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[Thomas Beckett <thomas AT tbeckett.com>]

Yeah, what she said.  Brilliant.  - TaB

At 10:23 PM 3/22/2002 -0500, you wrote:
> In Britain, when you sign up for cable you can also receive a certain number
> of email addresses for the family, which you can read and write on your TV
> screen.  As Britain is still a largely PC-less country, this is a great way
> for the non-PC public (who generally have NO DESIRE to actually use a
> computer, but would quite like to communicate and browse) to get "wired".
>
> While I agree with the resolution problems of TV sets, we have to remember
> that the masses who do not now own computers really don't want a "computer".
> They especially don't want something as hard to learn and non-intuitive and
> downright scary as most commercial software (MS or PC or Mac or whatever) is
> today.  They *like* AOL.  It is friendly, and they have really done well at
> making it as non-threatening as possible.  It's not about high-quality
> graphics or cool technology to this market.  So AOL access from a TV screen
> might be just the thing, and it's a very tiny step away from the services
> offered by the cable companies in Britain today.
>
> I also think that for this type of customer (think your mom, your uncle, your
> cousin -- the people you know who are always nervous to hear what you do for
> a living...) web browsing is very much a living-room activity.  It is
> infotainment.  It is obviously not the format that any computer-savvy
> customer will choose, but then again, that's not the market we are discussing
> here.
>
> One final point: if the AOL/Time Warner forces can really marshall the forces
> to create a cheap network appliance, might they also instead choose to create
> a huge demand for HDTV's, thereby driving down the price?  HDTV is only
> expensive because of the still quite small demand.  For the non-PC owners,
> it's more of a problem rearranging furniture to make room for some new
> "computer", rather than just using the current entertainment wall, which
> they've already planned for...
>
> On Friday 22 March 2002 02:20 am, you wrote:
> >
> > A couple of points:
> >
> > * HDTV is and will be a luxury item for some time to come. In the mean
> > time, the growth market requires a low price point.
> >
> > * "in the living room".... I'm not sure that web browsing and email is
> > really a living room activity. Web/Email is about typing, reading and
> > choosing content. TV will certainly become more interactive over time,
> > but that doesn't necessarily mean that all technology converges to one
> > device. Look at the wireless space -- there are PDA/cell phone combos
> > on the market, but many people prefer and will always prefer the form
> > factor of a tiny phone they can take out when they don't need a PDA
> > and a PDA that is larger and can do more than a PDA/cell phone combo
> > can do. There are also the point/time-of-sale issues -- how many
> > people actually buy their PDA and cell phone at the same time? All of
> > these forces work against technology convergence in the mobile space,
> > and I think similar forces will work against TV/Web convergence.
> >
> > Example: the Xbox/PS2 as internet appliance at the least requires
> > consumers to rearrange their furniture. Even with a wireless keyboard,
> > I don't think many people are going to send email or research their
> > next auto purchase sitting on the couch and looking at a video
> > interface 5-10 feet away. Even with resolution problems resolved, you
> > have to put a chair next to the TV. By the time people are rearranging
> > their living rooms, why not just set up a separate Internet Appliance
> > (Remember, we have cheap high quality resolution in this example)?  It
> > also *looks* like a computer, which is certainly important from a
> > marketing standpoint.
> >
> > (BTW, if you think rearranging the living room is a trivial
> > undertaking, you're obviously not married.)
> >
> > If you couldn't tell, I have a grudge against WebTV and web over TV in
> > general. While traveling once, I tried to use WebTV to handle an
> > important email. Worst online experience ever, including the time I
> > accidentally clicked through to a bestiality porn site.
> >
> >
> >
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