Posted on 05/13/2011 10:38:44 AM PDT by Cardhu
In August 2010, the end of the age of television as we know it was widely predicted.
The US pay TV market had suffered its first ever drop in subscribers. In the end the economy was roundly found to blame, with cable packages being sacrificed as families were forced to tighten their belts.
But some commentators pointed to this as the inevitable result of the growth of on demand and over the top offerings available on the internet.
So is technology killing what we think of as traditional television - and taking pay TV operators with it?
It's a confusing picture. Nielsen, who track US television viewing habits, have reported a drop in television ownership - albeit from 98.9% to 96.7%. DVD sales are falling, while Netflix recently overtook cable operator Comcast to become the biggest subscription video service in North America.
IMS Research however is predicting digital cable TV subscribers in the US will increase by 7.8m between 2010 and 2015.
YouTube, Hulu, iPlayer, Netflix and other 'over the top' (OTT) services, not to mention illegal downloading, all offer alternatives.
Apple and Google have both launched OTT services that let consumers play online content through their televisions, although Google's service is only available in the US.
We're watching more video than ever before this way. But we're also watching more television. What is less clear is where the broadcast industry is ultimately headed.
Ask the experts
So what do those in the industry think lies in store?
Neil Gaydon is the chief executive of pay TV technology developer Pace. They manufacture set-top boxes and other technology for some of the world's biggest cable and satellite operators.
He points to a rise in subscription figures over the last two quarters as proof that pay TV is healthier than ever.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Heck, they’ll just figure out a way to charge for it on the internet.
Now TV is a vast wasteland, but there is a nugget or two in there I like. I’d have cable if I could afford it. But I can’t.
I watch “Lost in Space” and “Night Gallery” on this site....I love it!!!!
But wait, there's MORE!
It does that and more all the time playing music from my Pandora account. You don't need to use Pandora, you can use several other services.
I port the audio from Pandora via a low power, cheap FM transmitter like you would use to send a signal from an Ipod, CD player or such to you car radio. It goes to the other radios in the house.
If you get the newer Chumbys they even have a web browser built in! In fact there is word that the browser will be included in the latest free firmware update for my Chumby one.
I bought mine used on EBAY for less than $50. New ones are costly but getting a used one now is a great buy!
Explore the Chumby website for more details. There are too many to list here!
I forgot to mention access to Email as well as accounts like Photobucket. That can all be displayed on the screen! IIRC there are over 1300 apps available and ALL FREE!
Check it out!
Thanks much for the retrovision link! Looks very interesting.
And also to o/p for the Hulu suggestion. I have watched that before when I screwed up and missed an episode of “24”!
They most likely are streaming somewhere on the net...what are they?
No sportsfan can drop the satellite, especially if his teams are not local. We like all the internet ways to watch entertainment, but we still have a few shows we like on regular TV.
TV without having to “find” things to watch a la Netflix is EXCELLENT medicine for people in pain or sick. I think that is TV’s highest value, as a distraction for people in great discomfort.
Yes, and it's more important than you give that mode credit for. My son is having surgery Monday and I am THRILLED there is TV so when we bring him home from the surgery he can "veg" out and be distracted from his pain.
The few times I have been hit with a migraine the meds couldn't handle, watching sitcoms one after the other helped a lot, even if my eyes were sometimes shut. The pain would "increase" at the commercials so there is a definite distraction benefit.
If you are up all night with a vomiting child, having endless strings of cartoons to watch really really helps. I love TV for people sick, in pain, worried, etc. It's a blessing to have that distraction at that time. (And I only watch TV a couple times a week myself -- but I value it being there if needed.)
Here is one I just found looks good some free stuff to watch but i am not sure all of it is free but so far most I have viewed was free. I also use Hulu but the Retro TV has more stuff I like.
http://www.giddyupnetwork.com/main.php?id=home
OK Thanks, I will check it out.....
True.
I think what you are looking for is a ‘Video Jukebox’.
Like when there were 200 singles in the machine and
you could play them in any order depending on the
order the buttons were pushed...
OK, getting ready to purchase a house and thinking of dropping cable. Problem is I do like the sports.
If I use Brighthouse or Uverse does that make ESPN3 available?
My plan is to plunk down a few hundred to have Cat5E dropped into most of the rooms (4 BRs, 2 Living Areas, and possibly one or two other runs).
We currently have one Roku which my son uses for his bedroom. Since I subscribe to MLB.tv via internet feed, he gets our Indians games up in the room. I could have a Roku player on the network and basically two months worth of cable would pay for about 4 of these suckers.
So my wife flips a lot, and spends a lot of time on Bravo (I know I know). I am usually on the net surfing and TV is just mere noise outside of maybe Dexter, and yet I am paying out the nose for a full suite on Brighthouse. She also watches Glee, Priv Practice, Dancing w/stars, Idol. STuff like that. Can you get that stuff over a Roku with Hulu plus? Or do you need a media PC?
The kids are on facebook, or X-Box Live and plugged into netflix most of the time. The only cable they watch are some of the cooler NatGeo and History channel shows. Oh and any kind of MMA fights.
So sports is the issue. Last week we got the Pacquio fight. We get about 80% of the UFC fights. We watch NCAA football but outside of buckeye games I can probably survive without it, (and let’s face it they could get banned from TV this year).
I am still struggling with how I might be able to get off the Cable. I don’t think everything is available direct just yet.
I cancelled cable about 3 months ago, in favor of Netflix. My children are ecstatic, and are devouring history documentaries. I haven’t watched a broadcast tv show since Alias went off the air, so I don’t miss it a bit.
It just isn’t available yet. We have two adult males who follow teams in other areas. Our hockey fan needs center ice (pay channel with all NHL games). The guy who follows far flung NCAA teams needs access to those local espns. We have tried but we can’t escape sat tv yet.
Also part of the fun of live reality shows is discussing it the very next day. So yo need to watch it that same evening.
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