I’m a Comcast subscriber and have made a few postings lamenting the state of their service, including Comcast, You Need Competition
As noted in recent online articles from TechCrunch and AppleInsider, there may actually be a competitor coming. It’s not that I wish Comcast any ill will. They simply provide a service without enough competition or choice, so consumers (like me!) are forced to endure aggravation including
- Overcompressed pixellated signals on the “HD” channels, downsampled to allow space for the hundreds of other channels I will never watch.
- Miserably slow menu systems. Is it truly impossible for Comcast to store a tiny XML file in my cable box? Why do I need to wait 15 seconds for another page of data to arrive?
- High prices without choices. I’d gladly pay 1/2 of my current rate to limit my reception to better-quality versions of the channels I actually watch.
If the Apple TV model actually manifests itself, I suspect we’ll see a long-overdue change in the delivery model. I am willing to pay a reasonable monthly fee for what I consume. If Comcast wants me to be happy with their services and products, they should encourage a little competition.
The music industry missed the digital revolution by remaining entrenched in an outdated model. Apple came along with the iPod: the perfect product at the perfect time, and saved the record labels from themselves. Is it possible Apple TV could do the same for television content? Comcast, now would be a good time for you to innovate…
P.S. After I posted the links within this article, The Wall Street Journal picked up the story as well. Not that I caused it. I’m just pointing out that this could idea could really work if Apple gets into the subscription market. Work out the DRM and I’m in!
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