Intel Ditching Smart TV Business
It appears that Intel will be turning its back on the once-praised Google TV package.
One the eve of the announcement of an Android Market version of Google TV, market research firm IHS released some numbers that show that Intel may not be as committed to the smart TV market anymore as it announced back in 2010.
Wrapped up in a group of new entries in the TV chip supplier segment, Intel had less than 2 percent market share in the first half of 2011. According to IHS, Intel has begun shifting its resources away from the TV market and is now focusing on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. The TV SoC market is dominated by Mstar with a 39 percent share and Mediatek with 12 percent.
One of the problems Intel and other new suppliers may be facing is that the term smart TV isn't defined yet and that, despite a TV market volume of hundreds of millions of units each year, there are long replacement cycles and the smart TV just has not caught on yet. IHS said that it will take several more years until the smart TV will hit substantial volumes - and account for 65 percent market share by 2015.
“In a television semiconductor market characterized by entrenched suppliers and weak near-term growth prospects, Intel was facing enormous challenges in trying to establish itself as a competitor,” said Randy Lawson, principal analyst for display and consumer electronics at IHS. “And with the first-generation Google TV products proving unsatisfactory given their slow sales, it’s no surprise that Intel is moving away from the television SoC market.” There was no information how Intel will react to the Google TV upgrade.
However, it is already clear that it will take much more than a sophisticated chip to break into the TV market as even Broadcom hinted that it would be leaving the TV chip because of the rough competitive environment.
I do think that the concept of a "smart tv" has the potential to catch on quicker than 3D has (or did..).
It's more function than fashion, which I think is more widely acceptable.
for old crts maybe, but we are getting close to 5-6 years on out plazma, and it REALLY needs to be replaced.
pluss what does a smart tv do? deliver services to your tv such as 1080p video off youtube and netflix? 1080p isnt going anywhere anytime soon.
a smart tv will last a hell of allot longer than most people think. at worst, it could be a modular device that plugs into the tv, think a smartphone sized card, that way you keep the on the fly upgrade ability, and you can get more content as needed.
I bought a 32" samsung with a WDTV live+ for under $400, where the cheapest comparable smart TV was $800.
I don;t think the current TV will last that long, the more electronic stuff people put into TV means more breakable components and thus the chance of breaking one of them is higher. So the new TV probably would not last as long as before.
Historically, TVs have changed little from year to year. If "smart TVs" became popular, it would be conceivable to see a consumer industry that turns around quickly similarly to the phone and computer industries. Intel, after having experimented with being involved in that industry, has probably decided that it is not profitable enough to be worth development.
That does not necessarily mean that the industry is a flop, Intel most likely decided to leave because it is primarily concerned with the mobile market. They want to rally as many extra resources as possible to outperform ARM and to gain a dominant position in that industry.
Actually, in the 80's, they already have Nintendo's All-in-One with console and TV....it didn't sell. Anyway, smartTV is a lot of nonsens. My standard TV + wdtv live is alreay some sorta smart TV....or you plug in your HTPC...immediately makes your Smart TV looks like a moron...and yeah, i just bought a new 40" FullHD LCD TV....definitely no reason to replace this for at least 6 - 7 years if it's not broken.
intel could learn something from this.
arm could use their smartphone chips in these smart tvs if they haven't done it already.
http://venturebeat.com/2011/10/12/intel-confirms-it-will-drop-smart-tv-initiative-to-focus-on-smartphones-tablets-and-thin-laptops/
What do you think IP Settop boxes are? It's like what Comcast and other major TV cable service providers offer as an extension to their service. BTW, Comcast is using older Intel chips for testing on future products. Intel is again, NOT out of Smart TV. They are actually gaining traction in Europe.
What they are out of is things like what Google TV tried to do. Mini version of an HTPC with limited operating systems and features.
Networking, which no one here seems to know because they are doing well in the server market.
SSD, which they jump started, and is respected for reliability.
Side projects and "skunkwork projects" create one thing. They trigger a new market that wasn't there before. Research drives innovation and Intel is one of the biggest contributors to it.