Garrett 2U
Member
I was really hoping for Microsoft to reinvent television, not just be a different interface for live TV.
Not sure why I expected so much haha.
Not sure why I expected so much haha.
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Why is Microsoft jumping on the TV bandwagon when cable tv is on the way out?
- Thread starter Anticitizen One
- Start date
PastorOfMuppets
Banned
I have a whole investment theory on Microsoft that I've been toying with a while. As an enterprise company, they are insanely successful and forward thinking but as consumer company, they are where IBM was back in the late mid 90's - shrinking relevance in most consumer sectors but still a force in business and enterprise.
* WebTV - Failed
* Tablets - Interestingly, they were one of the early pioneers of tablets but abandoned it and left it for Apple to pick up with the iPAD and later on with Android becoming the competitor.
* Zune - Failed to make a dent in the iPOD market. It was also launched very late - 2006 which was near the peak of the portable MP3 player market.
* Smartphones - I still to this day do not know how they missed this one. Microsoft was all over the PDA market in the late 90's to mid 2000's and just sat there while Apple, Android and Blackberry (early on anyways) took the smartphone market away from them. There's almost no presence in the mobile market for Windows Mobile phones (3% of the market - that's less than Blackberry).
* Multiple attempts to take the search engine crown from Google. All are failures. Humourous attempt to make the verb "bing" popular in the last Spiderman movie though.
* Every attempt at creating a platform neutral (this is the important term) ecosystem Microsoft has attempted has been a failure in the consumer space (Windows App Store we'll give a TBD though). Which is insane because Microsoft has a great enterprise focused ecosystem. Google has the Google Apps Marketplace. Apple has iTunes and the App Store. Amazon has the Kindle Marketplace and Amazon on Demand. Netflix has...Netflix and Valve has Steam.
On top of that, Windows and Office, the two most well known Microsoft brands have been losing market share over the last decade. The one brand they've successfully introduced to the consumer market is the Xbox brand. The result is that they have put themselves in a situation where they almost have to overcommit with the Xbox brand to establish a strong foothold in the consumer market again. It will cost them a lot more to withdraw from the only strong consumer brand they have than it would to attempt to hit a home run and miss. If Microsoft becomes to the living room what they were to computers in the 90's than I think they can reverse the last decade of slow growth but if they don't, I think they could become the IBM of the 2010's - a company that has no consumer presence but is a force in enterprise and business.
* WebTV - Failed
* Tablets - Interestingly, they were one of the early pioneers of tablets but abandoned it and left it for Apple to pick up with the iPAD and later on with Android becoming the competitor.
* Zune - Failed to make a dent in the iPOD market. It was also launched very late - 2006 which was near the peak of the portable MP3 player market.
* Smartphones - I still to this day do not know how they missed this one. Microsoft was all over the PDA market in the late 90's to mid 2000's and just sat there while Apple, Android and Blackberry (early on anyways) took the smartphone market away from them. There's almost no presence in the mobile market for Windows Mobile phones (3% of the market - that's less than Blackberry).
* Multiple attempts to take the search engine crown from Google. All are failures. Humourous attempt to make the verb "bing" popular in the last Spiderman movie though.
* Every attempt at creating a platform neutral (this is the important term) ecosystem Microsoft has attempted has been a failure in the consumer space (Windows App Store we'll give a TBD though). Which is insane because Microsoft has a great enterprise focused ecosystem. Google has the Google Apps Marketplace. Apple has iTunes and the App Store. Amazon has the Kindle Marketplace and Amazon on Demand. Netflix has...Netflix and Valve has Steam.
On top of that, Windows and Office, the two most well known Microsoft brands have been losing market share over the last decade. The one brand they've successfully introduced to the consumer market is the Xbox brand. The result is that they have put themselves in a situation where they almost have to overcommit with the Xbox brand to establish a strong foothold in the consumer market again. It will cost them a lot more to withdraw from the only strong consumer brand they have than it would to attempt to hit a home run and miss. If Microsoft becomes to the living room what they were to computers in the 90's than I think they can reverse the last decade of slow growth but if they don't, I think they could become the IBM of the 2010's - a company that has no consumer presence but is a force in enterprise and business.
It's about transition. Cable's on its way out, streaming/purchased digital content is on the way in. Microsoft's trying to position itself as a seamless bumper between the two modes of thought, slowly encouraging people to buy their own tv shows rather than use it cable style.
It's also likely that they're going to try to get the nextbox bundled with some cable packages.
It's also likely that they're going to try to get the nextbox bundled with some cable packages.
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
We were expecting the cable integration before the conference, and what we got was a double-down strategy with TV/game tie-ins, game-to-TV initiatives, and cable box integration to layer the Xbox experience onto your existing service.
