Does the I2 use FreeBSD and PC hardware like the IntelliStar does?
I am under the impression it uses a completely different program platform. I wouldn't be surprised if we see the next Intellistar SD built on a similar type of platform in the future
Why would there be a next generation Intellistar SD, or any new SD system, for that matter? The day will eventually come when SD is just fazed out altogether.
It's interesting... in Europe, when the HD transition takes place, it takes place. Anyone with an SD TV set can, with a converter or SD cable box/satellite receiver, still watch channels, but they're always presented in widescreen format. The U.S., however, is stuck in some kind of limbo, where there have to be separate SD and HD feeds for everything, which usually means the widescreen HD picture is little more than a square SD picture with "wings" on either side, usually filled with "runoff" from the center part of the screen. I hope the U.S. will someday catch up and make widescreen actually widescreen. Very few U.S. cable/satellite networks do that right now - Fox News and CNBC are the two examples that come to mind off the top of my head.
What are you talking about? HD transition? Can you link me to any such program? Heck in 2008 according to a report on 5% of HDTV owners in Europe had HDTV service. I think you are completely wrong about SD. Its going to be around for a long long long time. First off cable companies make extra money by having "HD" packages. Second it is physically impossible currently for any cable operator to have every SD channel in HD. There isn't enough bandwidth to support it on the cable lines. Considering the Intellistar is nearly 7 years old, its clear the hardware is becoming dated and can't be expected to last too many more years. Granted I am not saying expect a new Intellistar next year but down the road there is bound to be another unit.
I used to live in Europe, so I speak from personal experience. In countries that have already abandoned SD, cable companies don't offer a choice of SD and HD channels. You get only HD channels, which your own equipment will then downconvert to SD. TV programs generally aren't framed to be "SD friendly," as they are in the United States, and the really important aspect is that most Europeans receive television broadcasts not by cable or satellite, but by antenna.
As for your claim of 5% HDTV service in 2008, I don't know what your source is, but it completely contradicts what I personally experienced. Around that time I was in Russia, Finland, Estonia, and the UK, and saw a lot more than 5% HDTV penetration.
As for the Intellistar, yes, it's seven years old, but what does that really matter? Not only is SD supposed to be becoming obsolete, but the XL, 4000, and Jr. are still plugging away, and no one's talking about a major overhaul for them. In fact, the 4000 never had a major overhaul, unless you count the transition from text-only to graphics very early on, the change from static to animated radar, and then the change in the TWC logo. That's all, and they took place a long, long time ago.
