John Linton We installed the IPTV servers and switches of a third party we are working with in our Sydney PoP earlier this week and that service is now getting closer to commercial release. It's taken a lot longer than originally envisioned, but then it always does, and it's only a very small step along the path. I was reminded of how fast all things in this business change when I received an email yesterday.
A long time ago, I can't remember when, I got tired of lumping around a lap top so I could work at home and interstate/overseas as well as the office with the same files and bought my first 'SanDisk' - one of the early manufacturers of flash memory based 'stick drives'. I also can't remember how small the actual capacity was - around 100 mb I think, but it allowed me to take something weighing a few grams (instead of 2 plus kilograms) to have access to my files wherever there was a computer with a USB port and it was smaller than a packet of cigarettes instead of needing its own carry case with its battery, charger mess of cables etc.
It still surprises me to see so many people using lap tops instead of flash drives but each to his/her own.
When I bought my first SanDisk I also 'ticked the box' to receive product/news updates and have never got around to cancelling that 'subscription'. I have bought replacement flash drives several times since with my latest drive holding 2 gigabytes and while I don't need anything like that capacity it was around the same price as the bottom end 1 gb unit so I spent the additional $20.00.
That's a long winded way of explaining how I was advised of their latest offering which is detailed on their web site here:
http://www.take.tv/
It's not much use to Australians at the moment because it's only avaialble in the USA but presumably it will become available in the not too distant future and, in any case, it's just one more example of how the major 'studios' are finally getting around to distributing their 'titles' legally via the internet.
What I liked about this SanDisk offering was the fact that it contained the 'set top box' control capabilities needed to display downloaded content on a standard large screen TV without all the hassle of setting up yet another wireless point etc. I realise that this sort of convenience isn't required by truly technically adept people but I'm not one of those and like to watch entertainment by using a remote with very few buttons.
I'm sure those people that download TV shows and movies illegally would be horrified at the thought of paying for their viewing pleasure but for those people who are averse to copyright theft the 'Take TV' concept has a great deal of appeal - and as it is just one more step along the road - it's an interesting move towards a more likely low cost/free entertainment via the net concept.
I think if this was available in Australia and the title list was suitable I'd start to think very seriously about getting rid of my now very expensive FoxTel connection (I think the last time I checked that service was costing me over $80.00 a month for two outlets in my home - perhaps more). I don't think I'd actually do it because of the live sports channels which I wouldn't want to be without but I'd certainly ditch some of the other add ons and, from the brief costings available, I think I'd save money even at this early iteration of the service.
The attraction to me is the ease of making the content available on a large TV screen with a simple remote control as well as the low title costs.
I'm sure Apple etc will produce even better versions of their entertainment products and SanDisk, or other companies, will also quickly develop both the scope and the financial attraction of their products.