And because cable TV subscriptions are declining.bob_p wrote:It's likely SD and Ceton are both seeing reduced sales of their CableCard products, because there isn't a clear replacement for WMC.
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mike_ekim
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bob_p
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Comcast now has more broadband customers than cable customers. Streaming services are overtaking "broadcast" services (cable and satellite).
So the overall market of potential cablecard customers will continue to decline. Though it is still a very large market - and should be large enough for the foreseeable future to allow SD and Ceton to sell enough new tuners to be successful - if they have a software product people want to use.
So the overall market of potential cablecard customers will continue to decline. Though it is still a very large market - and should be large enough for the foreseeable future to allow SD and Ceton to sell enough new tuners to be successful - if they have a software product people want to use.
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ianken
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Ahh yes, the old "cable subscribers are going away, it's all streaming, just ask my tech friends!" argument.
It's more subtle than that. There will be an equilibrium reached. Yes, there are more 'net subscribers than tv. But the VAST bulk of users have BOTH and use one to supplement the other. The device that can capitalize well with those hybrid users is desirable. And as long as cable MSOs roll out abysmally execrable hardware there is opportunity to do some goodness.
The decline of hardware sales for Ceton and SD are due to no current platform to use them with.
https://www.ncta.com/industry-data has some good info-graphics.
It's more subtle than that. There will be an equilibrium reached. Yes, there are more 'net subscribers than tv. But the VAST bulk of users have BOTH and use one to supplement the other. The device that can capitalize well with those hybrid users is desirable. And as long as cable MSOs roll out abysmally execrable hardware there is opportunity to do some goodness.
The decline of hardware sales for Ceton and SD are due to no current platform to use them with.
https://www.ncta.com/industry-data has some good info-graphics.
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bob_p
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I agree - if there was a competitive DVR solution, Ceton and SD would be selling more tuners - and it's the cablecard (or anything that replaces cablecards) tuners that are most likely to be the products that would have a longer term market - and to watch all of the subscribed channels (not just OTA).
For a long time, WMC was far superior to any other DVR (including TiVo). And, even today, as I evaluate alternatives (Comcast's X1 DVR and TiVo's new Bolt), WMC still has some significant advantages. Though both Comcast and TiVo now integrate streaming into their DVRs - and it seems very likely that streaming may be the future, at least for the premium movie channels (why record one of their movies or TV series, if you can stream it?).
Streaming of the standard cable channels may always be problematic though because of their dependence on advertising revenue. With Comcast's X1 service, you can stream recently broadcast TV series episodes - but they lock out all navigation other than pause - you can't skip forward or backward or fast forward or rewind - you are locked into watching the program in real time - including the commercials.
There will likely always be a market for a DIY DVR solution - something like WMC or JRiver, where there is more control over the devices being used. And, I would prefer to invest in that (like we have in WMC since Windows XP), than in buying or leasing proprietary hardware.
If someone can implement a credible and usable replacement for WMC's program guide service (like EPG123) and we can keep the Xbox 360 extender software working so that once Microsoft decides to pull the plug on WMC (and, we really don't know when that's going to happen), it is tempting to continue using WMC for a long time - even after Microsoft stops providing all support.
Though if TiVo produces a 6 tuner Bolt Pro, and continues to improve their software (which integrates with Plex and the major streaming services along with Comcast's On Demand), it could be very tempting to jump ship over to TiVo - and it looks like all that we may really give up is the fully automatic commercial skipping we have with WMC (and addins) and learn to live with TiVo's semi-automatic skipping (for the most popular programs & channels).
Still wish someone with an existing DVR software solution would partner with SD and provide support for cablecard/DRM - and give us another option... And, considering the cost of deploying a TiVo (or cable DVR) solution, I'd be willing to pay something to get a DIY DVR solution - with the support we've long lacked for WMC.
For a long time, WMC was far superior to any other DVR (including TiVo). And, even today, as I evaluate alternatives (Comcast's X1 DVR and TiVo's new Bolt), WMC still has some significant advantages. Though both Comcast and TiVo now integrate streaming into their DVRs - and it seems very likely that streaming may be the future, at least for the premium movie channels (why record one of their movies or TV series, if you can stream it?).
Streaming of the standard cable channels may always be problematic though because of their dependence on advertising revenue. With Comcast's X1 service, you can stream recently broadcast TV series episodes - but they lock out all navigation other than pause - you can't skip forward or backward or fast forward or rewind - you are locked into watching the program in real time - including the commercials.
There will likely always be a market for a DIY DVR solution - something like WMC or JRiver, where there is more control over the devices being used. And, I would prefer to invest in that (like we have in WMC since Windows XP), than in buying or leasing proprietary hardware.
If someone can implement a credible and usable replacement for WMC's program guide service (like EPG123) and we can keep the Xbox 360 extender software working so that once Microsoft decides to pull the plug on WMC (and, we really don't know when that's going to happen), it is tempting to continue using WMC for a long time - even after Microsoft stops providing all support.
Though if TiVo produces a 6 tuner Bolt Pro, and continues to improve their software (which integrates with Plex and the major streaming services along with Comcast's On Demand), it could be very tempting to jump ship over to TiVo - and it looks like all that we may really give up is the fully automatic commercial skipping we have with WMC (and addins) and learn to live with TiVo's semi-automatic skipping (for the most popular programs & channels).
Still wish someone with an existing DVR software solution would partner with SD and provide support for cablecard/DRM - and give us another option... And, considering the cost of deploying a TiVo (or cable DVR) solution, I'd be willing to pay something to get a DIY DVR solution - with the support we've long lacked for WMC.