This goes hand in hand with the claims they've made last decade about wanting to claim the living room with a set top box, but what I have to wonder is...hasn't the living room changed so much in the last 5 years that their heavy emphasis on people watching TV programming is in need of a little revision? I know there'll always be a crowd of people that always watch TV/cable, but habits have really shifted since streaming became widespread, tablets and phones became the new entertainment, and Rokus and Apple TVs began replacing cable boxes.
This conference was the tip of the iceberg I'm sure, but what they showed was seriously emphasizing their belief that TV is just as relevant as gaming to their business now. Do you guys think that they can have an impact at all? Is live TV/cable TV the same force it was back when 360 launched?
This goes hand in hand with the claims they've made last decade about wanting to claim the living room with a set top box, but what I have to wonder is...hasn't the living room changed so much in the last 5 years that their heavy emphasis on people watching TV programming is in need of a little revision? I know there'll always be a crowd of people that always watch TV/cable, but habits have really shifted since streaming became widespread, tablets and phones became the new entertainment, and Rokus and Apple TVs began replacing cable boxes.
This conference was the tip of the iceberg I'm sure, but what they showed was seriously emphasizing their belief that TV is just as relevant as gaming to their business now. Do you guys think that they can have an impact at all? Is live TV/cable TV the same force it was back when 360 launched?
Miles Quaritch
Member
Streaming services are strong in Sweden or are you referring to DVR stb?
I still have a cable box and I think it is stupid as fuck.
I use my phone or tablet to look up shit, make calls, or browse GAF while watching TV, and if it is a good show I actually have DVR'd I don't do any of that. I fucking watch the show.
If it was a DVR that could record OTA signals or something maybe it would be a nice addition.
I use my phone or tablet to look up shit, make calls, or browse GAF while watching TV, and if it is a good show I actually have DVR'd I don't do any of that. I fucking watch the show.
If it was a DVR that could record OTA signals or something maybe it would be a nice addition.
Mr_Antimatter
Member
In the age of DVR? I'd say it's out dated. No one watches things live now, you record it and watch it when you get the time.
Shrike_Priest
Member
Streaming services are kicking live TV's ass over here.
The public service channels are all online and have been for a while, most people I know watch them online. Most of the basic terrestrial channels have websites with the majority of their shows online. And most cable companies are offering streaming services now. Then you have Netflix which really made a splash when they launched in October. HBO Nordic (streaming only) definitely made an impact too, but people were annoyed that they demanded a 12 month subscription so they haven't taken off too well.
Cable boxes are definitely going away over here.
Yeah I really don't understand people watching scripted stuff and just really tuning out on it. If you are watching it live, you probably have some interest in watching it live (live posting, gotta watch it ASAP, etc.) And if you have it DVR'd/recorded in some manner then it obviously means you'll want to keep on track and not just suddenly multitask in the middle of it.
For stuff like reality/live sports I guess that's fine. I mean I guess you can tune out for scripted shows if it's a procedural or something but that's all I got...
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
I could see Xbox being very relevant here if it had dvr capability, and offered something that TiVo didn't.
What confuses me is how you need to connect your cable box, I thought maybe MS was trying to figure out how to bring this stuff to people who didn't want to deal with a cable subscription (like me).
NullPointer
Member
Outdated.
At the very bare minimum the XBone should have been a *replacement* for your cable box, or even your cable service. Instead of getting into bed with outdated Cable TV concepts, it should have been a strong foot forward to what Cable needs to transition towards - full on-demand digital content. You know, like that whole newfangled internet thing lets us do.
Being "out of touch" is putting it too mildly. They've got their old school marketing/ad-exec heads deeply rooted up their own asses. They're looking at numbers on a spreadsheet and failing to notice that the world is moving on.
MS should really listen to their engineers more than their marketing teams.
At the very bare minimum the XBone should have been a *replacement* for your cable box, or even your cable service. Instead of getting into bed with outdated Cable TV concepts, it should have been a strong foot forward to what Cable needs to transition towards - full on-demand digital content. You know, like that whole newfangled internet thing lets us do.
Being "out of touch" is putting it too mildly. They've got their old school marketing/ad-exec heads deeply rooted up their own asses. They're looking at numbers on a spreadsheet and failing to notice that the world is moving on.
MS should really listen to their engineers more than their marketing teams.
cartoon_soldier
Member
Very bad investment. MS should realize its a Software company and stick to that.
Interfectum
Member
Outdated for sure. It's as if MS has been in a bubble the past 8 years.
I couldn't help but laugh when they were hyping up their TV guide. Fucking nuts.
I couldn't help but laugh when they were hyping up their TV guide. Fucking nuts.
Baller. PhD
Banned
Outdated as fuck. Apple is going to make Microsoft look like a bunch of babbling fools when they finally get their content deals locked up. MS is dreaming with this shit. Cable TV is on its way out, and not a second too soon.
