It seemed to sneak up on us. The world of the one time event is gone. I mean the idea of sitting down to watch something on TV because they will only be playing it once is gone. The other day a friend and I were playing Halo and decided not to stop for some major news event both of us wanted to watch. We both came to the simple conclusion it will be online in about an hour or less. The idea of a video or image not online seems improbable to a growing segment of our society. Middle schoolers now are perplexed when they can’t find something online. Everything is online or so it seems. Websites like Hulu have made this sort of thinking true. Hulu is an amalgamation of many different TV channels and shows. You can watch almost anything you like in good quality and with fewer commercials than TV. It is easy to use and can be made to be full screen. The amount of good shows is staggering. Hulu is good on its own but with YouTube that has gone both widescreen and high quality plus they have just finished a contract with the some of the movie companies to show films through their service the world of recorded video is enormous. Much of the time I turn to the computer for video or shows before I go to the television. I recommend giving both of these services a try and see what conclusions you come to. Is this the true new world of video and information on demand?
Monday, December 22, 2008
"Television has proved that people will look at anything rather than each other." Ann Landers
It seemed to sneak up on us. The world of the one time event is gone. I mean the idea of sitting down to watch something on TV because they will only be playing it once is gone. The other day a friend and I were playing Halo and decided not to stop for some major news event both of us wanted to watch. We both came to the simple conclusion it will be online in about an hour or less. The idea of a video or image not online seems improbable to a growing segment of our society. Middle schoolers now are perplexed when they can’t find something online. Everything is online or so it seems. Websites like Hulu have made this sort of thinking true. Hulu is an amalgamation of many different TV channels and shows. You can watch almost anything you like in good quality and with fewer commercials than TV. It is easy to use and can be made to be full screen. The amount of good shows is staggering. Hulu is good on its own but with YouTube that has gone both widescreen and high quality plus they have just finished a contract with the some of the movie companies to show films through their service the world of recorded video is enormous. Much of the time I turn to the computer for video or shows before I go to the television. I recommend giving both of these services a try and see what conclusions you come to. Is this the true new world of video and information on demand?
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It often does feel to me like I've arrived at the world of information/entertainment on demand, but it's good to remember that this is true only for some of us. Soon, we won't be able to watch TV without a new set or adaptive technology; and those cost money. Using HULU requires an up-to-date computer and internet connection. So for the time being, the digital divide is widening as more and more becomes available to some but not to others.
I'm thankful that the Gates Foundation and the public library step in to begin to address this, and it's critical that libraries should NOT be the places that take the hit during this recession.
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