Cisco Betting That Your TV Is About To Get Networked Too
from the more-cpes-for-cisco dept
You used to think of Cisco as being a company that supplied networking hardware to big enterprises and (to a lesser extent) telcos. However, two and a half years ago, they snuck into the home by buying Linksys. A few months ago, the rumor was that they were out kicking the tires on Nokia to make it clear that networking and telecommunications was a single world. Of course, such a deal didn't make much sense for Nokia and didn't go very far. However, it appears that the dealmakers at Cisco have been looking around for convergence-related "big" deals lately. While they're famous for buying plenty of startups and quickly integrating their products into the Cisco machine, they seem to be thinking bigger. The news is breaking that they're spending $7 billion on Scientific Atlanta, a major supplier of set-top boxes to the cable industry. The bet here is clearly that the telco world and the internet world are quickly merging. Televisions will soon be "on the network" in one way or another, and this gives Cisco a jumping off point to be a part of that trend. Still, swallowing a company that big won't be quite as easy as their normal startup devouring process. Either way, Cisco clearly believes your home is about to get a lot more networked, and they want to be supplying the equipment when it happens.
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Wanna know how it'll end?
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Cisco's already there...
What people may not already know is that Cisco has a HUGE presense in IP telephony and call centers (that bane of everybody that calls corporations!), and while these technologies aren't home-specific, it gives them a presense in telephony along with their wireless and inter-networking and fiber.
Home cable is a natural progression then, and cellular (digital cellular, anyway) isn't too much of a stretch.
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Ya know Cisco is a lot of things...
I see Cisco as being a main piece of the networked home. A good example of this already in action is the Time Warner center in Columbus Circle in NYC. Every loft and penthouse has Cisco phones, and wireless, and is prewired...
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No Subject Given
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My DVR boxes on my network too?
For now, seems they are inexorably locked into that infernal silver cablebox/DVR and the cable company likes to give me a hard time about keeping too much data on the drive (they littereally ordered my wife to delete stuff, when she called about an unrelated problem with our service)
Just outta curiosity, anyone know any good sites with some kinda hack or way I could export my stuff from the SA Explorer 8300 DVR box?
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Cisco Buys Scientific Atlanta
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Re: Cisco Buys Scientific Atlanta
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Slow
I won't even subscribe to digital programming because of one reason: That annoying pause when I change the channel. That's the only reason I resist going to digital or dish. There should be no delay when I change a channel, the new channel should appear on the screen instantly. As it is now, there's a 2-4 second delay and a black screen when the channel is changed. Set top boxes or dish. Unacceptable.
It's all about convenience.. and speed. I don't want my TV networked for this very reason, and I'd imagine millions of others don't want it either because of that annoying pause, and other new delays it will now bring.
So, nope, ain't gonna happen.
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Re: My DVR boxes on my network too?
Any answers ?
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Re: Slow
Digital channels with no delay. Like the U-Verse service from AT&T.
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Re: Slow
The whole point of digital is better sound and higher picture quality, so that means data. You are basically giving up a couple of seconds to see your channel in high definition.
At least on my provider I have noticed that the HD channels do typically come right up, maybe some artifacts or a funny image or two, and then the channel is clear and the sound is in 5.1.
I am willing to give up a little to get a lot.
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