4SeTV is a California based company promoting a product that they hope will change the way sports are enjoyed by the public. The company has been developing their flagship device since March of 2014. While the creative process is pretty well wrapped up, 4SeTV is looking for financial backers to support their crowd-funding campaign on Kickstarter.
The streaming device that 4SeTV has created acts as a way for users to turn their television into a control center, displaying four programs at once. The system is anchored on using an HD antenna to pick up openly broadcasted over-the-air channels. The antenna picks up the signals being broadcast and in conjunction with an app available for smartphones and tablets, positions the programs in quarter sections of the television screen. The box uses an Internet connection to connect the signal from the antenna to a network, making it shareable on the apps that are associated with it. Programming can be enjoyed in the same way on the phones or tablets with the app, but ideally the design is to be displayed on a widescreen television.
As soon as the 4SeTV box is hooked up and the app is downloaded, it is ready to go. The four pictures on one screen are a collection that is pretty much unrivaled in the sense that they providing four simultaneous viewing options. The use of antennas makes the product able to stand alone, and work without a cable or satellite service holding it up. The price point for the device, during this crowd-funding phase, sitting at around $99, is competitive among streaming devices, while presenting a service that something like an Amazon Fire Stick can’t offer.
Basing the product around the use of antennas and over-the-air broadcasts is a smart move for the “environmental” user who is interested in pursuing television without paying hundreds of dollars to a cable provider, but it severely limits the variety that can be achieved on the screen. If there are only a handful of channels available in an area, with a smaller number showing sports programming, it creates a repeating problem for users who are stuck watching the same things over and over. The reliance on this broadcast reception also limits use to the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Korea, as these areas are the only locales that broadcast to the ATSC standard, which limits the market in a pretty harsh fashion.
The viability of the device is present, but with the increase in services like NFL RedZone and MLB Strikezone which provide multiple game updates in real time, the desirability becomes less concrete. While these services might not show four different games live at the same time, they can serve a similar purpose while operating within the programming of traditional cable providers with no extra equipment needed. In order to be able to pick up the finer points of any game, which the hardcore sports fans are looking to do , there becomes a necessity for a relatively large television screen. Since not all potential customers have a screen of large size, this could put a squeeze on sales numbers.
4SeTV has stated on their website and their Kickstarter page that they intend to make improvements in the product through continued development. The device is outfitted with RF ports, or cable jacks, to allow for connection to multiple televisions, which could lead to a relatively smooth transition into the inclusion of cable and satellite programming, which the company has stated that they are interested in. There is a USB port on the box which is described on the website as being in place “to support future enhancements.” The USB port allows for the possibility of using external devices to import personal video. Letting the user bring their own media opens a door that makes the experience a lot more personal and intimate with the users.
4SeTV is one of the latest developments in line with a new wave of disconnection from television providers (see Netflix, Hulu, etc.), giving the user sole control over the programming they wish to consume. As streaming services and devices get more popular, a product like the 4SeTV box positions itself solidly in the niche market for sports streaming. If the developers continue their work and improve the platform that they have in place, the potential for growth is massive. The current round of funding through Kickstarter is set to wrap up on June 5, with the first units of the product shipping in September.
The thing to remember about 4SeTV is that it is just now getting out of a state of infancy. There is much more work to be done, but the product stems from a logical idea, and seems to have room to grow. If 4SeTV optimizes and meets the critiques of the current infrastructure that it has, the product could soon be a staple in fanatical homes and sports bars internationally.
