Xbox One的背面怎么样？

    说到周二那场微软Xbox One的产品发布会，对于他们从现在到上市发售日将会一直展现的光泽动人、面向未来的产品形象而言，有一个词可以予以形容，那就是英雄照。但在微软高管不断谈论Xbox One配有的八核处理器和红外探深感应器（不要误会，这些都是非常重要的）的时候，我迫不及待地想看一眼Xbox One盒子的背面，我希望在背面看到真正的英雄——同轴电缆输入端口或CableCard插槽。不幸的是，这两个我都没看到。

    需要明确的是，微软的新一代Xbox在电子技术、计算、游戏和联网方面均取得了成就。就游戏机、流媒体播放器或家庭影院电脑而论——索尼、任天堂、苹果和Roku，恕我直言，Xbox One没有任何水平接近的对手。微软即将发售的这款游戏机一再被宣称为“集所有功能于一身的家庭娱乐系统”，但它似乎不仅将至关重要的电视集成束之高阁，而且还把用户束缚于有线电视或卫星电视机顶盒。这使得新一代Xbox远非电视机所需要的唯一一个外部设备，因为你实际会需要两个外部设备。

    为了享用Xbox One一些最基本的功能，比如其界面流畅的节目指南或在看电视的同时用Skype进行网络语音通讯，请准备每月支付额外费用吧。这一切都在Xbox One产品说明书那字体很小的难懂条文中做了规定：“支持电视调谐器或有线电视/卫星电视机顶盒，需要HDMI输出端口和HDMI电缆（均另行销售）。”

    许多渴望购买Xbox One的消费者会指出，他们已经拥有一台有线电视机顶盒，从而在Xbox One上不用支付相关的额外花费。但近年来，越来越多的用户已不再使用由供应商提供的机顶盒，转而使用所谓的有线卡（CableCard）。鉴于目前全球有7,000万台Xbox 360游戏机，很有可能有更多的用户加入他们的行列。

    有线卡插在PCMCIA插槽中，让第三方设备接入有线网络和卫星网络。有线卡是通过《1996年电信法》的立法而存在的。美国全国有线与电信协会（National Cable and Telecommunications Association）今年2月份发布的一份报告显示，目前美国投入使用的有线卡数量为60万，相比去年增长了近8％。（相比之下，美国的有线电视机顶盒数量超过3,900万。）

    What about the back?

    When it comes to launches like Tuesday's Xbox One announcement, there's a term for the shiny, face-forward product image they'll be showing from now until unboxing day: the hero shot. But as Redmond executives went on about octa-core processors and infrared depth censors (which, don't get me wrong, are hugely important), I was anxiously waiting for a look at the box's backside, where I hoped to find the real hero: a co-axial cable input or a CableCard slot. Unfortunately, neither were to be seen.

    To be clear, Microsoft's (MSFT) new Xbox is an achievement in electronics, computing, gaming, and networking. When it comes to game consoles, media streamers, or home theater PCs—with apologies to Sony (SNE), Nintendo (NTDOY), Apple (AAPL), and Roku—nothing else comes close. But repeatedly billed as an "all-in-one home entertainment system," the upcoming console from Microsoft not only appears to leave crucial television integration on the shelf, it also tethers users to their cable or satellite boxes. This makes the new Xbox much more than the one peripheral your TV needs—because it's actually two.

    In order to enjoy some of Xbox One's most integral features, like its smooth-looking program guide or Skyping while watching TV, be prepared to pay extra, every month. It's all there in the fine print: "Supported television tuner or cable/satellite set-top box with HDMI output and HDMI cable required (all sold separately)."

    Many aspiring Xbox One buyers will point out they already have a cable box, making the investment in Xbox One a wash. But in recent years, an increasing amount of users have been dumping their provider-supplied tuners for so-called CableCards. And with 70 million Xbox 360s worldwide, this was a huge chance for many more to join them.

    CableCards plug into PCMCIA slots, giving third-party devices to access cable and satellite networks. Legislated into existence by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, there are currently 600,000 deployed in the U.S., up almost 8% from last year, according to a February 2013 report by the National Cable and Telecommunications Association. (By comparison, there are more than 39 million cable boxes in the wild.)

