Warren Buffet on IPTV

From the “Tao of Warren Buffet” by Mary Buffet and David Clark:

“You have to think for yourself. It always amazes me how high-IQ people mindlessly imitate. I never get good ideas from talking to other people”.

Perhaps he might have clarified that it is okay to talk to other people as long as you don’t mindlessly accept their version of the truth. Of course Warren Buffet was not talking about IPTV, it was a come-on – he never talks about technology and certainly never invests in it. Did you know that he doesn’t like GE and Intel because they have to constantly retool their products? On the other hand he invests in Wrigley’s and Coca-Cola – their products have not changed in over a hundred years!

Anyway, what is the connection to IPTV? If you talk to most people today – they think IPTV is the only solution out there to deliver video. And most people also confuse IPTV with Streaming Video. And it amazes me to see that people mindlessly repeat what others are saying about IPTV – even ignoring their own experiences.

Allow me to elaborate. First Streaming Video – when was the last time you saw an entire movie (not You Tube Shorts, but something that was at least 72 minutes long) delivered flawlessly over the Internet. If you did, send your information to the Guinness Book of World Records, because you have a shot at being the only one. And this is supposed to replace Cable TV or Satellite TV? Think again.

And IPTV, even if it could be delivered flawlessly over Streaming Video, would it replace Cable TV? When was the last time you saw a technology take over that did everything a previous technology could do? And not do it better? Lets run that through again. Assume for a moment that someday in the not-so-distant future the user experience is the same. Same business model, same customers. Different technology, and you don’t own the pipe, plus content is reluctant to come on board.

Chances of success? Zero.