen in a simple, intuitive way. The communal part is what you see
on the big screen. The navigation takes place on a simple device in
your lap that allows you to exploit the touch interface and virtual
keyboard. And for multi-person apps, the TABLETS become the remotes
and/or game controllers for each participant.
The TV itself, or in this case the Comcast STB, can incorporate
whatever software is needed to do the searching. What makes you
think you need a separate iPad just for this remote control function?
Yup. This is what it is doing. It is simply using another tablet
device for the GUI.
What do you do, if while sitting on the couch you decide that you
want to load some content onto your tablet to watch while commuting
to work or flying across the country?
What do you do if you want to snack on an ice cream while watching,
Craig? Do you expect the remote control to make you an ice cream?
What a ridiculous statement.
If you want to capture the show and watch it later on, say, the
iPad, that's a whole other issue than using the iPad as a remote
control. There are any number of ways that function can be provided.
Exactly Bert!
The iPAD is a multi-function programmable device that will be used
for MANY applications. And this is EXACTLY why it is feasible to use
it as a remote for the TV. And Yes, you will also use it to control
the refrigerator, air conditioner, and other appliances. And there
are ALREADY apps to do what John Shutt suggested in his post.
You rambled on about the progressions in computing technology and how
the latest "new thing" commands attention. What you failed to mention
is that the computing revolution has fundamentally changed many
aspects of our lives, replacing a wide range of single function
devices with a programmable device that does a far better job of
managing the functions than the devices that it has replaced.
Way back - seems like an eternity ago - I helped to design and market
very expensive devices used by video professionals to create TV
content. When we introduced the GVG model 100, we helped reduced the
cost of a basic video editing suite from six figures to five. Today
yo9u can run a MUCH MORE CAPABLE video production suite on a PC or
Mac for less than $10,000, and consumers can edit their videos for
next to nothing.
As I said Bert, you need to get you head out of the 20th Century.
Regards
Craig
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