The Best Open Source Business Models - page 4

Open Source Appliances as Revenue Streams

Having used DVRs from both my local cable provider and that of the two satellite companies here in the U.S., to say that there is a market here would be a huge understatement. Both the MythTV and LinuxMCE projects would make fantastic business models for any company if the hardware costs could be brought down. That, and if we might begin to see set-top boxes being made available.

At this point, open source projects like MythTV and LinuxMCE lack the help from a mainstream corporation taking them forth and building up hardware that is both easy to use and affordable. It's interesting that this has yet to happen. Perhaps this is something that existing Linux OEMs ought to be looking into? Even if they don't consider going into the hardware market a worthwhile endeavor, they should consider this: The biggest factor in people buying Windows MCE (Media Center Edition) PCs is the lack of functionality in preexisting DVRs offered by our cable providers. Because the DVR functionality in the is the single biggest use for PC-based media appliances.