This New York Times Article got me thinking: Where do we get our entertainment from? Where will we get it 5 years from now? 10 Years?
Think about it…In the beginning there was just a TV. This little box has since entertained and informed an entire planet. Lately technology has changed the way we watch TV. Everything is digital (analog TV signals are going to be extinct after 2009). HD content is becoming more commonplace. Internet broadband access is increasing, allowing people to view streaming video, and video on demand. Connect your computer to your TV and BAM!
Better yet use SlingCatcher, which lets you broadcast internet media to your TV. It’s an interesting product, which is described in depth here.
Hulu is currently in Beta testing…but there is OPENHulu for those who don’t have an invite. This is going in the right direction, I think. One of my concerns is how people will watch their online content in the future. Currently online content providers are dispersed among the internet. Is the average person really expected to have to go to several different goofy named sites like Hulu (a name that has several meanings in other languages according to this WSJ.com article). We will need more than just what Hulu can provide. What we need is a media aggregator. With content coming from every available source- so I can customize what I watch to my tastes, and so can you. Its all about ease of use, user interface, and CONTENT. No longer having to sit through 3 minutes of commercials that don’t appeal to me…
I am still trying to figure out what we will feed our TV’s in the future- will Time Warner Cable or Cablevision come up with something more than those awfully designed “Video On-Demand” menu’s? Will Tivo/DVR’s evolve into something bigger, better, and more useful? Will I ever get to see old episodes of the A-Team on my big screen when I want to watch them? Ohhhhh… I hope so, Mr. T. – I hope so. And when it does, I will know we will have finally arrived.
