John says:

You can see this coming, and it is an interesting turn of events given that it is history repeating itself in a way. While you can’t compare this and stuff like http://docs.google.com/ to a mainframe, per se, the idea of centralized computing and content is fascinating. Is the idea of a hardware accelerated terminal connected to broadband with a portable hard drive I can take with me on the go far fetched?

The only troubling part is that Madison Ave. will be salivating over all of the private data (no, I’m not paranoid, just realistic).

gnomic says:

TV is headed that way to: http://www.joost.com/

Joost™ is a new way of watching TV on the internet, which uses new and established technologies to provide the best of both the internet and TV worlds. We’re in the process of making it as TV-like as we can, with programmes, channels and adverts. You can also see some things that we think will enhance the TV experience: searching for programmes and channels, for example, as well as social features like chat. There are many more new features to come!

Jason says:

The last I heard, this was in addition to your movie rentals, not in place of….

Thomas J says:

Am 84 yrs young..Have been in Electronic Communications for 65 yrs..I remember a lot of those early days of Computers prior to Discs when data was recorded on tapes & entered by Punch cards..One organization had an entire floor devoted to that early equipment and to help with its cost would sell time on this equip by the minute/hour…Are we coming full circle when you will no longer own your own data but rent it by the minute/hour from some central source..Is not Microsoft involved in renting programs rather than selling them outright…Will we become a Group of “Renters” rather than “Owners”
I still view movies etc taped years ago when programs were worth viewing, over 200 tapes with approx 3-4 shows per tape & several VCRs to play them on…They may not be H.D. but with my declining eyesight they still look great,,and the shows are superior to what todays Media can dish up..Garbage no matter how Technically presented is still Garbage..

John says:

Thomas, I think I get your point about renting vs. owning (for the record, I’m 39). We own some select videos that we enjoy watching repeatedly too. However, we are Netflix members because when we compared it to our local movie rental chain, it was no contest in terms of selection and price. I also like the reviews and searching capability of their site together with the convenience of mail returns. We enjoy watching our movies on our 92″ wide screen as the directors intended, though, so I am skeptical of being able to stream or download high-quality video. I suppose with fiber, it could theoretically be done? After all, lossy audio compression has made very good strides in my opinion.

I think the key is that most media is market driven. I own some vinyl albums that have never (and probably never will be) released in digital format because it won’t return their investment, much less make a profit. In my opinion, it’s wonderful entertainment, but completely understand why

As far as garbage on TV, I have to agree, but make the observation that the best media is becoming pay-as-you-go. The reason for this is that devices like DVR’s make it simple to bypass the way that media has always paid the bills - advertising. Basically, it comes down to, “you want good programming? I’ve got your ‘premium’ channels right here!”. Look at the success of satellite radio, a paid service with no (direct) advertising.

For the record, I also don’t like the idea of not owning your own data. Open source technology exists today to have all of your data in your pocket with near-impossible to break encryption. I would never trust having all of my data on one server/drive.

GaryL says:

I have been downloading and watching movies and TV shows on my TV through my PC for a couple of years now. It is quite easy to hook your computer up to your TV/Stereo System. It works perfectly. You can get what you want when you want it. That is how it should be.