Comments on: Turning the TV into a 'social-media center'

Like Microsoft and Apple, start-up Boxee wants to tie televisions to computers, eventually enabling users of social networks to update their profile through a living-room set.

[zgreenwell]

I think Boxee is different then what Steve Balmer was asking for. If I were to get on Xbox live I can see if all my friends are playing also and what they're playing. I can invite them to join me in a game or just voice chat while we play to w completely different games. When I turn on the NBA finals, I can't tell if my friends are watching it or not, or watching TV at all for that matter. I could call them on the phone and ask them and then invite them over, but we have the internet now. There is no reason that we can't voice chat (or video chat) with our friends while watching television on different sides of the country. Right now you would need to be using your computer and running multiple programs and your friend be doing the same. It needs to be as simple as turning on the big screen TV, or there wont be a large enough user base to keep it going. Of course all those features need to be optional for those who want to just enjoy television without broadcasting it to the world (privacy concerns), but for most of us the social aspect would be more than welcomed.

[NWLB]

Every year, somebody predicts the coming of "interactive TV" and the move to the TV as the center of people's online lives. And every single time they are wrong. People want their TVs to be simple and stupid. They want to watch things and play plug-and-play games. If they want to email somebody, they use a computer, now and always. They might want a DVR interface, they might like an alert flashing a new email message, but in the end, they'll want a top of the line laptop or desktop, with a monitor (which Microsoft won't have drivers for,) keyboard (which Microsoft won't have drivers for,) and printer (which Microsoft won't have drivers for.) and be done with it.

[kindafishy]

I agree with NWLB. People want their computers to be computers and their TV's to be TV's. It seems to be a pipe dream of technical people to bring the two together for whatever reason, but people in general do not want to interact with web content or their computer in their living room other than to access movies/videos and music. People do not want to interact with their TV with a keyboard either. There is room in the market for more media extender software and devices, so hats off to them for that (and the XBMC team know what they are doing), but thinking that people will want to manage facebook from their living room is foolish. Don't believe me? Do a survey and find out for yourself.

[Silverlogics]

I have to respectfully disagree on your commentary based on the principle that simply stating something as a fact does not make it so. Your remarks are all personal opinion and should be delivered as such. "People want their computers to be computers and their TVs to be TVs." Who says? I want them fully integrated, I want it all inclusive. "People do not want to interact with their TV with a keyboard." Says who? I love surfing the web, accessing iTunes, etc. which are all connected to High-End Audio Visual equipment and I use a wireless mouse and keyboard. "Thinking that people will manage facebook from their living room is foolish." Call me a fool, I manage business affairs and execute stock trades all from the comfort of my living room. Lastly you tell your audience to conduct a survey if they don?t believe you. Luckily, In-Stat has already conducted fact-based surveys and each one of them nullifies your opinions. Feel free to check them out at http://www.instat.com/catalog/ccatalogue.asp?id=212 .

[kindafishy]

@Silverlogics

I appreciate your response and opinion. My statements are actually not opinions, but also based on fact. I am sorry that I cannot share the source due to NDA restrictions that I wilfully respect. If you disregard what I am saying as only my opinion, that is understandable because I cannot cite a source and I can only offer personal anonymous internet poster assurance that what I was saying is not simply based on opinion.

I actually said 'People in general', which should have said to you that I was not making a 100% sweeping generalization. Yes, some people do want this, but the market is very small. You find it very useful and that is great, but you are in the minority by a very vast margin.

You can already do everything that you mentioned without any new kind of system, and I was actually being supportive of the notion that there is room for more such devices. The 'foolish' comment is directed toward a business plan that hinges on the concept of a television being the centre of a social media experience, not toward an individual who enjoys the benefits of web access in their living room. This company feels that their product will be the "social-media center", and "a hub for communications, social-networking, and media". Of course they feel this, they are staking their company around the concept. What Boxee is trying to do is nothing new either, not even in the sense of open source. Check out MythTV. Not that it is bad, there is always room for more, and always room for improvements. It's just not new.

Thanks for the links. I have examined several of those surveys in the past. There's nothing there that nullifies anything I am saying.

[benjaminstraight]

let's see if this version of 'total tv' takes and works.

[Mac n Trekker]

Boxee;
'Just another peer to peer to trade copyrighted audio and video you don't own the copyright to'