TV’s Future Has Arrived (Almost) (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

The New York Times ^ | October 6, 2010 | David Pogue

[abb]

Americans used to gather in front of their TV sets on, say, Thursday at 8 p.m. and tune in to Channel 3. The upside: the whole country had a common cultural bond.

The downside: everyone had to sit down Thursday at 8 p.m.

The requirement for the whole population to watch the same shows simultaneously has evaporated as technology advanced. But what will replace the old system? Will we be able to sign up for just the channels we want? Will we pay for one episode at a time? Will the Internet become the new delivery system?

At this point, the future of TV is still up in the air, if not over the air. But already, all kinds of on-demand variations are available in the form of set-top boxes. (“Set-top” may be an obsolete term. To balance one of these boxes on top of today’s flat screens, you’d have to be in Cirque du Soleil.)

This week alone, there’s both a new Apple TV box and a new Roku box in three flavors (HD, XD and XD/S). Each is inexpensive, each is half-finished — but each could be the gateway to a disruptive new future of à la carte TV.

snip

[abb]

"By the end of this decade or shortly thereafter, television networks as we know them today will cease to exist. They will be just another url on the world wide web competing against millions of others."

"Network evening newscasts will go dark after the '08 elections and their news divisions disbanded."

Walter Abbott, (b. 1950), Media observer, blogger and commentator

[abb]

ping

[abb]

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/458159-Baker_Cable_Satellite_Need_Freedom_To_Package_Programming.php
Baker: Cable, Satellite Need Freedom To Package Programming
Argues government should not rush in to regulate online content

[AlexW]

“”Network evening newscasts will go dark after the ‘08 elections and their news divisions disbanded.”

Sadly, not all good dreams come true :(

[abb]

http://gannettblog.blogspot.com/
USAT | News staffing now down up to 30% from ‘07

[abb]

I’ll concede my timing was a bit off, but not by much...

[exPBRrat]

For us I remember a time ‘74 or ‘75 before VCR’s when on Saturday night the TV was glued to CBS. Then if you were still awake you could enjoy SNL.

Yes it was a lot of fun when we could all talk about the same things. For us we eventually resented the propaganda enough to buy into DTV ...just for FOX news back in the 90’s.

Very rare for us to go back to network...just this year we started watching ‘Dancing with the Stars’.

[Tolsti2]

I love my Tivo, I can check in 3 or 4 times a week and catch up entirely ad-free.

That’s a lot of compressed hours, virtually none from network TV. It’s FANTASTIC.

[struggle]

I don’t watch TV.

[abb]

Regarding the “common viewing experience,” have you ever asked yourself what if “And that’s the way it is...” wasn’t?

That is to say back in the day when the only news we got was from Cronkite and AP and so forth and maybe it wasn’t as unbiased as they claim it was...

[netmilsmom]

My DH hooked up a computer to our plasma.
We watch all the things available for computer for free.

[abb]

We watch all the things available for computer for free.

The most significant thing about connecting to the interweb thingy with a TV is that YOU pick what to watch/do instead of watching what THEY program.

IMO, that's about as HUGH as it gets...

[C210N]

I don’t watch TV.

I'm with you.

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

[RayChuang88]

There are the reasons why I got a TiVo HD XL DVR:

1) I can watch shows in HD without dealing with Comcast's own HD set top box.
2) I can record shows to later showing at MY convenience.

Indeed, I'm now following The Event on NBC and Hawaii Five-O on CBS thanks to my TiVo DVR.

[R. Scott]

I seldom watch network TV, football being the exception. I find their sitcoms and dramas asinine and the movies not worth watching. I found myself watching the history and science channels. For pure entertainment I watched “iCarley” and “Sweet Life on Deck” – no sex or violence. I’m in my 60s and was a bit embarrassed to tell anyone I watched those two shows. That changed about a year ago.
I arrived at my favorite watering hole early and found my favorite bartender watching the daytime rerun of iCarley. She asked if I wanted her to change it. I admitted to liking the show. Other customers showed up and at first snickered at what we were watching, after all it is a kid’s show. Soon they were watching with rapt interest. Now it’s requested.

[IronJack]

This is from the New York Times. So there are probably no technological developments on the horizon for TV, nobody ever sat down and watched anything, and television doesn’t even exist.

The Times lies.

[netmilsmom]

Exactly.
If they ever offered Directv A la carte we would go back to it.
Right now, we stick with Hulu, YouTube and Netflix.

[Tolsti2]

I sold my Tivo S3 early edition for the Tivo Premiere XL, and I’m really happy with it.

It’s basically VOD, even on life stuff if you delay it a bit (heh), and the AI really filters out the junk.

I thumbed up my favs, and Tivo has gotten similar stuff with minimal wrongs since 1999, amazing.

That AI really pushes it apart from a DVR for me.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Then if you were still awake you could enjoy SNL.***

I don’t believe SNL was on before 1976. I remember I used to watch a si-fi movie each saturday night on NBC in Tulsa, Ok. One night I set down with my soda and popcorn and on came......”LIVE FROM NEW YORK! IT’S SATURDAY NIGHT!”

All I could say was ...”Where is my si-fi movie? Never so hacked off in my life! I never watched SNL except when forced to at my worthless brother-in-law’s house (If you know him he probably owes you money).

[GOPJ]

I love my Tivo, I can check in 3 or 4 times a week and catch up entirely ad-free. That’s a lot of compressed hours, virtually none from network TV. It’s FANTASTIC.

I did that for a long time too - still have the Tivo - but I seldom watch what's Tivoed - seldom watch any of it ...