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The End of Televison

January 13, 2011 Leave a Comment

A few years ago the main way that we were wasting our time was by sitting in front of the television. We worried that all that time in front of the television was rotting our brains and making us slaves to advertisers and networks. But now we are spending more of our time in front of a different screen: the computer screen. Increasingly, people are spending more and more time on their computers, and the number of households equipped for cable television is on the decline. The Internet offers a wide variety of entertainments that are alternatives to passive watching. And because of sites like Hulu and YouTube, one does not need to have a television to enjoy television programming.

These new platforms have changed the way people experience television programs and what they expect from them. People once were content to watch their favorite programs on the network’s timetable. They would rush home and tune in at 8/7 central or whenever the network dictated. Now because of DVR and the Internet, people expect to be able to watch their shows whenever they want. Now we can live our lives without having to think about getting home in time to watch a certain show. We also no longer have to settle for watching whatever is “on.” The Internet has opened up an endless variety of programming that we can choose from and enjoy. These possibilities can sometimes be overwhelming.

The new Internet platforms have also changed the way advertisers reach the audience. Traditional commercials no longer cut it. Because of DVR and Internet piracy, people expect to watch their shows without commercials. So advertisers have used the Internet to find other ways to reach consumers, such as releasing their commercials as viral videos.

So, will the Internet put an end to cable TV? Time will tell.

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Find Movies for Everyone on the Internet

November 3, 2010 Leave a Comment
You're in the Movies

Image via Wikipedia

Whether you are looking for a great date night movie, something for the kids, or just something fun for yourself, there are tons of options for finding great television shows and movies on the internet. In the past, the only options were not legitimate, and realistically, not legal. With the advances in technology that we have had, this is no longer the case. Now, you can find movies and television shows of any genre or style legally and legitimately.  And you also have a wide variety of movie viewers and some are free like the vlc media player and the xvid codec found in the open source xvid software.

Some websites that offer these services are completely free. Others charge a small monthly or yearly fee. Generally, you can find a large variety of television shows, and a smaller variety of full length movies for free. Usually with websites that offer these services for free, you will have to watch through commercials, have ads on the site, or both. For many people, the convenience of being able to watch what you want, when you want, is much more valuable than not having to watch a few commercials.

With a paid service, you will generally not have to deal with commercials. Many of the paid services tend to put a larger focus on full length movies, rather than television shows. The reason for this is that a lot of the paid sites are based also around renting movies on DVD. They generally have a larger variety of movies that you can rent on DVD than you can stream right to your computer, but the movies that you can stream are generally still better than with a free service.

The days of having to run to a rental place or the store to get your movies are virtually gone. Many people now subscribe to online services to get their movies. A lot of times, you can even have these movies play to your television, as long as you have a proper device (many gaming devices offer this), and an internet connection.


Filed Under: Internet, Technology Tagged With: , , ,

Future of Home Entertainment

October 22, 2010 Leave a Comment
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA - OCTOBER 27: U.S. Speaker ...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

With the wave of innovation hitting the center of home entertainment, a lot of big companies are coming out with what they call the future of television. These measures are being made to uncomplicate our overly complicated lives. It is too stressful to switch screens to watch online and offline content often. This is where our next generation of televisions come in which are simplifying and unifying the whole internet and television phase.

One of the most popular makers of electronics, Apple has come out with Apple TV which has integrated its low cost download and watch model into television where you will not require high cost Wi-Fi receivers on your television to receive video from your computer or even a cable to wire your entire house. It has received overwhelming success as with all other Apple products. Boxee too has a similar Boxee Box that aims to de-clutter the already chaotic life by integrating the entire web’s video content in your fingertips. Guess what? It has a full internet browser with which you can easily browse the net on your television, buy clothes and electronics, play online casino, go through online magazines and books, or place bets on sports betting sites. When all the talk about reaching the largest medium of entertainment is going on, who can leave Google behind? Google has partnered with Sony to introduce Google TV. This TV unlike Apple’s and Boxee’s offerings is coming along with a Sony television built in. Will it come alone or not is not known, but only the activity of Google in this area says a lot about the potential of the revolutionary and successful next center of entertainment. There are other smaller and some mid-sized players who are working in the same area, but only the one which provides the level of comfort that cable television provided will succeed.

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Television on the Web

September 3, 2010 Leave a Comment
Have you ever missed an episode of your favorite television show? Do you have home videos that you want to share with others? Do you enjoy watching short, funny videos? Now you can watch episodes of your favorite television shows online, as well as post your own videos and watch the videos that others post.

Many television networks upload episodes of television shows onto their websites so that you never have to worry about missing another episode of your favorite shows. Most people have had the inconvenience of missing an important episode of a show and spending the next three episodes trying to figure out exactly what was going on. Now you will never have to worry about this situation again. Most television networks have websites that are easy to navigate (they hire professionals to make them that way) and allow visitors to stream television episodes directly onto their computer.

In a similar way, you can upload your own videos onto the Internet for other people to see. The most famous website that lets people do this is Youtube, though many websites allow people to upload their videos online such as social networking sites. It can be a very feeling to see your videos on the internet and be able to keep track of how many people watch them. Of course, it’s also fun to watch the videos that other people post online. There are videos online of just about everything you could ever imagine, and far more.

Television may never be completely replaced by the Internet and computers. In fact, it is often more enjoyable to watch your favorite shows on the tv rather than sitting at the computer. But, it is still very convenient to be able to use your computer as a television whenever you want to.

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