Earlier today it was announced that the geniuses at Intel™ are poised to blow up the cable industry with their own set-top box and an unbundled cable service. What has cable TV lovers foaming at the mouth is the fact that the Intel™ IPTV box will allow anyone with access to internet to subscribe to whatever cable channels they like — free from the traditional “bundling” packages which typically saddle customers with 5 channels they love and 195 they never watch at all.
Forbes reports: “Apple and Google have been attempting for years to entice customers to ditch cable television for set top boxes that deliver TV shows, movies and more via the internet. For the past year or so, Intel™ has also quietly been working on a top-secret set-top box that could not only be better than what Apple, Google, and even Microsoft offer today, but also kill the cable industry as we know it … This set-top box, said by industry insiders to be available to a limited beta of customers in March, will offer cable channels delivered “over the top” to televisions anywhere there is an Internet connection regardless of provider. (Microsoft Mediaroom, for example, requires AT&T’s service, and Xbox™ has limited offerings for Comcast and FiOS customers). For the first time, consumers will be able to subscribe to content per channel, unlike bundled cable services, and you may also be able to subscribe per show as well. Intel’s set-top box will also have access to Intel’s already existing app marketplace for apps, casual games, and video on demand. Leveraging the speed of current broadband, and the vast shared resources of the cloud, Intel plans to give customers the ability to use “Cloud DVR”, a feature intended to allow users to watch any past TV show at any time, without the need to record it ahead of time, pause live tv, and rewind shows in progress.“
To find out why this is such a big deal — including the hugely expensive deals Intel™ has been secretly lining up with Hollywood execs in order to pull this off, and why it this is so much more significant than anything Apple or Google would ever be able to pull off on their own — you can read the full story by visiting Forbes.com.
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