英特爾公司(Intel)計(jì)劃進(jìn)軍家中客廳領(lǐng)域的野心早已不是什么秘密了，但根據(jù)英特爾新成立的Intel Media部門總經(jīng)理Erik Huggers所描繪的愿景，英特爾全新的電視計(jì)劃顯然超越了原先被視為只是另一個Google TV的連網(wǎng)電視(Internet TV)平臺。 英特爾的計(jì)劃不僅針對終端消費(fèi)用戶的視頻轉(zhuǎn)換盒設(shè)備，同時也囊括了相關(guān)的服務(wù)業(yè)務(wù)。Huggers指出，該公司的目標(biāo)是在2013年推出一種基于網(wǎng)際網(wǎng)絡(luò)的全新電視服務(wù)及其機(jī)頂盒設(shè)備，以實(shí)現(xiàn)“直播電視”(live TV)與“隨看電視”(catch-up TV)等具連貫性且無縫的用戶體驗(yàn)。 雖然Huggers并未透露英特爾電視服務(wù)的實(shí)際名稱與細(xì)節(jié)，但他指出該公司將帶來更“適合用戶的電視體驗(yàn)”──一種更簡化且基于單一輸入設(shè)備的體驗(yàn)。相形之下，Huggers解釋，當(dāng)今的連網(wǎng)電視太過于復(fù)雜了，用戶必須安裝有線電視機(jī)頂盒(才能收看電視節(jié)目)、開啟 DVR (才能搜尋錄制的節(jié)目)，同時還得設(shè)定 Roku (才能觀看連網(wǎng)電視)。 如同廣播電視由免費(fèi)播放節(jié)目發(fā)展出有線電視、衛(wèi)星電視與電信業(yè)者提供的多項(xiàng)服務(wù)一樣，Huggers希望英特爾的新電視服務(wù)也能獲得電視業(yè)者的認(rèn)同，被視為一種全新的電視服務(wù)平臺。 Huggers 表示，英特爾的“隨看電視”服務(wù)類似BBC iPlayer 連網(wǎng)電視與音頻服務(wù)。Huggers先前曾任職于BBC， iPlayer 為用戶提供一個可重溫 BBC TV與廣播服務(wù)過去七天節(jié)目標(biāo)機(jī)會，而不必再激活DVR的預(yù)錄功能。這些節(jié)目均儲存于云端，并可根據(jù)用戶的需求隨時提供。 隨著用戶的整個電視觀看體驗(yàn)快速地轉(zhuǎn)向一個多平臺的世界， “英特爾公司為連網(wǎng)電視服務(wù)及機(jī)頂盒帶來一個更簡便的架構(gòu)，”Envisioneering Group總監(jiān)Rick Doherty解釋?！霸谶@個IT世界中，大多數(shù)的人現(xiàn)在可從平板計(jì)算機(jī)、PC和電視上收看到視頻節(jié)目?！? 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 本文下一頁：機(jī)頂盒整合攝影鏡頭與HEVA技術(shù)

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{pagination} 機(jī)頂盒整合攝影鏡頭與HEVA技術(shù) Huggers認(rèn)為，現(xiàn)在正是英特爾推出這項(xiàng)服務(wù)的好時機(jī)。他強(qiáng)調(diào)，“寬頻性能已經(jīng)到位，而一代視頻編碼技術(shù)HEVC也達(dá)到了比 H.264 更高50%的視頻壓縮效率?！? 這款機(jī)頂盒采用英特爾的芯片，并配備一個攝影鏡頭，以便“知道”誰正在看電視節(jié)目以及用戶所喜歡的節(jié)目類型。透過在電視上搭載攝影鏡頭來改變用戶接口，這是松下(Panasonic)在CES上提出的類似想法。然而，英特爾更進(jìn)一步落實(shí)這個概念，為電視觀眾提供更具吸引力與客制的電視節(jié)目。 相較于目前的電視節(jié)目指南，Huggers認(rèn)為英特爾提供的節(jié)目服務(wù)更像是一種“電子表格”(spreadsheet)。 除了強(qiáng)調(diào)更先進(jìn)且直覺的用戶界面以外，英特爾宣稱其連網(wǎng)電視平臺服務(wù)的另一項(xiàng)優(yōu)勢是一種經(jīng)規(guī)劃的配套方案(curated bundle)。然而，英特爾的連網(wǎng)電視服務(wù)是否真的能讓用戶自由選擇所想觀看的節(jié)目？用戶又能擁有多大的自由度？或者，采用了英特爾的電視平臺后，能讓 用戶目前的有線電服務(wù)帳單節(jié)省多少錢呢？Huggers回復(fù)，“這并不是一場有關(guān)價值多少的競賽?！? 由于無法真的了解英特爾連網(wǎng)電視平臺的更多細(xì)節(jié)，也就難以判斷該公司如何得以深耕這一市場。特別是該公司面對的一個問題是：有鑒于先前的電視計(jì)劃以失敗告終，英特爾如何證明這一次將有所不同呢？ Huggers的答案十分簡潔。他說：“一切取決于人?！? Intel Media已經(jīng)成立一年多了，Huggers說，這個獨(dú)立的單位主要由一批“新血”所組成，其中包括一名來自蘋果公司的銷售主管，她在過去12年來負(fù)責(zé)蘋 果公司i系列商品的上市營銷。這支全新的團(tuán)隊(duì)還包括來自開發(fā)藍(lán)牙耳機(jī)的Jawbone以及微軟等公司的人員。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 編譯：Susan Hong 參考英文原文：Intel outlines Internet TV service plan，by Junko Yoshida

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{pagination} Intel outlines Internet TV service plan Junko Yoshida NEW YORK--Intel Corp’s naked ambition to move into the American living room is hardly a surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention. But Intel’s new plan--sketched out this week by Erik Huggers, the head of Intel Media--apparently goes far beyond what was originally viewed as just another Google TV-like Internet television platform. Intel's plan involves not just the end-user consumer box but the service business. The company's goal, according to Huggers, is to launch in 2013 a new Internet-based TV service and box, designed to offer both “l(fā)ive TV” and “catch-up TV” as one coherent and seamless experience. While declining to reveal a name for the service, Huggers, speaking at a media conference this week, called it “a proper TV experience.” It will be a much easier, one-input device experience, compared to today’s Internet TV, which often involves a lot