Comcast Network and Capability Analysis

Comcast: To Xfinity and Beyond!

Digital Media Network Analysis and Lessons Learned

Network Analysis

Please enjoy the following presentation on our network analysis of the Digital Media and Entertainment industry. We manipulated the network diagrams to better demonstrate the ties between layers in our stack model, which we found to deliver some great insights into the complexity of this industry.

A class assignment in Networks

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Lessons Learned

Given that the Digital Media industry stack has changed significantly over the last five years, with new players in OTT services, new avenues of distribution (digital v. physical), and a new platform layer that is ever evolving, the landscape and subsequent industry stack is sure to change again in the next five years.

Here are some lessons that we learned throughout the semester:

• The digital media industry is in constant flux. With each new innovation or change, the entire industry shifts (Hulu is a great example of this). Firms in the industry must always be looking forward and be willing to take calculated risks in order to keep up.
• Networks and studios are developing both vertically and horizontally to cover all bases as the industry transforms. We anticipate a move to extradite themselves from the ventures that do not prove to be effective and over the next few years shift back down to their core capabilities. Tech giants Amazon, Apple, and Google may have an advantage, as their core capabilities tend to naturally span horizontally across multiple layers.
• Incorporation of analytics and customization of content to mobile devices will certainly continue to shape this industry.
• Content producers are joining the online streaming game, and will likely stop licensing (or increase license fees) with 3rd party OTT services once they have built the requisite capabilities (and/or user base) to offer content directly to consumers.
• The network for the industry is still missing a few links between hardware and content producers. Networks and studios should develop their own streaming capabilities in order to protect and improve margins on their original and library content.
• Defining capabilities, industry networks, and stack models is more of an art (design) than a science, since different choices must be made depending on the level from which it is viewed (such as the firm or industry)

Boxee Live TV: Game-Changer? Or the next Google-TV?

http://www.boxee.tv/live

So Boxee has been around for a while, but this new device seems revolutionary. Boxee has long been known as an alternative form of media/entertainment delivery, connecting the internet to your TV and allowing you to utilize the hard drive space of your computer as a DVR to record shows online and watch later. But with Boxee Live TV, you actually bypass the internet and can record HD-quality TV from an HD-antenna, connected directly from the antenna to your Boxee Box through this USB device.

The one thing this device falls short on in terms of completely cutting the cable cord is sports entertainment. While the device would allow the recording of over-the-air sports in HD, which is huge, it still doesn't offer access to ESPN and other premium sports networks, which currently are available only through cable subscriptions (with the exception of ESPN3.com, which is available to certain cable internet subscribers). In my experience with GoogleTV, and I think this is true for Boxee Box (Linux , ESPN3.com blocks the browsers on those devices, based either on the browser's user agent or the lack of a flash player. For sports fans, the Boxee LiveTV doesn't provide an answer, but if you don't care about sports, this is an intriguing value proposition.

Unfortunately the USB device ($49) looks like it's only compatible with the Boxee Box by D-Link, which runs about $179, but for a total of $230 you could cut your cable bill and still get HD-quality shows, saving hundreds of dollars in the long run. It's certainly making me rethink my recent purchase of a $249 HD laptop as an entertainment center to stream current network content, although the sports viewing aspect is still a big one for me. Thankfully Costco has a 90-day return policy on their electronics, in case I change my mind. :)

We all know the cable cord-cutting revolution has begun, in my opinion this device is a game-changer.

Sony's Not Dead (yet)

This post is in response to Carl's two excellent sets of graphs depicting Sony's recent decline.

There is no doubt that Sony has faltered in the last several years and is losing ground to more innovative companies such as Apple. However, there is at least some reason not to discount Sony quite yet.

The Wall Street Journal has a great article outlining Sony's intention to innovate internet-based TV. Howard Stringer (Sony's CEO) has also mentioned a innovative new line of television sets, which he claims will claim a premium price, restoring profitability to the ailing line.

Of course, we've heard these claims before. Apple tried and failed to negotiate with content providers over a more integrated set of broadcast channels to provide via the internet. Will Sony succeed where Apple failed?

We've also heard rumors that Apple is creating a Siri-voice recognition powered television set for the 2012 or 2013 market, so will Sony's new television be ground breaking enough? The path is certainly not clear for Sony, but there is at least a couple reasons to believe that they haven't checked out of the race just yet. Of course, going toe-to-toe with Apple in gaming may get even more challenging in years to come, further emphasizing Sony's gaming decline. It should be an interesting show!

Seamless Connectivity

I'm not your average consumer of technology, I'm neither Mac, PC, Linux, or Tablet. I'm all of them. I love my HP PC, my MacBook Pro, and my Ubuntu Server. I love my Windows Phone, and my iPod Touch. I love my Xbox 360, and my Wii. I love my friends' iPads, and I cannot wait for my own Kindle Fire to arrive.

My only wish is to connect all my technology seamlessly.

My Xbox, Windows PC, and Windows Phone, all interconnect.
My iPod and MacBook Pro are seamlessly intergrated.

The only current interconnectivity is through Amazon: My Kindle, Kindle Fire, and Kindle Apps (on iPod, Windows Phone, and all laptops) are all interconnected. I can read my books anywhere.

I will offer a conjecture that the tech company that can seamlessly integrate across all screensizes, formats, and user experiences will thrive in the volatile technology market. Using Amazon's WhisperSync to connect all my reading material can only be the first step, I would like interconnect every instance of my Angry Birds, Microsoft Word, and my financial analysis apps. (finviz, BofA, Charles Schwab, etc.)

A Network View of Netflix