3) Convergence in Hardware
Convergence in channels and content is fueled by convergence in hardware. All data, phone, video, computer may enter from a single wire.
Your TV may also act as your computer.
Your computer can act as your TV or phone.
Your phone can also receive E-mail.
Positive aspects of hardware conversion
1) Cost of the technology drops
2) More people will be able to access the content.
Current buzz over converged hardware centers on the "Media Center."
"If Intel and Microsoft have their way, the personal computer
will soon be moving out of the office and den into the living room, kitchen and bedroom.
The two companies have been thwarted for more than a decade by Hollywood, as well as the cable and
satellite television industries, in their efforts to put a wired PC at the center of home entertainment. But now, competing directly against many companies in the consumer electronics industry, Intel and Microsoft are mounting a new charge to try to make the personal computer the hearth of the information age."
Click here to read "Vision of Personal Computers as Heart of Home Entertainment."
Negatives
1) One wire, one point of failure.
I have my phone service through my cable company. They warn that the phone will not work during a power failure (unlike a traditional phone) and suggest that we have a cell phone as a back-up. Of course, the cell phone towers don't work without power, either.
Another example is the iPhone. Hundreds of thousands have purchased the phone, only to discover the AT&T network didn't exist in their area or was unreliable. They now have a multimedia paperweight. Despite the hype about mobile video, the vast majority of videos cannot be viewed on an iPad.
2) Multifunction equipment doesn't work as well as single purpose
3) Loss of individual control over both the equipment and the content
Successful convergence in hardware has been elusive, however, with billions of dollars lost in the attempt.
"Convergence is fundamentally a flawed concept, but it's even worse when you try to put
an active medium (the Internet) together with a passive medium
(television.)
In four years, Forrester Research predicted, interactive TV would be a
$20 billion business. Also in four years, Alex Brown of Deutsche Banc
predicted, t-commerce (buying stuff over the TV) would surpass ecommerce
(buying stuff over the PC).
Of course, both predictions were made four years ago."
Click here to read "Why Interactive Television Has No Future" for a contrary point of view.
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