More on the iTV device
From the unprecedented volume of response I have a received to my previous iTV blog entry, it is clear that Apple has generated a lot of interest around their latest gadget.
I have been a proud owner of an eyeTV set-top box since early last year. I must say that I have been very pleased with it, although I have had occasional problems playing some MP3 files which bugs me since the same songs sound fine both on the Mac and on my iPod. The other problem is video. Although most common codecs are supported, there are still many video sources that I cannot view easily on that device (Real video, YouTube and podcasts come to mind).
It is an expectation for improved video quality (my EyeTV device does not include a DVI interface) as well as improved integration with all the iApps that gets me excited about the iTV. Don’t get me wrong, I do not expect Apple to offer DivX and Real Video support out of the box, but I hope that they will allow users to stream any video type supported by Quicktime. Since Quicktime can be extended to support additional codecs (take a look at Perian).
For tech-savy consumers, a new device such as the iTV can seem very attractive, but to reach the rest of the market, more functionality may not be as important as many seem to believe. In fact, less may mean more.
Take a look for example at the number of cables crawling behind any 42” plasma TV. My wife enjoys the usefulness of all these new technologies but she does not like the incredible amount of garbage that is currently required for a complete setup and I agree. I would be very happy if I could get a single device that offered all the functionality that I require. Since the iTV is expected to be an 802.11n base station, I will be able to get rid of my EyeTV and Airport Extreme as well as their related power bricks and the Ethernet cable connecting both devices. That is a great start, but who knows, in the future Apple or their partners could even travel further down this road by offering big screens with an integrated iTV. How likely are we to see such a product in the future? Who knows, but it looks like something I would be interested in.
The new patent just awarded to Apple covers a new type of Universal Remote Control is another step in the same direction. For years we have been dealing with multiple devices and it has been inconvenient. It really seems that Apple has understood that they have a big opportunity improving on all those devices that offer poor human interfaces and have accepted the challenge now that the iPod has propelled them in the consumer electronics space. It is incredible that companies like Sony have not been up to the challenge to solve these obvious problems.