Testing the Apple TV, Roku XDS, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3
"The bottom line is, in my personal opinion, the Apple TV is one of the worst devices in the market today," said StreamingMedia.com columnist and executive vice president Dan Rayburn.
Those were the blistering opening words in an hour-long demonstration of four popular set-top box devices at Streaming Media East: the Apple TV, Roku XDS, Microsoft Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.
Rayburn went on to explain exactly how the Apple TV comes up short:
"You have to have three things in the market in order to win: you have to have device penetration and more importantly device adoption; people actually have to use the device, not just buy it. Second, you have to have the platform: there has to be a way for you to access all this content and get to all this content. And third, you actually have to have the content available," Rayburn explained.
While Apple has platform, he said, it lacks device penetration and compelling content.
To see what Rayburn thought of the other three devices, scroll down to watch the full video. Download Rayburn's presentation here.
Device Demos: Apple, Roku, Microsoft, Sony
With so many broadband-enabled devices in the market, trying to determine what each one offers in the way of streaming quality and content inventory can be quite confusing. In this special session, Dan Rayburn will present hands-on demos showcasing multiple devices, including the Apple TV, Roku XDS, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3. Attendees will see these devices in action, learn which content platforms they run, and get their questions answered in a Q&A session.
Speaker: Dan Rayburn, Executive Vice President, StreamingMedia.com
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