The Idiot Box

Can I tell you a secret? There's a few hundred people that might read this either on MySpace or on Ramblings of a Drunken Rogue. You guys can keep a secret, right? By the way thanks for making my pages popular. A writer's ego is never so stroked as when his stuff is being read and enjoyed (incidentally make with the comments and kudos, people). Also I post to my MySpace blog for ease of access and exposure but you guys should really check out my Blogspot page, same posts, better formatting. Now to that secret...

I love TV. Alright, maybe that's not so much a secret as an observable, well known fact. What most of you don't know is the level of my devotion. I'm addicted and I have no desire for a twelve step program. In any given week I watch new episodes of the following: Prison Break, 24, American Idol (2 times a week), Lost, Smallville, My Name is Earl, The Office, Doctor Who, The West Wing, and The Sopranos. Add to this list the occasional episode of South Park and the Daily Show, as well as catch-up episodes (on DVD or downloads) of Battlestar Gallactica, Scrubs and Deadwood. This adds up to about eleven or twelve hours of entertainment every week. "How do you manage it?" You ask. I have a sweet setup, that's how. I own a Windows XP Media Center PC. It's connected to my home network, my cable and my Phillips 30" widescreen TV in my TV room. Notice I said TV room. I don't have, nor do I require a living room. Ella and I have a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, office, dining room and a TV room. That's what we use, that's what we have.What is a Media Center PC? Think TiVo, minus the subscription costs and add a lot of features. We can access all our MP3's through our home stereo even though they're on the office PC. We can download the latest episode of The Sopranos and watch it on the big screen even though we don't have HBO. We can also watch the latest trailers on our TV instead of huddled around the computer screen.

Of course the biggest benefit and draw of this Media Center PC is its DVR (digital video recorder) functions. Pause, rewind and fast forward live TV, skip commercials, get TV Guide listings for the next two weeks downloaded automatically, set your favorite shows to record automatically all season and watch them on Your Terms. When you want, where you want. The Idiot Box just got a lot smarter.

I have always watched a lot of television, but I can't imagine doing without this thing now, and from what I hear, I am not alone. More and more people every day are renting a DVR from their cable company or satellite provider, buying TiVo or like me opting for the total package in a Media Center PC. The effect this is having on both the consumer electronics and television industry is astounding.

Everyday, more networks announce more ways to access their content through the internet, either for free or for a fee. Cable companies are beginning services where All their content is available on demand by their subscribers. Every major PC maker not only has a special line of Media Center PC's but most are including the feature as an option in all of their products. Microsoft, Apple, Sony, Creative Labs and anybody else in the industry either has out now or is working on a device to play all that recorded or downloaded content remotely. Most of the cellphone companies are getting into the act, too. The fact is this is a bigger shakeup for television than the High Definition switch. That is evolutionary it follows the switch to color and precedes smell-o-vision or 3D or whatever is next. This is about production, distribution and consumption. It has ramifications for ad revenue, and the development of new series. This could really change TV.

Next season, a new slate of shows will arrive adding to my already complicated recording schedule. A few I am already sure I'll love, Heroes - a superhero show and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - a behind the scenes of a faux Saturday Night Live type show by Aaron Sorkin, both on NBC. The question isn't whether or not we'll watch all these new shows. The question is where, when and how we'll watch them.