Rumor: Apple wants to release its own set-top box with live TV

According to a newspaper, Apple is in talks with an American provider to release its own set-top box that users should use instead of the traditional set-top box. The streams would have to be transported separately from the rest of the internet traffic.

The consultation is being held with Comcast, the largest American internet provider, writes The Wall Street Journal. Customers should be able to watch both live TV and record TV programs via the Apple set-top box, with the recording stored online. It is not known whether Apple is also talking to carriers outside the US.

Video streams should have the same image quality as images on Comcast’s ‘normal’ set-top box. To achieve that, Apple wants its video streams to be transported separately from the rest of the internet traffic, according to the newspaper. At the moment this is already happening with the provider’s own video service and its VoIP service: they are based on the internet protocol just like the rest of the internet, but are treated as a managed service, separate from the rest of the internet.

Apple and Comcast are not yet close to a deal, partly because the companies disagree about the degree of control Apple will have over Comcast’s customers. Apple wants users to sign in via Apple IDs and wants to skim some of the subscription costs, while Comcast wants to keep control over its customers and their data. In addition, Comcast should invest in its network.

For Comcast, treating network traffic differently is a sensitive matter. In 2011, Comcast acquired media conglomerate NBC Universal; that acquisition required Comcast to commit to adhere to certain net neutrality rules for years to come. However, treating a video service as a ‘managed service’ could be acceptable.