What your Internet of things startup should learn from Netflix and the disaggregation of TV

The Internet, standards and open platforms have allowed businesses to break up content and services into discrete and disaggregated parts. Now instead of paying $80 a month for a pay-TV package and getting 60 channels you don’t want, you can assemble the shows you like via Netflix, iTunes or any number of other available services and get a relative bargain. The problem, of course, is that when you break things up, you might get exactly what you want, but you no longer have the assurance of the cable company delivering your single stream. Now you have Netflix’s servers (which are really Amazon’s), a content delivery network or two, an ISP and even your home Wi-Fi network all a factor in the quality of the experience. So when a video fails, who does the consumer call? This is a problem that the video industry is working out right now, with efforts from ISPs, big content companies and even startups trying to ensure quality of service on the network.