Posted on 08/04/2006 1:36:01 PM PDT by abb
For a glimpse of the television of the future, consider Matt McDonald's viewing habits in the living room of his home in Armonk, N.Y. He switches between traditional programs like "The Daily Show" and "24" to watching videos downloaded from the Internet -- all on his TV set.
Mr. McDonald uses a digital video-recorder box from TiVo Inc. with a new feature that allows subscribers to download videos off the Web to their TVs. "Everything appears on the same 'now playing' list [on his interactive program guide]," says the 33-year-old risk manager.
Movies and videos are exploding on the Web, but watching them isn't the laid-back experience that consumers are accustomed to with TV. Viewers have been constrained to the relatively small screens of their laptops, digital-music players or personal computers -- away from big TV screens and comfortable furniture of the living room.
Technology companies are beginning to change that, with major repercussions for the entertainment, media and advertising industries. While some tech-savvy experts have been able to rig up impromptu versions for years, companies like TiVo, AT&T Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp. are trying to take this ability to the mass market. Meanwhile, manufacturers of TV sets, DVD players and other set-top devices are planning to turn them into Web conduits.
The idea is not to simply beam whatever is on the computer screen to the TV. There's not much demand for reading email or viewing ordinary text-heavy Web sites on a 42-inch flat screen. Instead, tech and media companies are using the Internet as a conduit for transmitting selected content, just as cable is a conduit for getting programming to the TV. And the Internet opens the possibility of sending virtually unlimited content to the TV - from foreign-language films to archived TV shows...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Hasn't this idea been tried.....and failed?
We just got a VDR box and it has literally changed our TV Viewing. I think this is the way of the future. Simply download the content you are intersted in and watch when you want. The broadcast networks are toast.
Past efforts at transferring Web-based videos to the TV haven't gained much traction because computers and high speed Internet connections tend to be in different rooms of a home than TV sets. Many new products are dealing with this issue by using wireless connections. The Homezone box, for example, is designed to hook into a wireless home network. Microsoft's Media Center connects wirelessly to set-top boxes it sells separately or to Xbox 360s.
LOL..cause that is exactly what I'm doing. You can't appreciate FR till you've seen it on a 42 inch screen..awesome!
sw
"If it ain't posted on FreeRepublic, it ain't news..."
sw
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.