It is obvious the direction Direct TV is moving.  By getting rid of TIVO as their HMI (Human Machine Interface) software and not allowing networking or other open type upgrages to their new models of boxes (R10 and now the harder R15), it is easy to see that Direct TV is slowly gaining more control over how the consumer will be able to use their DVR technology (or should I say service).  Since it is not their technology, but a service you subscribe to.

I read a post on the forum about how Direct TV had tested putting pop-ups on your screen when you fast-forwarded through commercials.  Testing how consumers took to the idea of being forced to watch an add even after they knew why people fast-forward during commercials.  from the thread it was stated the results of the testing did not go over very well with the consumers.  Duh, that would have been obvious!  A perfect example of what happened during these tests would be:  I drink coke every morning because I hate coffee and love coke.  Obvious since I drink coke every morning.  A four year old could see this.  But the coffee makers decide to switch my coke instead with coffee in an effort to control my decisions, and in the end make more profit by forcing me to drink coffee.  Even without my consent.

Can't take the profit thing away from the coffee makers, I would probably do the same thing if I owned a coffee distribution.  But that is beyond the point.  I am on this side of the fence, so my motive is to keep my control mine.  I am not on the coffee makers side of the fence and I am not on their side.  So my motive is to continue to drink coke, not coffee.

OK, so now my coke has been switched with coffee.  It is easy to see that in an "open" world I can just as easy switch back to coke, and possibly complain to some higher authority that the coffee companies are acting badly.

But lets say that our "open" world has been "closed" due to proprietary reforms on the ditribution of the beverages.  I can not change back to coke because my supplier is the (coffee makers/coke makers, one company).  Or my supplier does not want to give me the control to switch back because he is worried about future business with either company.

So, with this problem the supplier designs into their next revised distribution system certain walls to confine my ability to choose between coke or coffee.  Giving my supplier the means to force my decisions, without my consent.  Making me choose the lesser of two evils, but with each new revision of my supplier's system, the evils become more and more evil.  And soon the lessor evil is what we as consumers would NEVER had asked for, but have no choice but to take.

Now lets get back to that test Direct TV was working on.  At this point Direct TV has no power to force their consumers to sit through commercials.  The boxes they have sold us in the past and is supported by them now all allow us to circumvent commercials to some degree.  Direct TV has no power to directly force our decisions.

But lets think about their direction with the R10 and now the R15.  Right now the older Philips, Samsung, Hughes and such boxes give us the ability to keep our control over the way we watch TV.  The new owners of the R15 have actually been kept in the dark over the types of controls this technology is capable of.  The R15 has no revisions moving towards networking or the like.  And keeps the means to hack this feature into the R15 as hard as possible to the consumer.  I fear more proprietary controls will only be added to the next generation boxes.  And more, and more, and more, until these older boxes have been phased out and useless on their service.  To Direct TV this could not happen quickly enough.  And at this point Direct TV will then be able to upgrade every few years forcing you to upgrade again, more money in their pocket, and fewer options of control for you.

Now with this delima we can always say, "if you don't like it, then leave it, and go to another supplier."  That is a good and proper stradegy.  And one that I am all for.  But to explain why this may not be a viable option when Direct TV finally screws in the last clamp on our "open" DVR boxes lets talk about another business dynamic that seems to be spreading.

Has anyone had an Alarm Company install a Home Alarm recently?  Or are you like me and want to install it yourself?  Since you can easily and cheaply install the components YOU want, with the features YOU want without the upgrade costs and propietary component costs.

Well, here is the problem, if you do install it yourself or bought a house with one installed previously by another company.  The new Alarm company (that you want to sign a monitoring contract with) will make you rip out your current components and make you buy an installation package with their components.  What the?  These components are basic electronic alarm components.  Why can they not work with any system, an open contact is an open contact right?  Well it is, but at this point they have the power to force your decision.    Where are you going to go, the next alarm company is going to force you to do the same thing for their business.  Thats like making you re-wire your home electrical system because a new Energy company is your new provider.  Forcing you to give them work and buy products you do not require.

Again, the old saying, "if you don't like it, then leave it, and go to another supplier." can be said here.  But it actually can not since EVERY alarm company will require you to un-install the entire system they did not install and force you to install theirs stuff.  If you want to do business with them.  And if you installed it yourself, good luck on finding the previous company that installed it to enable you to do business with them.

Hey this is America, and we have no right to tell a business how to operate.  But there are trade laws, and companies can not legaly get with each other to set the price on their competing products, right?  So why can companies get together and set the way they will force the consumer to undue work and charges for equipment they do not need?

I believe in these older DirecTivo boxes, but I see their donwfall in the future as DirecTV revises their new service to work outside of these boxes capabilities.  All in an effort to force cosumers to make decisions which create more wealth for them on a continuing basis.  No longer do we live in a buy it and own it world.  With Microsoft creating the "licensing" world, we are now moving into the "subscription" world.  Where you subscribe to a service that never ends, and your electronic equipment does not work on other service providers systems.  At this point "if you don't like it, then leave it, and go to another supplier." can get expensive.  So most people will just shut-up and take it.

I am part of the X-generation.  And I beleive our children are part of the Subscription-generation.

What a sad digital age it is turning out to be.  As soon as someone creates a technology that enables open growth propietray compnaies come along and snatch up the consumer control over that technology.  Killing any growth and stopping the emergance of new technology.

I know this is long, I had a few minutes to kill, what do you guys think.