Normchacho said:
If you kept reading after the first bolded part you'd know I already said that. Where have MS said that those TV apps are coming to the One? So far they have the Verizon app which has a maximum of 74 channels and that only works if you have Fios internet (not to mention some of the channels are locked behind payed packages even if you have Fios). They have also not come out and said that anymore apps will be added. @2: Why haven't they said anything about greater TV functionality or compatibility? All they have talking about regarding watching tv has been the HDMI in for months. Unless you have some insider info that they haven't told anyone else about? Care to share with the rest of the class? Of course it's more risky. They are moving into a very competitive market as you said. But it's also a very weak and flawed market. There are several well known issues with the current live tv market from pricing, to the UI, to the packaging structure. This puts Sony in a very unique position, if they can come to market with a strong content lineup and solve even a couple of the issues that current cable and satelite providers have it could be huge. It's certainly more difficult than just piggybacking an app or allowing someone to plug there cable box into the back and if they don't have enough content or the pricing isn't right they could fall flat on there face. But as a concept and as a far as potential goes, it blows what MS (and actually most TV providers have) out of the water. |
The reason the Cable Apps are coming because MS has partnerships with those companies. In other words they have signed contracts which usually involves money changing hands for services.
@2: They have, not sure if you keep up with such info but MS has been going on about their support for awhile. Here is a statement from them in November. I shorten it but if you want the full message as well as all the apps coming within the next few months you can go to this site.
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/gamenews.php?id=111179
Something truly unique we’re doing with Xbox One is bringing together your favorite TV channels and entertainment app channels into one screen. Xbox One is also the only games and entertainment system that enables HDMI pass through. You can create your own personal Favorites in OneGuide – the Xbox One electronic program guide – so you can quickly and easily choose what you want to watch, whether it’s a TV channel like CBS, NBC or ESPN, or something inside an app like Xbox Video, Hulu Plus or the NFL on Xbox One. You can even add your personal photos and videos from the SkyDrive app to your OneGuide Favorites.
Additionally, a Bing search for TV, movies, games, or music scans across all apps to find exactly what you’re looking for, instead of having to hunt through each app individually. For the first time, you don’t have to juggle multiple screens across cable TV, video streaming services and other entertainment apps to quickly find the entertainment you’re looking for.
Its not that the market is weak or flawed its the fact that it cost a lot of money to operate in that space and also make a profit. The market is huge and the cable companies are the top dogs in the industry. They pay huge amounts of money to content providers to provide the content. To think that Sony can run in the same space and not have to pay the same price is being naive.
One person talked about Sony making a deal with Viacon and thus getting their channels. Why do you think bundling exist. Its because these big content providers sell to the cable companies all of those stations as a package deal thus its cost effective for the cable companies to do the same and bundle channels to the consumer. Do you think Sony will be able to split out the channels from Viacon and allow users to just pick the one they want for a cheaper price. I am very doubtful this will happen. It would mean that Sony could pontentiall lose money on each subscription to their service and thats the last thing Sony need is to be losing money. There is no magic bullet in this space because of the price of entry. MS, Apple and Google have tried and MS sold their business. Apple has been trying for awhile and so has Google.
Sony is not an internet provider so what do you think if someone decides to go with their IPTV solution but they have Time Warner cable internet service. Running an IPTV service will kill that person download cap thus getting them throttled. Now your IPTV is a choppy mess.
Last but not least, people seem to think that Sony can change the industry but they are the industry. Meaning that they are part of the reason why the industry is the way it is. If MS, Apple and Google could not change the system, I am finding it very hard to see how Sony who isn't in the same league money wise as those companies can do the same.