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October 6, 2004A home needs a digital hubPosted 2122 days ago on October 6, 2004Charles says "I don't get it. Who's going to buy ... media PCs?. His argument is that PCs are too complex for TV functions, and that there's too much family competition already for the TV in the corner of the living room. But let's look at this another way. The media server concept is just obvious. Network the home (wireless in many cases), put all your music and video on one box and stream it out. You don't need to listen in the living room; listen anywhere. Video's more difficult because of bandwidth requirements, but the same logic applies. It's also obvious that this media server should be connected to the TV. Why? Because unless you have deep pockets, only the TV has a large enough screen to be watched from a distance. Plus it has to be connected to the Internet, so as not to be limited to standard TV broadcasting fare. Now that sounds like a media center PC to me - or one of several other solutions, on offer or coming from Sony, Apple, etc. Personally I like the flexibility of a PC-based solution rather than a closed-box Tivo; it also tends to work out cheaper. The challenge is to make the UI easy enough for ordinary people, but that's a problem of implementation, not the core concept. Note that it doesn't add to the problem of fighting to use the TV; it actually solves it. Re: A home needs a digital hubPosted 2122 days ago by Tim Anderson • • • Reply
Of course usability is key. I've not seen the updated media center PC so I don't know how good it is in this respect. Re: A home needs a digital hubPosted 2103 days ago by Mr. Joe • • • ReplyThe Media PC is a great concept- it's just been done wrong (hardware and marketing). What needs to happen for it to be successful is for a TV manufacturer to build in a PC motherboard. I agree most consumers "think of different boxes that specialise - hifi, TV, DVD, video" but if it's packaged as a TV it will sell. The software would have to be seamless- PIP, WiFi, Internet access, HD recording, DVD/DVD-R. On the hardware side it would need a "regular" remote as well as a wireless keyboard/trackpad, front and rear USB & Firewire ports, surround sound as well as standard inputs and outputs. Consumers could understand that! |
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Re: A home needs a digital hub
Posted 2122 days ago by Charles • • www • ReplyGot to take issue with all these points, Tim. I don't think you've ever watched someone struggle with a PC. Look at all the security problems people have with Windows. Microsoft aims to make it as simple as possible to use, yet people are perplexed by how to do what you might think of as comparatively simple things.
Also I'd question a lot if not all of your assumptions.
1) "The media server concept is just obvious." Only if you're the sort of person who knows what a server is. Most people don't. They think of different boxes that specialise - hifi, TV, DVD, video. The only "server" most people know about is a hifi stack system, and that only does one thing at a time.
2) "Personally I like the flexibility of a PC-based solution rather than a closed-box Tivo; it also tends to work out cheaper." A TiVo or PVR (in the UK, Sky+) is A LOT cheaper than a media centre PC. You might like the flexibility, but - and I mean this in the nicest way - you're a geek. You understand this stuff. The error is to imagine that because you understand it, and think it's what people should want, that it is what they will want. That's a marketing syllogism.
This is why I said the media centre PC concept is like herding cats. There is so much explanation to be done to the average person, which is where the mass market lies, that I think easier concepts such as the PVR will get there first. In the UK, Sky (satellite TV) is having a huge push on its PVR system. It's an easy bet that the number of those installed is 100-1 greater than the number of media centre PCs sold in the UK.