Monday March 22, 2010 – Myra Moore
Broadband internet is undeniably the most popular kid in the “hybrid TV” school these days. With terrestrial, satellite, and cable platforms flirting with the idea of letting broadband Internet access join their clubs, it’s no wonder hybrid TV was a prominent topic at the DVB World conference earlier this month.
The DVB Project has been in the business of getting different broadcast technologies to play together under one umbrella standard ever since digital video broadcasting began. Whether the DVB Project, or other standards-setting bodies, can extend that matchmaking ability into the IP world remains to be seen. The big matchmaking challenge, however, is among the agendas of all the potential players.
Consumer electronics device suppliers, pay TV service providers, pay and free-to-air (FTA) set-top box suppliers, FTA terrestrial broadcasters, middleware suppliers, content owners, next-gen ISPs, search-engine giants, and consumers all have a stake – and their own interests.
So, which one of the above gets to manage what comes through the internet pipe? Some interests want no restrictions on what comes through the pipe; others only want select web sites and programs to come through the pipe. Then there are those who just want to manage what makes it through the pipe with guides, Widgets and search engines. With the exception of consumers, they have one thing in common – they want to make money from delivering, receiving and/or managing what comes through the pipe. Consumers – they just don’t want to pay for it.
It’s doubtful that there is one interest here that will supersede all others. The recent news that Google is leading a team that includes Intel, Sony and Logitech to create a Google TV platform has some wondering if the Google Giant will have enough heft to be the money collector and the bouncer at the hybrid TV club’s front door. Maybe. But there are other computer/Internet based companies like Yahoo (Widgets) and Microsoft (Ultimate TV), who have created platforms designed to get the internet TV to marry up with broadcast TV platforms. None of those have yet transformed the way we watch TV. The two will probably get hitched one day, but we may want to settle in for a long courtship.
