Why the Provider Set Top Box is Passe…

FIOS, Uverse, Direct TV all want the consumer to use a branded set top box for their ultimate viewing experience. But that dog won’t hunt and here is Exhibit #1 –

This is an open source effort called Entertainer. Entertainer, like Freevo, MythTV and LMC have functions that many set top boxes do not. Read blog feeds, watch YouTube, Watch TV, play any audio format and Video. If you can get it as a RSS feed or a channel option then these systems can display it.

Which brings me to me to the ultimate question — why? Why is Verizon, a company I own shares in, have hundreds on staff here and in India developing FIOS boxes? Most of these FOSS efforts are at most 3-5 core people and a bunch of volunteers. Yet they develop product comparable to and in many cases superior to the corporate effort. Why am I as a shareholder paying for all this? Why isn’t there an industry API for all this? [Don't comment, I know why.] Why don’t I have a fatter dividend check as a consequence?

Entertainer website.
MythTV website.
LinuxMCE website.

[Update]

This is off of HitWise.. Yahoo and the Weather Channel topped every other news source on the net. All content probably not on your std STB. Yet another reason that closed end systems will lag in the content arena.