Chapter 532: Life is Just Like the First Meeting

Bill Gates looked at Li Dongling with doubt. This trip had already brought Bill Gates enough surprises. He didn't expect that there would be a new project.

He reached out his hand, signaling Li Dongling to continue. For Bill Gates, the computer and game console projects were already surprises, and the rest was just icing on the cake.

"TV itself will not produce programs. It needs to be connected to other equipment to let the audience see the picture." 【532-

Wired and wireless signals, as well as VCRs, VCDs, DVDs, game consoles, and so on—and the internet era is almost here. Why can't televisions connect to internet programs?!"

Li Dongling's words were like a thunderbolt, causing Bill Gates, who had been somewhat indifferent just a moment ago, to suddenly widen his eyes, his gaze locked firmly on Li Dongling.

Two years ago, when the internet was emerging in Silicon Valley, Bill Gates and Microsoft didn't pay much attention to it. As a result, Microsoft is now very passive, having gained a deadly rival in Netscape.

Now, suddenly hearing Li Dongling mention the internet, how could Bill Gates not perk up? The scene of Himalaya Radio exploding in popularity across America was still fresh in his memory; Bill Gates had witnessed firsthand how Li Dongling operated in the internet space.

"The tides turn. From the day the television was manufactured, traditional television programs have enjoyed continuous prosperity, but sooner or later, they will have a day of decline!

This is not because users are unwilling to watch television, but because there will be more and more entertainment activities in the future, and the functions of devices like computers and mobile phones will become increasingly powerful. The appeal of traditional television programs to users in the future will no longer be as great!

However, there is nothing absolute in this world. Users are unwilling to watch those television programs full of lies and cookie-cutter content, but that doesn't mean they aren't willing to sit together as a family, or as couples and friends, in the evening or on holidays, to watch the television programs they want to see.

What the Guanxing set-top box needs to do is to bring users back to the television set to watch the programs they want to see!"

Hearing the two words "Guanxing," Bill Gates, Zhou Hualiang, Larsen, Ed Fries, and others felt nothing, but Yao Luoying's eyes lit up.

For people today, the products of Dongling High-Tech that are household names might be the electronic pets that swept the globe, the digital cordless phones that fought Siemens, or the Xiaolingtong that changed the landscape of the mainland mobile phone market.

But for the veteran staff of Dongling High-Tech, the most profound impression is still Guanxing. This brand, which might be a bit "niche" even in the mainland—including those television households that installed Guanxing satellite dishes—might not even remember what brand their satellite dish is!

Dongling High-Tech's first pot of gold actually came from Guanxing. For veteran Dongling High-Tech employees like Li Dongling, Yao Luoying, Gao Peng, and Zhang Ao, Guanxing was the beginning of everything!

After the satellite dish project went bust—or rather, it couldn't be called bust, just that the price war was too brutal—nowadays, any city in the country with a basic electronic industrial foundation probably has small workshops making satellite dishes.

Satellite dishes are still selling like hotcakes domestically, but profits are almost gone due to the price war. Many companies are making this product; the profit on a single satellite dish is sometimes less than ten yuan. Except for local companies, other satellite dishes sold there would lose money!

Many satellite dish manufacturers even sell at a loss, but it's impossible to truly lose money; low prices mean quality is bound to be unsatisfactory.

Previously, the receiver dish surface of Guanxing satellite dishes used aluminum coated with an anti-corrosion layer. As long as it was stored properly, using it for several years was no problem. But now, for the sake of profit, satellite dish manufacturers use cheaper iron dish surfaces and don't apply anti-corrosion agents. After one rainy season and one winter, the dish surface starts to have problems.

Then users can only call for repairs and replace parts. Even the set-top boxes connected to the TV are as flimsy as paper, breaking down every few days. They can only keep replacing parts and repairing, and finally, they have to buy new ones. Manufacturers who don't make money selling satellite dishes make their money back through after-sales service and selling parts. It can only be said that the wool eventually comes off the sheep's back!

The Guanxing brand was taken back by Dongling High-Tech after the Shangguan Town Electronic Components Factory, the predecessor of the Torch Group, stopped producing satellite dishes. For the past few years, it has remained idle.

However, just as in the line "Life is like first sight," the person seen at first glance, even in old age, will probably appear in one's mind at some moment.

For Li Dongling, Guanxing was the first brand he established, equivalent to Dongling High-Tech's eldest son. How could he forget it? If there is an opportunity, naturally he must reignite it, let more people know about it, and let it burst into even greater fireworks than it did back then!

It's not just Li Dongling who likes to play this game. When Tesla's Musk achieved success and fame, he also bought back the first website X he established back in the day at a high price and eventually gave it to Twitter to use.

