Everybody TV
by on 23/01/2011Everybody-TV
A media converter box [MCB] typically contains an ARM processor running embedded Linux with hardware (ICs) for video/audio decode and HDMI output plus Wifi. It has become an OEM line-item available from a range of Taiwan/Chinese vendors. Just append your software application layer, brand name and the letters “TV”. There was GoogleTV (on display but not strongly hyped and no Google logo on anyone’s shirt) in the Sony and Intel displays. Yahoo Connected TV, introduced in 2007 for specific Samsung TVs, can now be added to any TV with their MCB to adds widgets to standard broadcasts. The widgets have been upgraded to include social links. This can be a useful complement to your existing viewing pattern. IomegaTV with Boxee was the best integration of Boxee software with cloud storage, option TB local storage and a simple QWERTY remote. Intel’s SmartTV from perplexes me. Using a laptop with a 2nd generation Intel multi-core processor AND a custom MCB, you can download 1080p content from CinemaNow and stream it to a TV. With 1080p decode chipsets readily available, why would I need a new laptop computer? My guess is the laptop is transcoding H.264 streams at 10-20mpbs into a higher bit-rate stream for a low-cost MCB while using an optimized point to point 802.11n protocol. While the bandwidth hit (N+1 streams vs. N) is probably tolerable, you’ll likely buy that new laptop for other reasons than CinemaNow. I guess I’ll have to read the copy Screen Future: The Future of Entertainment, Computing and the Devices We Love