Consumer vs. Cable Boxes for ATVEF

Consumer vs. Cable Boxes for ATVEF

Consumer-Purchased Set Top Boxes
Designing content for consumer-purchased set top boxes has the advantage of not requiring any agreement with a cable operator. In this scenario, the set top box is purchased at a local retailer and content is developed and housed on your own web server. This content can be viewed by anyone viewing your broadcast with an ATVEF set top box, as long as any intervening delivery system does not strip your Line 21 triggers.

On the down side, most consumer set top box boxes have modems rather than the high speed LAN connections found in advanced cable set top boxes. This limits the speed and availability of access to your content.

Additionally, there is currently (6/01) a great deal of litigation concerning transmission of any additional content, such as enhancements or triggers, within the video signal. Depending on how this resolves, MSOs may not be required to carry triggers to enhance content and may block them. Accordingly without cooperation of an MSO, the number of viewers who can receive your content might be greatly reduced.

Advanced Cable Set Top Boxes
Developing content in cooperation with an MSO has a number of advantages. First, you can be sure that they will not remove your triggers. Additionally, the advanced set top boxes currently being deployed by MSO are in many cases a great deal more powerful and feature considerably higher connection speeds than the current crop of consumer set top boxes. This allows a more interesting development environment.

On the down side, dealing with an MSO can have all the problems associated with dealing with any large organization. Decisions may move very slowly through the ranks, slowing the development process. Additionally, many MSOs have strict guidelines concerning look and feel of content which may conflict with the technical design or look and feel of your site.

If you do desire to become involved in a trial with an MSO, there are currently a number ITV of trials running by a variety of players. For PBS member stations it is often easiest to join a PBS trial, but existing relationships with MSOs and vendors can also provide a useful entry. When negotiating, it is recommended that you obtain the necessary hardware and documentation and test them extensively for functionality before agreeing to any deployment.