of “hard work” on the part of users, Huggers said, since “viewers need to cobble together” a cable set-top (for watching live TV), turning on a DVR (to search for recorded programs) and setting up Roku (to watch Internet TV). “Not many… no, nobody … has cracked this yet,” Huggers said. Just as broadcast TV has evolved from free-to-air to cable, satellite and telcos, Huggers hopes Intel’s new Internet TV service will be viewed as “a new distribution platform” that programmers will embrace. By “catch-up TV,” Huggers means something similar to BBC’s iPlayer, an Internet TV and radio service. BBC, Huggers' previous employer, offers viewers an opportunity to catch up on the last seven days of BBC TV and radio programs without using a DVR. These programs are stored in the cloud and made available on demand. With the whole TV viewing experience rapidly moving to a multi-platform world, “Intel has a narrowing time window” for this [Internet TV service and special box for it], explained Rick Doherty of director of Envisioneering Group. “The majority of the IT universe now watches video on pads, PCs and TVs.” Box featrures camera and HEVC Huggers believes the time is right for Intel to roll this out, noting that the “broadband capability is already here; and HEVC [high efficiency video coding] can now achieve video compression that’s 50 percent more efficient than H.264.” Intel’s box, powered by an Intel chip, will feature a video camera so that it “knows” who is watching the programs and the programs he/she prefers. Featuring a camera on a TV to change the user interface was something proposed by Panasonic at its press conference during the Consumer Electronics Show last month. But Intel will take that idea a step further, in an attempt to offer a much more attractive and tailored programming to viewers. Huggers drew a comparison to today’s electronic programming guide which, he said, looks more or less like a “spreadsheet.” While stressing a more advanced and intuitive user interface as an advantage for its Internet TV platform, the “curated bundle” is another feature Intel is pitching for its service. When pressed about whether Intel’s new Internet TV service will finally allow viewers to pick and choose what they want to watch, Huggers demurred. “I don’t think the industry is ready for pure a la carte.” He said, “I think there is value in curated bundles.” However, Huggers declined to say how much more freedom the company’s new service may allow consumers. Asked if viewers will be able to make their current cable bills cheaper by going with Intel’s new Internet TV platform, Huggers said, “This is not about a value play.” Without actually knowing more details about Intel’s Internet TV platform, it’s hard to judge how deep an inroad Intel might be able to plow. One question dogging Intel is this: After failing with its previous TV initiatives, what proof does Intel have now that things are different this time around? Huggers' answer was simple. “People,” he said. Intel Media, which has been in existence for about a year, is a unit separate from Intel, housed in a separate building. It consists of a “new type of people,” said Huggers, including a female marketing executive who joined Intel Media from Apple, where she spent her last 12 years launching i-products. Also on the “new people” team is someone from Jawbone, famous for its Bluetooth headset, and an escapee from Microsoft, Huggers said.