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Comment by mikeryan | Hacker News Reader

Today we want to be on every screen. Today it’s a little bit clunky to get programming from the Internet onto the TV — not so hard to get it on your iPad

This is horrifying. Outside of Airplay virtually every HDTV you buy these days is going to have an internet app platform built in. Something like a Roku is dead simple and both Verizon and Comcast/Xfinity stream IP based content via the Xbox. Getting Internet onto the big screen is painfully easy. Not understanding the threat posed by these devices isn't acceptable for the head of a major cable operator.

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But it is clunky. It's a threat, but it's clunky.

Roku - weird platform, but improving. BrightScript has its issues, but it does support HLS and VAST for ads.

Boxee - buggy.

SamsungTV - horrible platform, horrible (borderline abusive) approval process. Already fragmented between 2010 and 2011 models, poor and/or outright wrong documentation.

GoogleTV - possibly one of the best of the bunch, since Android is a worthwhile base, but still has a few screws loose.

Others - often too small/difficult to invest heavily in making something truly good.

I'm no huge Apple fan, but this market screams for them to come in and decimate the seemingly childish current players.

What about Apple TV? I agree, the TV based systems are "clunky", but Apple TV works perfectly, and Roku only seems to have hickups with slower internet connections.

I have an answer for Time Warner's CEO -- "there was no simple way to get Internet-based video onto the television screen" -- Apple TV is easy. There is nothing about modern cable that is that easy. Last time I moved I did not reconnect my cable. I never plan on intentionally becoming a cable customer again in my life.

Google TV - too expensive

Apple TV - not as much content as competitors

One might consider such comments as little more than posturing. Recall Steve Jobs explaining that the iPhone could not have apps because users would not tolerate a rogue app taking down the mobile network. However, his statements are so obviously false that he must either think his listeners are fools or be one himself.

My first thought was "What an idiot", but then I realized just what you said, his statements are propaganda to lull the less informed segments of the market that still cough up the bucks for ESPN (and a few other channels), not what he believes or knows (most likely).

He's selling to my wife. My teenagers just plug HDMI into the computer (from the TV) and go find the shows they want. He's already lost, but it will take him 5 to 10 years to know it.

To answer one person down there, yes, I had to tinker with the PC about 5 minutes (Ubuntu 10.04) to get drivers and settings correct, but HDMI works great after that. (sound, aspect ratio, it's all good!)

I actually use my HDTV as a monitor. Sure, it's low resolution compared to some 19" monitors in its price range at only 1920x1080, but it's 42 inches and higher res than my 17" 1280x1024 monitor it replaced. With this in mind, it's trivial to load up WMP or VLC and use it as a TV as well.

That's more credit than I personally am willing to give the head of a cable company at this point. If they constantly act like they have no idea what is going on, perhaps indeed they don't.

Recall Steve Jobs explaining that the iPhone could not have apps because users would not tolerate a rogue app taking down the mobile network

I remember thinking how offensive it was when Jobs said that and then announced the App Store only a few months later. It was obvious that they couldn't have pivoted that quickly, so Jobs must have been lying through his teeth.

It was only later that I learned that the App Store infrastructure was already being built with the iPad in mind, so they could indeed have retargeted it to the iPhone almost overnight. Jobs may not have technically been lying about their intention to keep third-party apps off of the iPhone.

> painfully easy.

It isn't taking off though. I showed my brother that he has internet built into the new TV he bought. he was interested for the novelty factor for 5 minutes and then gave it up and went back to his ipad

Sales figures of apple tv's and google devices etc. also suggest that for some reason the TV -> Internet bridge devices are just not working with consumers

The more I see and think about this the more I think it will be built into televisions, and that television companies suck at making software so it will be somebody new who will own the entire market (Apple).

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