The Future of TV

[saint]

Advertising Age has published an extensive article exploring the changes that may effect television as the medium converges with the web and web-connected devices. The TV is beginning to be viewed as “really just a monitor,” capable of taping into both broadcast/cable and Internet content, writes Brian Steinberg.

 

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=140751

[Austin Prime]

I've actually found myself watching a lot of online content. I watch Leo Laporte on live.twit.tv all the time. I also find myself watching Family Guy, The Simpsons, and American Dad on Hulu.com all the time.

 

I'd much rather watch things online than on tv. I don't have to worry about what time a show is coming on. It's nice knowing that I can watch things when it is convenient to me.

 

Thanks for the article!

[NickolasM.]

I'd much rather watch things online than on tv. I don't have to worry about what time a show is coming on. It's nice knowing that I can watch things when it is convenient to me.

And with out ad's. I currently have a HTC Touch Pro, and I watch Sprint TV all the time on there. The only thing about using Ipod's phones... etc... is that you have to deal with Wifi, (if viewing it 'live') and battery life.

[tjmarx]

There are actually a few exciting things happening in the TV world. Websites like YouTube have opened TV broadcasting up to the average person in the street. This is helped by the fact TVs like the Sony Bravia and the Samsung Series 6 and Series 8 will allow you to natively connect directly to YouTube and view content on the big screen.

 

There are of course also a bunch of other content providers who offer IPTV or other internet television arrangements. While the majority of these internet TV providers are ad free, this should only be viewed as something short term. As more people tune in to watch these shows you can be sure advertising will become included. Lets face it, good quality costs money to create so any content provider would be looking to at least break even. Ads have already become quite common on YouTube for instance.

 

Now in addition to internet based TV there is also another rather revolutionary development in Television. It's name? 3D Television. While HD cameras can be brought quite cheaply these days (thus opening up internet based TV to the masses), due to the nature of 3D television it's not going to be something that many but the Big channels can produce. 3D TVs are already on the market (starting around the same price as a good quality LCD) and ESPN will be launching 3D content THIS JUNE, with Disney to follow suit early 2011, and other stations announcing they will be rolling out 3D content as well (Dates to be set).

 

So yes, TV is changing, but in more than just one way. There are a few other exciting things happening in the TV world as well. So all I can say is keep watching because TV is about to become something really cool...

[djdarkwave]

nice post

[tjmarx]

I'd just like to jump in with an update on the 3DTV I was talking about earlier. After doing a great deal of research into 3DTV it seems there are some not well talked about health risks associated with 3D Film & TV, that is to say the health risk applies to 3D screenings at the cinema as well as for 3DTVs.

 

Basically it boils down to this, your brain uses 20 different cues in the environment in order to perceive 3D vision. 3D Film & TV only uses 1 or 2 of these cues to render the 3D image, thus forcing your brain to ignore all others. This causes extreme headaches in some people, and because it increases blood pressure has also been associated with setting off heart aches and strokes in people who were already vulnerable to them.

 

But the biggest and most important health risk is that it forces your brain to ignore the other vision cues to perceive 3D space, which your brain gets used to and continues doing after you finish viewing the 3D content. For Cinema goers, the effects are much more mild and ware off in an hour or so, just don't try driving a car after watching a 3D Movie.

 

But when it comes to TV which has much longer and more frequent periods of exposure to 3D content, there is the very real potential for the effects to be both more severe AND permanent. Basically there is the very real and valid health concern that 3DTV can in a relatively short period of time make people legally blind, completely unable to correctly perceive 3D space.

 

The scariest thing is despite knowing about this very real health concern, the industry and forging ahead with the technology, determined to bring 3DTV into your home. So if you're going to buy a 3DTV make sure you don't watch more than 2 hours of 3D content per week, and if you start to feel unbalanced, dizzy, have head aches, develop heart palpitations &/or become unable to respond correctly in 3D space cease watching 3D content all together.

[cannonradio]

I`m sure if it was that bad for your health and its been proven it as side effects There would be warnings before you watch anything in 3D be that at Cinema or tv and there are no warnings or anything. Just my 2 cents

[tjmarx]

Wow, someone is putting a little too much faith in either their government or the movie studios to do no evil. Fact of the matter is the relation between 3D content and heart-attacks and strokes being triggered in those whom were already vulnerable has been covered many times by the mainstream press and articles on this link have appeared in a number of medical journals.

 

As for the major health issue over ability to continually perceive 3D space, there is actually a wealth of information about the subject available online in multiple forms including, research papers, advice on health sites, articles in independent news and white papers done by manufacturers. Do you remember VR helmets in the mid 90s? Ever wonder why they suddenly disappeared from the market? Why both nintendo and sega who were developing VR helmets for their at home consoles suddenly pulled those projects? It wasn't because there wasn't a market for it, lord knows everyone I knew back then wanted one.

 

It's because they used the same technology to fool your brain into thinking it's in 3D space as 3D movies and TV do. The then console giants Nintendo and Sega did a lot of research into it and found that 1/3 of people exposed developed serious problems with their ability to render real life 3D space. The risks, and potential law suits were too much for the vendors and they pulled the projects. Their white papers are available online as well.

 

In case you hadn't realised before they started releasing movies in a constant stream of 3D cinema attendance was WAY down, and threatening the big budget industry. In a similar way, mainstream terrestrial television is being threatened by internet channels. 3D offers new content that is exclusive to big budget movies and big budget terrestrial television. For the time being it is being viewed as an industry saver, so I guess they don't really care what the health risks are as long as it keeps them in business longer.

[cannonradio]

Hi tjmarx im not saying its not bad for you but you would think that if it is they would warn you about if first. Just like when they say on movies or even the news this movie as flashing images ..or this clip as photo flashing. And thats only for people with epilepsy (video games even have this warning)

 

So you would think that if 3D could trigger heart-attacks and strokes there would be a warning or should not be made full stop. I was just about to buy a 3DTV aswell as sky are starting 4 new 3d channels and i hear football has to be seen its unreal... Well you`ve made me think twice

[lehua768]

I'd much rather watch things online than on tv. I don't have to worry about what time a show is coming on. It's nice knowing that I can watch things when it is convenient to me.

[Johnnie]

Hi tjmarx im not saying its not bad for you but you would think that if it is they would warn you about if first. Just like when they say on movies or even the news this movie as flashing images ..or this clip as photo flashing. And thats only for people with epilepsy (video games even have this warning)

 

So you would think that if 3D could trigger heart-attacks and strokes there would be a warning or should not be made full stop. I was just about to buy a 3DTV aswell as sky are starting 4 new 3d channels and i hear football has to be seen its unreal... Well you`ve made me think twice

 

I worked for Sky on a Football match last November, and really 3DTV isn't anything special, and considering the amount of compression that has to happen to the signal in order to get it to the consumers, there are severe lacks in quality compared to HD.

 

When you also think that most of the stuff shot these days isn't in 3D, and yet how can Sky create 3D channels? They're performing a 2D > 3D conversion on the footage, some of which can work pretty well, and would fool you into thinking it's true Stereoscopic, others which just look rubbish