Comments on: Blockbuster: Yet Another Set-Top Box?

By: hdtivo

hdtivo — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:41:11 +0000

Chris is right in that WMV has been the obvious play for quite some time.

By: Allan

Allan — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:09:42 +0000

Why do these companies think they can succeed in the hardware business? Comcast owns that space and Apple is having a hard time making a go at it. I don’t see Blockbuster or Netflix making any headway here at all.

By: Dave Zatz

Dave Zatz — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:47:41 +0000

Series2 is only capable of MPEG-2 and I imagine TiVo will start focusing more attention on the current, more powerful platform. Microsoft protection is tied to Windows Media file formats, and like Chris said most everyone who isn’t Apple is using it for video (audio too).

By: dwgsp

dwgsp — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:43:13 +0000

Dave: I think I am missing something here… does the fact that S2 Tivo units can only support MPEG-2 video format imply that they cannot support Microsoft’s streaming and DRM technologies? I thought that these were format independent.

By: Dave Zatz

Dave Zatz — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:46:37 +0000

dwgsp: Amazon Unbox on TiVo is re-encoded as MPEG-2, hence the difference in PC versus DVR resolution and occasional encoding artifacts. Given TiVo’s recent YouTube announcement, they obviously intend to increase codec support (hardware is capable) later this year on Series3 and TiVoHD units – in addition to H.264, I hope they enable WMV-HD… unless they’ve got another movie supplier or process lined up.

By: dwgsp

dwgsp — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:06:29 +0000

Chris Lanier:

Good point. As long as MS’s solution is platform independent (which I assume is true since my Tivo can stream Amazon Unbox movies) I think it goes a long way towards meeting my needs. The remaining gap seems to be giving end users the ability to select any content supplier who supports the “standard”.

I don;t want to be locked in to using a specific set of “hard coded” content suppliers.

By: rob

rob — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:13:05 +0000

As was mentioned already there’s only so much real estate on that stand with the TV, by the time you do the cable box (or sat), dvd, tuner/amp, 360, slingbox, and hopefully in the near future a slingcather I just don’t see where these other boxes fit in. Fit it in with a game machine, Slingcatcher, or offer it through a cable/sat box and I think you are onto something.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:12:46 +0000

Ditto. With a Tivo HD, Wii, Apple TV, DVD Player, CD Player, Receiver, etc I think I’ve already got enough crap hooked up to my TV. How many inputs do they think we have, let alone shelf space?

I’m not buying any single function boxes for this. And even a DVD player integration wouldn’t likely do it for me, since it would have to have a disk, or only be able to stream (i.e. subject to network issues). Let alone constant DRM updates etc. Not having it.

I am also not interested in low-def streaming on any box hooked to my TV. Downloads with early start are fine. DRM is fine (well, not fine but I’ll live with it). But something at least as good as the SD signal quality from my cable company is the minimum standard. And if they want to use it for movies, and to replace physical DVDs then near-DVD quality, with 5.1 sounds and 16:9 display options is a requirement. And they should be thinking about HD in the near near future.

Maybe its just too late for Blockbuster. Tivo’s already paired up with Amazon Unbox (exclusive? no idea). Apple has their own service, and obviously isn’t interested in a deal like this. Sony with the PS3 might be doable, but the other studios might not be so thrilled. Only Microsoft’s XBox is really a possibility, depending on Microsoft’s own ambitions in this area (i.e. what do they need Blockbuster for?).

Ditto Netflix. Better partner up with somebody quick, or your long term future is pretty dismal…

If either Netflix or Blockbuster can build an Apple TV or MC extender that ALSO downloads movies via broadband AND does a REALLY GOOD JOB with photos, and music, then MAYBE. Otherwise, forget it.

And yes, Vudu is already dead.