    去年有线卡普及率的提高可能与TiVo Premiere在去年底推出双向服务有点关系，这个双向服务让用户可以从诸如康卡斯特（Comcast）等供应商那里获得收费点播服务。我自己也进行了这样的升级，具有讽刺意味的是，自从我撤下有线电视机顶盒之后，我从来没有像现在这样满意自己获得的电视服务。周一，TiVo宣布上季度其订户人数的增加创七年多来的最高水平，有线电视订户增加了277,000人。此外，据媒体近日报道，智能电视制造商三星目前正在把目光投向这个仍然可行的技术，以求颠覆有线电视糟糕的用户体验，并且提供更好的互动服务。去年夏天，彭博社报道，苹果据说提议与康卡斯特合作推出一个新的用户界面，但今天数百万用户仍然凝视着这家有限电视公司极其丑陋的蓝色菜单。因此，那个合作显然没有获得成功。

    但如果有线卡对于TiVo和三星而言已足够好的话，那么它对于微软而言为什么就不可行呢？这是一个谜，不过并不令人感到意外。鉴于有线卡技术协议一直不受欢迎，加上HDMI已变得无处不在，微软这样做甚至可以说是情有可原的，它在这个特殊技术规格方面颇有远见。但我猜想微软此举是由于与一些多重服务供应商（MSO）董事会谈判的结果，在谈判中，微软要求获得节目和时间安排信息，而电视公司则说：“当然，只要你采用我们的机顶盒。”

    对于多重服务供应商而言，机顶盒意味着一项稳定的收入来源。标准的高清机顶盒每月能为供应商赚取8-10美元收入，其中不包括服务费，而供应商一直利用这些收费来防止用户放弃有限电视服务转而使用诸如网飞（Netflix）和Aereo等OTT（over-the-top，指不是由供应商提供的其他服务）服务造成的人数缩减。然而，在微软推出Xbox One之后，供应商便拥有了一个既改善用户界面又保证机顶盒营收的盟友，从而实现双赢。

    与此同时，CableCard的每月费用只有2.50美元，而且美国联邦通讯委员会（FCC）已规定，供应商必须免费提供第一个CableCard。

    但是，如果Xbox用户想要拥有电视硬盘录像机（DVR）功能的话，那么他们似乎将不得不向电视供应商支付更多费用（或者购买第三个DVR盒子），从而进一步削弱了这款游戏机的所有功能于一身的价值主张。当然，微软正在极力宣传Xbox One 500 GB的硬盘容量，以及流畅的游戏DVR功能，但在昨天的发布会上，他们没有提到电视录制功能。事实上，微软互动娱乐部门总裁唐•马特里克在他发言时，夹在“核心和休闲游戏”和“体育和电影”之间。迅速跳过了“实时和录制的电视”这个话题，而直接提出这个问题：

    “我们是否能够通过让用户体验协调统一，对已变得过于复杂、过于分化、速度太慢的客厅娱乐系统加以改善呢？”

    嗯，我不知道，微软。你能做到吗？（ 财富中文网）

    翻译：iDo98

    Last year's uptick in adoption might have something to do with TiVo (TIVO) Premiere launching bi-directional service in late 2012, which gave users access to on-demand services from providers like Comcast (CMCSA). I personally made that upgrade, and, ironically, since ripping out my cable box, I have never been happier with my television service. On Monday, TiVo announced its largest quarterly subscription increase in more than seven years, a gain of 277,000 cable subscribers. It's also been recently reported that smart-television manufacturer Samsung is eyeing the still-viable technology to go subvert cable's poor user experience and deliver better interactive services. And last summer, Bloomberg reported that Apple reportedly offered to work with Comcast on a new interface, but millions of people are still staring at the cable company's hideous blue menus today, so that obviously didn't pan out.

    But if CableCard is good enough for TiVo and Samsung, why wasn't it feasible for Microsoft? That's a mystery, though it isn't a surprise. As unpopular as the protocol has been—and as ubiquitous as HDMI has become—Microsoft could even be forgiven for being forward-looking on this particular spec. But I imagine the move came as a result of boardroom negotiations with multi-service providers (MSOs), where Microsoft asked for program and scheduling information, and the television companies said, "Sure, as long as you draw them out of our boxes."

    Set-top boxes represent a consistent revenue stream for MSOs. Standard high-definition boxes fetch providers anywhere from $8 to $10 per month, not including service fees, and providers have been using these charges to combat attrition caused by viewers cutting the cord in favor of over-the-top services like Netflix (NFLX) and Aereo. With the Xbox One, however, providers have an ally that both improves the user interface and guarantees box revenue—a win-win.

    CableCards, meanwhile, only cost $2.50 per month, and the FCC has mandated that providers supply the first one for free.

    But if Xbox One users want television DVR capabilities, it seems they will have to pay television providers even more (or get a third box), further undercutting the game console's all-in-one value proposition. Of course, Microsoft is touting Xbox One's 500 gigabyte hard drive and slick game DVR functionality, but they made no mention of television recording capabilities in yesterday's announcement. In fact, sandwiched between "core and casual games" and "sports and movies," Don Mattrick, Microsoft's president of interactive entertainment, sped right past "live and recorded television" in his remarks, burning a path to this question:

    "Can we improve a living room that has become too complex, too fragmented, and too slow, by harmonizing your experiences?"

    Well, I don't know, Microsoft. Can you?