Recently the FCC ruled that cable companies can no longer restrict which cable boxes work on their network. Now cable providers will, horror for them (sarcasm), actually have to compete on the quality of the cable box that they say you need to rent. What if they decided to be proactive on developing a media box that actually benefitted both the customer and the cable company? Currently my cable provider, Comcast, requires that I rent all of my equipment, modem and cable box from them, which honestly while annoying is not terrible. What kind of annoys me, is the fact that they have a wifi module in my modem, that is used to provide random strangers access to the Comcast network. (really I'm just annoyed that I am paying them for the pleasure of improving their wireless network, there should be some kind of discount for the power I pay for, anyways)
Let us look to the future of what ISPs can do for customers while benefitting themselves. Cable boxes/modems that are rented, can be a lot more sophisticated. Companies like Microsoft are already trying to turn their gaming consoles into the ultimate home entertainment hub. A smart cable company or ISP could collaborate with console or computer manufacturers to create a box that is more than just the ability to channel surf and record content. I would like to suggest a smart box that not only records my content, but also acts as a mini-server, distributing the data load across thousands of homes. Now when you rent a movie from your cable provider's on demand service, the bits don't need to go nearly as far (while the distance the data moves is relatively trivial, the need for the discrete servers is a potential cost).
Potential features for the smarter cable box could include.
Localized server capacity for distributing media
On board game platform
Massively distributed data backups, you're data could be safely backed up and encrypted in multiple locations across the city. Said service could be included in your monthly service subscription
A shared node for streaming users content to their individual smart devices
general purpose server capacity.
Home command center for smart home technologies.
Ideally users would not be charged for the full feature set, if the service provider was smart, the cable box would have tiered features.
Let us look to the future of what ISPs can do for customers while benefitting themselves. Cable boxes/modems that are rented, can be a lot more sophisticated. Companies like Microsoft are already trying to turn their gaming consoles into the ultimate home entertainment hub. A smart cable company or ISP could collaborate with console or computer manufacturers to create a box that is more than just the ability to channel surf and record content. I would like to suggest a smart box that not only records my content, but also acts as a mini-server, distributing the data load across thousands of homes. Now when you rent a movie from your cable provider's on demand service, the bits don't need to go nearly as far (while the distance the data moves is relatively trivial, the need for the discrete servers is a potential cost).
Potential features for the smarter cable box could include.
Localized server capacity for distributing media
On board game platform
Massively distributed data backups, you're data could be safely backed up and encrypted in multiple locations across the city. Said service could be included in your monthly service subscription
A shared node for streaming users content to their individual smart devices
general purpose server capacity.
Home command center for smart home technologies.
Ideally users would not be charged for the full feature set, if the service provider was smart, the cable box would have tiered features.
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