Can any of you techies out there tell me what he means by this?
Plug in the laptop, switch your TV over to the desired input, surf to your favorite station and enjoy the show.
You would have to download the programs via bitorrent or where the networks have the programs on their site, just go to their site and play it. There are sites like Hulu that do streaming of shows also. You then hook the laptop up to the tv using your external port for a monitor and switch the selected monitor to the external one on your laptop.
I don’t deny them their prerogative in exerting the ultimate control over their product (and in not wanting Gargoyle to profit from their products!) but they need to recognize the inevitability of this evolution in viewer acquisition of programming.
I suppose Google is getting a lesson in how the liberal MSM deals with competition.
The world is changing, and changing quickly. Redbox kiosks outside of McDonalds and gas stations coupled with Netflix have obliterated both Blockbuster and Hollywood video. Next on the chopping block is Comcast, Dishnetwork and Direct TV.
With either the iTV from Apple or Google TV it will soon be possible to watch only the channels you want, watch any tv episode from any season, and cut your tv bill dramatically by using the Internet and free over-the-air tv for local stations. Comcast will only serve as a pipeline to the Internet.
The market is changing, and dinosaur management think they can prevent this change by refusing to participate. We all know how well this approach worked for the music industry.
Networks, including cable networks, are slowing cutting their own throats. Just recently, they increased the advertising from about 18 minutes per hour (leaving about 42 minutes of content) to about 21 minutes per hour (leaving about 39 minutes of content).
Two decades ago, a typical one-hour program had about 48 minutes of content.
Yes, the networks get more money for advertising, but they are losing viewers in droves. Those viewers are finding other sources and outlets that are not saturated with advertising.
On paper, the paradigm looks good: More ads = more $.
The paradigm, however, ignores the loss in vewers:
More ads = fewer viewers = lesser $$.
Netflix has no ads and unlimited streaming for $10, and they are making profits hand-over-fist. Of course, their catalog is about a month behind. But many are more than willing to wait a month to view some movies and programs.
The networks need some fresh minds operating them. They don’t seem to understand modern technology.
Hulu was an interesting idea, until the networks decided to add more ads. They are effectively killing their own creation.
The big question for me is what bandwidth will be required to watch TV? By that, I mean what speed does my connection have to be? I am on fiber with a 3 mB connection, but for extra $ I can upgrade to 6 mB.
Funny to hear them referred to as “broadcast networks” because I can no longer pick up broadcast television without a satellite dish. And all the old broadcast TVs are gone from my house. (I don’t think any made into the garbage — they’ve all been reused by others.)