Zev Mo Tech Blog

The future for Blu-Ray, Apple, and Media Devices? [DadsonTech post]

Posted on 13. Jan, 2010 by zevmo in Apple, audio/video, Media Server, Technology, TV

Your living room TV is under assault!

I am not talking about your kids throwing Wii remotes at it, or spouses sabotaging your inputs just in time for Sunday football, or not having any juice left in your rechargeable Logitech Harmony Remote, or even those tiny little fingerprints on the screen that make you go coo coo for cocoa puffs.  I am talking about the endless barrage of hardware media devices.

Devices like the D-Link Boxee Box, the  Syabas Technology Popcorn Hour, the Roku Player, AppleTV, Blu-ray players, Microsoft XBox 360, Sony PS3, Nintendo Wii, audio systems, Sonos ZonePlayer, Tivo, and other Cable/Verizon Fios/Satellite appliances.  Whew!  I need an entire circuit breaker just for my TV, and I still have a problem getting all of my content the way I want.

What’s quizzical is many of these devices are providing overlapping services, each doing it slightly differently.  For some reason these hardware manufacturers haven’t figured this one out quite yet, or are just now starting to come around (for example, TV widgets which allow me to update Facebook or Twitter).  Welcome to the party, pal!

Blu-ray?

Much can be said about one group that has failed to grasp this concept- the DVD player segment of products.  They are just beginning to develop Netflix / Blockbuster Streaming, but are falling short of becoming a simple media hub.  I think by their sales numbers, these manufacturers are starting to realize that the DVD player is going the way of the dodo bird.  The only reason I would even consider buying one for is the Netflix streaming., not even to play blu-ray disks, funny enough.  Otherwise I can buy HD movies and stream them via AppleTV, or view my DVD ‘backups’ from one of the boxee services, like XBMC.

So, what can they do?  Well, the blu-ray players are about $130-225 now.  Some offer wireless or ethernet capabilities as well.  The base hardware can be expanded, and they simply need to add a software component to stream itunes libraries (the most popular, at this point), or insert Windows Media server extender technologies.  This is the tech-world’s favorite word- convergence.

Right now, you have four paths for convergence:

1. The TV
2. The Cable/Fios/Satellite box
3. Some third-party internet device (Boxee, Roku, AppleTV, etc.)
4. A Game console.

Unless every TV becomes internet-ready, or Scientific Atlanta gets it’s hardware and software out of the 90′s, or the XBox/PS3 game consoles really focus on a more open approach to software applications, third-way devices will be the object of choice for some time.

DVD-player manufacturers could move forward creating a new product: as a pass-through device for media.  In essence, they become a wrapper for content, at least until the other devices get on board with the cloud.

Some features to consider:

• Provide your basic blu-ray DVD services, as usual
• Create a pass-through of the Cable/Fios/Sat box, PS3/Wii/XBox, inputs (requires a built-in HDMI hub)
• An overlay framework for widgets (facebook, twitter, weather, etc.) available on all inputs
• Netflix streaming, MS Media extender plug-in, iTunes meda streaming
• Windows Remote Desktop or VNC.  Gasp!! YES- RDP or VNC for crying out loud!
• Wi-Fi remote (iphone, android, palm) App compatibility (like Air Mouse)
• Software upgradable (I would probably go with a version of Android for the coreOS)
• USB port for ipod-type device playing
• Another higher model- audio system with speakers

This would require a little processing power, memory, and some creativity.  I assume that the hardware would cost about $250-350 MSRP for the basic model- based on the current manufacturers parts use and volume levels.  This isn’t very much more than what is currently being offered for just a blu-ray player, or even the AppleTV, Boxee, Roku, or Popcorn boxes.

Cloud Media?

At some point, Apple, or whomever, will need to create a media server technology for all content (Music, Pictures, Movies, Podcast, Shows) so that everyone ion the family can access that library.  As your local content provider becomes just a data pipe (Internet) where you can opt in/out of content on demand, the need for 15 boxes by your TV will begin to subside.  Perhaps it will all be living in the Cloud (living comfortably in North Carolina)?  Who knows, it is anyone’s guess.

This will be the next software component piece that allows you to not only access your chosen content, but to purchase and find new content.  If Apple was smart, and they are, they would be developing the software licensing (so unlike Apple) for the technology so that they are the content provider and storage service for all of your data in the cloud, and manufacturers could simply create applications to plug-in to that data.  Therefore, all you really need is a monitor and a game console, both with a licensed Apple iLife storage software plug-in.

For all of us living in TV (version 2.0 alpha), home media means you have to flow through a middle-ware device, for the time being.  Eventually, either the network-connected TV (Monitor), the set-top-box (a future internet-connection device to access cloud-based content), or Game Console (providing the same access to cloud-ware) will simplify it down to a manageable level of plugged-in gear.

One can only hope.

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