"Lao Duan said: Make a box that doesn't get hot"

On November 1st, Skyworth iQiyi Ultra HD Box was launched, and many people are asking this question: What is the difference between the Ultra HD Box and the Xiaomi Box?

So what are the characteristics of Xiaomi Box? Wang Chuan, Dai Qingsong and others are a group of respectable product and technology fanatics. Even without the Xiaomi brand and marketing platform, their box itself will not be discounted. The slogan of Xiaomi Box is the most feverish accessory for Xiaomi mobile phones. "Fever" is Lei Jun's best invention! If the user's temperature is 39 degrees when purchasing and using your product, hehe, you know! So far, the box has actually been a toy for IT enthusiasts and Zhongguancun people for a long time. Enthusiasts like to think and do things. They are fundamentally different from most users who are too lazy to think and too lazy to do things. Enthusiasts also don't watch videos on video websites very often. They prefer to find video content on the Internet that can't be found on video websites. Hehe, you know.

So how should companies other than Xiaomi make boxes? This is a question that all box companies, including Skyworth, China's largest set-top box company, are thinking about: Is it possible to take a development path that is equally promising but different from Xiaomi?

In fact, this is the origin of the ultra-clear box.

Ultra-HD boxes are not for the feverish! Ultra-HD boxes are not customized boxes for audiophiles, but ordinary boxes for ordinary users to watch ordinary Internet videos. The key to ultra-HD boxes is of course ultra-HD: 400,000 videos, 100,000 ultra-HD, and 10,000 1080P. These three numbers are enough, otherwise it cannot be called an ultra-HD box. Rich, clear, smooth, and friendly are the life goals pursued by all video websites. IQiyi has just spent a huge amount of money to exclusively buy 5 popular variety shows from Hunan Satellite TV. In 2014, everyone can only watch variety shows such as "Where Are We Going, Dad?" (including the original FORMAT Korean version of "Where Are We Going, Dad?"), "Happy Camp," "Day Day Up," and "Kangxi Is Coming" on the Internet through iQiyi and PPS. Although I have hardly watched them, haha, the integration of the capital and content levels of the video industry is indeed in full swing.

In addition, unlike the "extreme" pursued by the Xiaomi box, the ultra-high-definition box pursues "refinement and simplicity".

There is no need to say much about "exquisiteness". Most people would not think that roughness is good. The goal of the ultra-clear box in the direction of exquisiteness is the gift feeling. That is, from the outside to the inside, from the packaging to the box, from the interaction to the video, it should give users the feeling of "giving gifts and being given gifts". The seven colors all have a significant metallic texture. The box is very small but feels heavy, and the rear sockets are even and neat. Compared with the black plastic box and kraft paper packaging, it is more exquisite and lovely. Beauty is also productivity, because even technology can not always be so cold. The inner and outer packaging of the ultra-clear box are both white and hot silver, which is fashionable and elegant. Including each wire has an independent small package. The size of the outer packaging is about the same as a copy of "Steve Jobs". If it is wrapped with a layer of colorful wrapping paper and tied with a ribbon, it should be the best gift for yourself and your loved ones, Valentine's Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival, going home for the New Year, etc. I really don't want the ultra-clear box to be associated with the upcoming Singles' Day, even if there are sales, haha.

"Simple" is a typical example of being easier said than done. For example, the HDTV box only has four sockets: power, HDMI, USB, and network cable. It can be said that this is the set-top box with the least interfaces on the market. Many set-top boxes have more than one USB socket, AV, and audio, but the HDTV box has removed all of them. The reason is this simplicity! What percentage of ordinary users will use these functions? And because of these functions, it will definitely bring more or less trouble to ordinary users. I hope that the HDTV box can be the box with the least functions, not the most functions, because the concept of the HDTV box is that a microwave oven with only two functions is better than a microwave oven with forty functions! The example I always cite is the shutdown of Apple and Samsung phones: Samsung provides four options when shutting down: "shutdown, network mode, flight mode, restart", while Apple phones do not have these nonsense and just shut down directly. No one will deny the use value of these three functions of Samsung other than shutdown, but removing these "useful functions" is the key to Apple's simplicity. The ideal of the HD box is that you never need to turn it off after connecting it to the TV. When you turn on the TV at home, you can directly see the first screen with the remote control: recommended videos, play records, and the latest in the past 7 days; or you can use your mobile phone to open the iQiyi client and just slide your finger to push the movie to play on the TV. It is simpler than Apple's AIRPLAY, using only the simplest thinking and the simplest actions, assuming that users are "thumb fools", haha!

Ultra-high definition, refinement, and simplicity are not actually related to audiophiles, although there is a little overlap as Munger often says. Because audiophiles like Blu-rays that are even higher than ultra-high definition, the ultimate experience that does not need to be too refined, and the hands-on fun that does not need to be too simple. IT, audio, and photography were all circles where audiophiles once gathered, and the same was true for set-top boxes. Audiophiles and ordinary users are two different groups. Of course, audiophiles themselves are a very good user experience. Xiaomi, which serves audiophiles, may become a "great" company, while companies like ultra-high definition boxes and ordinary box companies like us are still committed to pursuing "excellence" and are more practical. After being envious of others, they still retreat and build a different Internet cafe. Therefore, the most likely development path for traditional set-top box companies to make boxes is to never start with audiophiles, because it is difficult to compete with Xiaomi boxes on the audiophile path. This is my most profound experience after thinking about Xiaomi. This is the same as "those who learn from Apple live, and those who copy Apple die". The lesson of following the trend is profound. I still think that the company that has studied Apple the most deeply is Samsung, so Samsung has taken a completely different development path from Apple. It was also very successful in the Apple era and is likely to beat Apple in terms of model in the future. From enthusiasts to ordinary users, from customer experience to user experience, and from B2B to B2C, these are the three key points for traditional set-top box manufacturers to transform from OTT. In this regard, the ultra-high-definition box can be regarded as an exploration and attempt of traditional set-top box manufacturers to go online.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.