Li Dongling doesn't intend for Guanxing to become a synonym for "hick" in the future, but rather a representative of tech trends and fashion.

In the future, the poem "Watching the sky at dawn and clouds at dusk, appreciating light clouds by day and watching stars by night," from which the brand Guanxing originates, will still appear on the packaging boxes of equipment in countless households.

Perhaps, there might even be an opportunity to split it off for a separate listing, completing listings on NASDAQ, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the European Stock Exchange, and the A-share market simultaneously, becoming the most dazzling kid in the tech industry!

"Guanxing?"

Bill Gates muttered the name, not knowing what was special about this brand, but seeing Li Dongling's solemn expression, it seemed as if this brand was very important, so he had no intention of arguing.

"Li, do you mean to use the internet to provide television programs to users?" Bill Gates asked Li Dongling.

"You could say that, but the internet is just a means, not the end!"

Li Dongling pondered for a moment and explained the concept of an internet set-top box: "Currently, the major media giants in America are all conservative and unwilling to let other rivals enter their territory.

Many television users, if they want to watch NBA, football, hockey, and other games, need to subscribe to different channels, and they might not even be able to receive the signal locally!

And what the Guanxing set-top box needs to do is to gather all these programs and channels together, allowing users to decide for themselves which channel to watch and which game or TV series they are willing to pay for."

"How many channels can traditional television subscriptions provide at most? The Guanxing set-top box will be able to provide traditional television channels in the future, and it can also provide internet content, such as podcasts from Himalaya Radio, to users.

It's not just about providing local American television programs. Once Guanxing opens up markets in other regions, a user with a Guanxing set-top box can also choose to watch programs from Canada, the UK, and other places while in America. How many television channels could they watch then? Five hundred, one thousand, or even two thousand television channels?

With so many television channels, and even customized channels recommended specifically for them, wouldn't that be enough to attract users to the television set?

In the future, the Guanxing set-top box can also recommend similar types of sports games, TV series, and movies based on user habits and viewing preferences, increasing user stickiness. Of course, it can also serve advertisements for this industry!"

Hearing what Li Dongling said, Bill Gates, Ed Fries, and the others couldn't help but gasp.

If the Guanxing set-top box could really achieve this, being able to provide users with NBA basketball, European football, Canadian hockey, and a host of other events simultaneously, while also allowing cross-platform viewing of TV series from Fox, ABC, HBO, and other stations—even if users had to subscribe themselves—it would still beat those traditional television stations.

"Of course, in terms of technology, the set-top box might not be mature enough yet, and the internet speed requirements for the set-top box cannot be met currently.

We still need to secure authorization cooperation from television stations, as well as future advertising revenue sharing with them, all of which require agreements. But the Guanxing set-top box is definitely the future of the television industry and should also be a part of Microsoft's living room strategy!"

Li Dongling complimented Bill Gates, ceding the credit for the living room strategy to Microsoft. Dongling High-Tech had no use for this thing anyway; it was just a gimmick, and right now, they were just playing with expectations.

But this gimmick was a miracle cure for Microsoft. Believe it or not, as long as Bill Gates formally proposed the living room strategy at the Microsoft board meeting, Microsoft's stock price would definitely get a boost!

The outside world was also observing what Microsoft's next move would be. If it couldn't take that step toward expansion, Microsoft would be trapped in the software industry. Its revenue and performance would become predictable, no longer able to surprise people. What is stock speculation about? It's about expectations, the future, and damn it, the amazing returns of dozens or hundreds of times over the next year. If it ended up being a stagnant pool, how could Microsoft's stock price be hyped, and how could its market value be raised?

In his past life, Microsoft seemed to be obsessed with game consoles, losing a fortune, but its stock price rose because there were expectations. As long as they captured the market, the annual revenue from game consoles plus games would be 10 to 20 billion US dollars.

And in fact, that was indeed the case. The game console business earned Microsoft nearly 20 billion US dollars in revenue every year. Compared to the 10-plus billion US dollars lost while expanding territory, it was worth it!

"However, before launching the set-top box project, Guanxing can launch a digital video recording device as a transition period.

Using this device, when users encounter a TV program they like, they can record it to watch at any time, and it provides functions like automatic recording, pausing, and skipping, allowing users to skip segments they don't want to watch.

Additionally, a search function can be added to the device to make it easier for users to find recorded programs!

Dongling High-Tech can cooperate with Microsoft first to test the waters with the Guanxing digital video recording device, and then jointly develop the internet set-top box project!" Li Dongling said with a smile, appearing very considerate toward Microsoft.