TV, as we have known it, is dead…the industry just isn’t willing to give up and is doing its best to keep it on life support. The best example of this is commercial-skipping technology. ReplayTV was sued and ultimately put out of business largely due to this feature, and the latest lawsuit targets Dish Networks for similar technology, that automatically skips over commercials in recorded shows.
Does this technology impact studios’ bottom line? Probably. But the invention of the horseless carriage affected horsewhip makers everywhere…and this alone is not a reason to hold back progress. The technology is here to give the viewers a better viewing experience, but studios are doing everything they can to block change. Apple has been rumored to be working on a TV, though building the hardware is the relatively easy part…it’s the software and user experience that is the most challenging to fix….here’s hoping they can pull it off in 2013.
As for me…I cut the cord over a year ago, tired of paying so much for so many channels I just didn’t want. I replaced our DirecTV subscription with a combination of purchasing shows via iTunes, and recording free over-the-air broadcasts from the major TV networks. My iMac records those broadcasts using an EyeTV tuner, with the free software plugin comskipper automatically going through and marking commercials for deletion (I still like to review that manually as it often leaves some in there). A simple click then exports it directly into my iTunes library for viewing on any of our AppleTVs. It’s really not that hard…just imagine how awesome the user experience could be if the studios embraced technology instead of fighting it every step of the way.
TV’s business model is obsolete…it’s time to reinvent it. If anyone can do it, it’s Apple. My AppleTV prediction – voice and gesture control. Face recognition tied in with parental controls to limit what kids can watch without an adult present. An aluminum enclosure, very similar to the latest iMacs. Sales in the billions.
Macallan has teamed up with Oakley to design and manufacture the ultimate flask for their scotch (which is, undoubtedly, the best scotch I’ve ever drank 🙂 ). Naturally, it carries the ultimate price (a bit over $900), and disappointingly, construction details are quite sparse. It appears to be made from carbon fiber and anodized aluminum, but I’m just guessing based on the photos. Not surprisingly for a flask of this price, they gave it a very simple name, “The Flask” (I think they spent their budget on the ID, R&D and promotional video, leaving little to spare for brainstorming new names 😉 ).