Neuromancer
Member
I can't believe the thing doesn't also have DVR capabilities. I never watch live TV, ever.
Cyber Caesar
Member
Sony should showcase and embrace cutting the cord. À la carte is the future, long live the revolution.
Puppet Shadow
Member
My PVR and smart TV say no.
My wife starts up the hockey game about an hour in, and skips the commercials and intermissions. Not sure if this is a common thing to do though.
SlowRevolution
Member
Outdated. And like others said, even if it does end up popular Microsoft is just going to end up getting its ass kicked by Apple or some other company anyway.
GunFingers
Member
Outdated.
In my house, two kids, two adults. My kids will want a PS4 or XOne. On first blush, I'm more inclined to buy the XOne, but when I think about, it makes no sense. I like the idea that it's a platform for doing a lot of things smoothly, not just games. But then I think about the structure. Two VMs in a Hyper-V based hypervisor. The NT based system will be used by me for...I guess apps like Netflix, Amazon Video, and that's it. The Xbox side would be for games for the kids. When I think of it that way, it seems a lot of resources are being wasted on that NT side of things. How much RAM and processing power is being partitioned off for the NT side to do, basically, nothing, most of the time, from what I know right now.
In my house, two kids, two adults. My kids will want a PS4 or XOne. On first blush, I'm more inclined to buy the XOne, but when I think about, it makes no sense. I like the idea that it's a platform for doing a lot of things smoothly, not just games. But then I think about the structure. Two VMs in a Hyper-V based hypervisor. The NT based system will be used by me for...I guess apps like Netflix, Amazon Video, and that's it. The Xbox side would be for games for the kids. When I think of it that way, it seems a lot of resources are being wasted on that NT side of things. How much RAM and processing power is being partitioned off for the NT side to do, basically, nothing, most of the time, from what I know right now.
I agree. The only reason it hasn't happened sooner is because cable companies are actively preventing Internet upgrades and keeping the speeds lower.
Google fiber is the perfect example. Providers are now having to compete with a company that doesn't care about TV.
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
It feels like this was a decision made about a decade ago, and they never bothered revising it to fit new trends, just head down and keep going with it.
If they had a solution that cut the cable companies out of people's lives, now that's what people would want to hear about.
If they had a solution that cut the cable companies out of people's lives, now that's what people would want to hear about.
funkystudent
Member
I wouldnt say outdated. Just out of touch.
Voice control has never caught on. Its a cool stage demo but in the real world no one ever uses it.
And if I have a smart phone or tablet a lot of the smart TV stuff seems a bit pointless. We dont need the second screen on the main screen.
Other then that there are a bunch of streaming boxes that are going to be a heck of a lot cheaper then the xbox that have most of the content available.
Very out of touch. Very Windows 8 / Windows Phone. Very current Microsoft.
Then again when I normally hate things like this they sell millions so this thing could end up being the most successful console ever.
Voice control has never caught on. Its a cool stage demo but in the real world no one ever uses it.
And if I have a smart phone or tablet a lot of the smart TV stuff seems a bit pointless. We dont need the second screen on the main screen.
Other then that there are a bunch of streaming boxes that are going to be a heck of a lot cheaper then the xbox that have most of the content available.
Very out of touch. Very Windows 8 / Windows Phone. Very current Microsoft.
Then again when I normally hate things like this they sell millions so this thing could end up being the most successful console ever.
BruiserBear
Banned
TV viewership among 20-30 year olds is decreasing rapidly. Amongst the general population it's increasing becoming DVR viewing.
So I don't see Microsoft's live tv features as being very important to most people.
So I don't see Microsoft's live tv features as being very important to most people.
Big Takeover
Member
Smart move.
It's virtually a no-cost option to the box. The message might be outdated to some, but it's a low risk bet.
It's virtually a no-cost option to the box. The message might be outdated to some, but it's a low risk bet.
Adam Scott Aukerman
Member
It's becoming increasingly irrelevant, but I don't think that will be much of a problem for them. If the market doesn't take to it, at worst they'll just have to reposition themselves with their marketing and write off however much they spent developing the software and securing content deals.
Puppet Shadow
Member
Hey, kinda unrelated, but is Apple still talking about making TV's?
ii Stryker
Banned
Who the fuck watches TV anymore?!?
HBOGO & Netflix
It begs the question "who does this box appeal to?"
The younger gen is all about on demand services while the older gen won't care about an additional box with additional fees to plug into their cable box.
People who watch cable TV give zero fucks about a game console and gamers give zero fucks about cable TV
HBOGO & Netflix
It begs the question "who does this box appeal to?"
The younger gen is all about on demand services while the older gen won't care about an additional box with additional fees to plug into their cable box.
People who watch cable TV give zero fucks about a game console and gamers give zero fucks about cable TV