back to article Intel delays consumer TV box yet again – report

Intel is reportedly delaying the launch of a planned set-top box with pay-per-view content after a distinct lack of interest among partners. Bloomberg reports that the previously planned launch of the box in time for this year's holiday season has now been delayed until at least 2014. Attempts by Intel to find partners for the …

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  1. Nate Amsden

    take a shortcut intel

    just go buy one of the existing players..you got the $$$

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I don't know why Intel thought they'd be able to do this

    They've never worked with content owners in any capacity before. You can't just call them up and expect them to be willing to license you their most valuable commodity when you have no track record.

    Supposedly Apple is working on a TV, and probably trying to make the same sort of deals. They've had over a decade working with content owners, have the track record of being one of the biggest players in the game and even they appear to be having trouble (based on how long it is taking Apple to come out with the TV Jobs thought he "cracked")

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Trollface

      Re: I don't know why Intel thought they'd be able to do this

      Maybe that's the problem, Jobs cracked the TV and so now they've got to buy another one. ;-)

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I don't know why Intel thought they'd be able to do this

      People just buy Intel chips. They've never really bought an Intel device (well, XBox 1 aside).

      They aren't resourced correctly to sell consumer products.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Even Microsoft in their heyday couldn't make this work

    There was MS Mediaroom.

    They somehow persuaded BT (presumably at CEO level) to adopt MediaRoom for the BT Vision set top box.

    Some time later, BT Vision no longer uses Mediaroom, and MS have sold the MediaRoom business.

    Big Content likes to make its own business rules, and likes to work with players who will toe the line.

  4. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    FAIL

    Isn't this much the same story as mobiles, but worse?

    People (to some extent) do care what processor their smart phone runs on if they want "compatibility" (and I use that term loosely given some suppliers desktop apps) with their desktop functions.

    But how man people know whats in their STB?

    And how many care?

    It's a bit different when they don't have their best buds in Redmond to act as their wingman, isn't it?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why bother?

    when you can invest £30 in an android hdmi dongle, install xbmc and some plugins, use phone/tablet as remote - hey ho proper smart tv - watch what you want, when you want, where you want, on any device you want. No other 'solution' can compare.

  6. Tom 35

    Cable crap

    "since it would bankrupt many smaller channels."

    Ones that people pay for in bundles but never watch. Only the people getting a cut of the inflated bundle price would miss them if they died.

    Here in Canada a company called Look started a digital wireless TV system to compete with cable. Used a small pizza box antenna. You had to take the basic package, and some US stations required you to also take a matching Canadian station (required under Canadian law) but other then that you could pick any stations you wanted, and no contract.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Look_Communications

    They didn't last long, if you had an antenna on your house the local cable company would show up and offer you a year of free cable with all the extras for free to dump look.

    1. ecofeco Silver badge

      Re: Cable crap

      Wow. That's some serious predatory marketing, which even in the US is illegal. Barely.

      I would have thought Canada had much stronger business laws regarding predatory pricing.

  7. Steve Barnes 1

    Intel n TV

    In my experience with Intel and STB/TV they have literally been firing shots in the dark.

    To the point where they invest in (tin pot)companies to force them to use Intel chipsets, only to have no device drivers ready for six months, then scrap the project six months after that.

    Into needs to stick to servers and pray that ARM fail in that area ;)

    1. Great Bu

      "they have literally been firing shots in the dark."

      Literally ? With a gun ? Wow, that's what I call marketing......

  8. ecofeco Silver badge
    Paris Hilton

    More and more I miss my antenna

    "500 channels and nothing but crap on"

    - a phrase so popular now I can't even find the originator

    Seriously, since the switch to digital TV where I live, there was actually an increase in broadcast stations with some that are actually pretty cool. Since the "science" channels (who shall not be named) have all turned into entertainment for the tramp stamped, there are at best, maybe 8 channels worth watching... during the entire week. It is no longer worth the money to watch rerun after rerun of already festering piles of retch, over and over.

    Oddly enough, one of the good channels is the Military History Channel, which tends to show really good documentaries. BBC America is also pretty good.

    I'm almost sure one the biggest problems the computing industry is running up against in trying to compete with the existing distribution system is the sheer utter scale of the corruption in the entertainment industry. As an example, Netflix's quality has gone downhill over the last few years. Why? They butted heads with the media companies and lost. Apple is continually under pressure from the music industry. Hulu is running into the same problems and l probably need not mention YouTube's infinite problems.

    No, if you are not "vetted" (and I use the term to purposely insinuate all kinds of not very nice things) by the media industry, you aren't going to make much headway in the business.

    The perfect example of all that is wrong with it ------------------------------------------------------>

    (you really should update this. Paris ain't the hot celeb she once was)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: More and more I miss my antenna

      "500 channels and nothing but crap on"

      You sure it wasn't "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" Springsteen in 1992

  9. Sulphur Man

    Its like designing a new car with an irregular sized fuel-filler and then requesting that all the suppliers offer a fuel pump on the forecourt specifically for that car.

    'Naive' doesn't begin to describe it.

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