Back: all had to sit down, Thursday to 8 pm
The requirement that the entire population to watch the same shows at the same time have evaporated as the technology advanced. But what will replace the old system? We will be able to sign up for only the channels we want?We pay for an episode at a time?, the Internet has become the new delivery systems?
The future of TV is currently still up in the air, if not in the ether. But already, all types of on-demand variations are available in the form of set-top boxes.("Set-top" can be an obsolete term.The balance of these text boxes on top of today's flat panels, you would need to be in Cirque du Soleil.)
This week alone, there is both a new Apple TV box and a new Roku box in three flavours (SD, XD and XD/S); Each is cheap, where is halfway done – but each port to a disruptive new future of à la carte-TV.
New, black Apple TV ($ 10) is a small shiny box, one inch high; It is ingeniously packaged with its wonderful aluminium dial-up and its coiled, brickless black cord shrouded in a small white four-inch box.
Apple TV will only work with HD TVs and connect with a H.D.M.I. cable (not included); it connects to your home network and therefore to the Internet, either through wireless WiFi networks or via an Ethernet cable.
Its main menu offers four functions:
MoviesApple TV is no longer a hard disk, so that you can download movies and hold.All you can do is "rent" them — that is, to pay $ 4 or $ 5, and watch as the stream from the Internet.
All the usual stupid restrictions apply; you have to finish watching within 24 hours after the start. You must start within 30 days. Not all videos are available, and when they have arisen, they may disappear again for six to nine months for HBO window "that industry calls it.
All this makes you wonder if anyone involved with the Apple TV has children. Children watch movies over and over again – what to, rent equal to two times a week? (You can still buy movies from Apple, but there's a catch--read on.)
And second, early bedtime often means that you must complete a movie tomorrow night, as the 24/7 makes impossible.Would it really dent Studios bottom line if they gave you two days to watch a movie?
Apple advertises that its movies are available on the same day they get on DVD. It is great, until recently, would you have to wait 30 days before such films were available online, but beware: Apple talk about buying movies, not hire them on Apple TV.You will not find "Iron Man 2," "the Karate Kid," "Zombie country" or "Prince of Persia" for rent on Apple TV, even if they are out on DVD.The video quality is amazing, you may need to wait for a minute or two for enough of the movie to come out before playback begins.
TVThis is what might be real game-changer: $ 1 a slide show, on demand.Imagine: you don't need cables.You don't need channels; you do not need a TiVo.Any show, preferably for a reasonable price; If any idea had ever "The future" stamped across the forehead, this is it.
Unfortunately, this future will require the participation of television networks, and few of them plays ball with Apple.You can choose some shows from ABC/Disney, Fox and BBC – but the selection is quite spinkiga. Right now, $ 1 on-demand TV is a brilliant idea in search of studio executives with a clue.
INTERNETThis is your access to YouTube videos, Internet radio (a hidden gem), photo galleries from Flickr or MobileMe and on-demand movies from Netflix.
This feature — the ability to look at one of 12 000 movies, preferably from Netflix – is a real big development; It is free and unlimited if you have a regular Netflix DVD-by-mail account; this feature is built into many DVD players and VCRs, but you still have to browse and choose your movies on a computer, all you can do on your TV is watching them on your Apple TV, but both select and watch them, all within Apple's attractive menu screens.
ComputersApple TV can play photos, music and videos on computers in your House – as long as they run the program iTunes.
This is a solution to the constraints of Apple TV movie and TV directories. on your computer, you can both rent and buy movies; And you can buy TV shows from dozens of more TV networks; all this is then available to watch on Apple TV, as long as the computer you purchased it operated still up.
Confusing? Yes.
The coolest Apple TV feature of all is, that makes you AirPlay send video from your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad to your TV screen; this can be helpful if you were watching a show on the planet, and came home to watch the exciting conclusion on a big screen, Apple says sorry that this feature will not be ready until next month.
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