Comcast now has all the pieces to be totally client OEM hardware independent...
Comcast indeed started in April 2004
weaving the series of public announcements about their “deconstruction” of the
end to end system lock-up from Motorola. Since then:
- They acquired the rights and TVGuide patent license from TVGuide, for $ 250 million
- Started the development of an internal Electronic Program Guide through closely held Guideworks – http://www.cedmagazine.com/cedailydirect/2004/1004/cedaily041027.htm and http://company.monster.com/guidew/
- They acquired an OnRamp Java based “thin” middleware platform, purchased from Liberate for $ 62 million
- They pushed on the development of its OCAP “thick” middleware platform, developed by its JV with TimeWarner Cable, OCAP, LLC
- And they are now sealing the future of the Conditional Access system, in this landmark agreement with Motorola - http://informitv.com/articles/2005/03/09/amdocslaunchesiptv/
The fate of OEM vendors in the US cable industry is sealed: commoditization, pressure on margins, sourcing from multiple vendors.
I believe that 3rd party services like gaming, ITV and ETV will come to market as applications “monitored”, “approved” and “integrated” through and by the Guideworks EPG. Indeed, Comcast and the cable industry have not standardized important application APIs for VOD and EPG as part of the OCAP standard: those will remain embedded at the application level, which Comcast will control.
It will take years until such “open” systems come to market in volume and represent at least 40% of the installed base of the cable industry, but the roadmap is now laid, it is just about execution…
hay!!
good project :)
senks :)
Posted by: FreeStoring | December 11, 2007 at 02:23 PM
He did eventuallycalm me. Ofcourse the misfortune to kiss
Posted by: czajofav | December 06, 2008 at 06:08 PM