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Are Streaming Media Players a Passing Fad

Posted by samzenpus on from the here-today-gone-tomorrow dept.

DeviceGuru writes "In-Stat is questioning whether dedicated streaming media players like the Roku player, Boxee Box, and Google TV boxes will be around for long. The reason, says In-Stat, is that IP-streamed video is becoming a standard feature of TVs and Blu-ray players. Passing fad? Not according to this blog post at DeviceGuru, which argues that we're talking about a disruptive market, not a mature one, and that TVs and Blu-ray players can't possibly provide the flexibility to serve as the platform for delivering rapidly evolving technologies to the early adopters who represent the testbed for all this innovation."

9 of 367 comments (clear)

  1. Yes, at this rate... by NortySpock · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If ISPs keep capping the amount you can pull per [time unit], yeah, they will become a passing fad.

    1. Re:Yes, at this rate... by Mashiki · · Score: 5, Informative

      This point exactly. Before I headed overseas I switched my ISP from Rogers to Teksavvy, which means I went from a $49/mo plan, with 60gb @10/1 to a $42/mo plan with 300gb @ 15/1. Canada sucks for the internet, the US seems to be trying to catch up to Canada. It's quickly coming to a point where as much as I hate it, the last mile should be regulated and publicly owned, like in other countries which can provide dirt cheap internet services.

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  2. Let me explain. by blair1q · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Your new TV set contains a computer that performs the functions provided by the external box. The firmware for that computer can be reprogrammed. The external box is there only for TVs that can't do that. Soon, all TVs being sold will be able to do that. The boxes will exist only for people who want the function without buying a new TV. Has that business ever been a growth market for any industry where it happens? No.

    Ergo, the external box that provides functions that any new TV can provide is not a growth market and is likely a doomed market.

    Next question, please.

    1. Re:Let me explain. by vondo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm not at all sure of this. A TV has a lifespan of many years and is quite expensive. These boxes are cheap. I picked up a WD box for $100. Sure, my next TV will probably do everything this box does. But where will I be 2-3 years after my next TV. Will the TV have the processing power to keep up? Will the manufacturer keep putting out new versions of the software for 10 years after I bought the TV? Doubtful.

      So a few years down the road I will be buying a new external box to keep up with the latest formats, online services, etc. And I won't care, because the box will cost me $100 instead of $1000+ for a TV.

    2. Re:Let me explain. by hey · · Score: 3, Insightful

      What if I want $goodbrandofserver functionality and my $tvbrand attempts to lock me into $evilserver functionality but is otherwise a very nice TV.
       

  3. Re: How so? by mevets · · Score: 3, Funny

    Every try to pass someone without wheels?

  4. Are PC's a passing fad too? by snsh · · Score: 4, Informative

    Using that logic, we should all be buying souped-up computer monitors that have computers built into them, as opposed to buying the monitor as an accessory to your computer.

    My story: bought a Samsung TV at exactly the wrong time (early 2010). It had DLNA capability built in (which is buggy) and a framework for Yahoo gadgets. As soon as Samsung's new 2010 models came out, they stopped supporting the 2009 models (no fixes for buggy DLNA). They changed their app framework, so the Yahoo gadget ecosystem is now dead. I learned from the experience that it's really dumb to buy a TV for it's media-player functionality. You're better off buying a dumb TV and using a STB like a Playstation that has broader support.

  5. Re:Yes. by iamhassi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You are correct, but only because these streaming features are now expected from Blu-Ray players and modern game consoles. Streaming was new when this generation of game consoles came out in 2006, before Hulu existed and Netflix began offering streaming, I have a feeling next generation consoles will do a much better job of streaming.

    Consumers will not spend $100-$300 on a streaming media player when their next gen game console already streams everything they could want and offers mature hardware and software that is updated often by major manufactures like Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony.

    I expect sales of streaming media players to remain strong for the next few years until new game systems are released and sales will eventually taper off and cease when the game systems become cheaper than the media players.

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  6. Re:Yes. by Jarryd98 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Well, certain manufacturers believe it's their right to remove/prohibit 'extra functionality' following release (even when devices are purchased on the premise of said 'extra functionality'). There is that.
    In an ideal world...