A few months ago, my Grandma upgraded from AT&T DSL to Comcast High Speed internet. Her DSL connection could barely play a YouTube video. Her Speed went from 1Mbps to 28Mbps and she’s paying less a month. Now she’s got an iPad, Roku and is an avid fan of Netflix’s exclusive series “House of Cards” among other streaming content and apps (especially Words with Friends…WATCH OUT!). There are a handful of topics going on here.
1) High speed internet availability
My last blog discussed Home Wi-fi. One of the items reviewed was the source of your internet. High Speed Internet services from you local Cable Company are almost a must if you want full powered high-speed internet. For those houses that have iPads, Computers, Smartphones, Security Systems and all sorts of devices feeding off their sources bandwith: even 6Mpbs isn’t going to be that great. Go to www.speedtest.net and see how fast your internet is and consider your options to get that speed increased.
2) Streaming services offering video content (some of which is exclusive)
For some reason, this subject fascinates me. Netflix, YouTube, Google Videos, Crackle, Vimeo & Hulu all have so much streaming video content available. Besides services that focus on delivering programming (like Netflix or Hulu) there are also major networks that deliver streaming content. All major networks offer streams on their website (or App) that broadcast live programming. Usually, these streams are limited and only broadcast certain live content. However, the fact that they are able to even pick and choose what they want to broadcast speaks volumes. A future of online broadcasting everything is near. This can seriously impact the TV market. TV’s with built-in Wi-Fi will become the norm.
What has me even more intrigued is the exclusive content from All these different services. For the last few years, Exclusive content has been being produced and distributed by mainly Netflix, Hulu & Crackle. They have signed some star power and made some good Streaming programming. Any way you look at it’s very clear: There is a booming future of new exclusive video content available only through the internet. You will need to either upgrade your TVs to be a part of this media revolution or buy a new TV soon.
3) Variety of available hardware to access these services
Want to watch “Arrested Development” Season 4? “House of Cards” featuring Kevin Spacey, Eva Longoria’s new series “Mother Up!” or is there some kids in the family that want to see the new Dreamworks TV series “Shrek” and “The Croods” ???
Even if you have a Cable TV or Satellite service throughout your house costing you $200/month the answer is no. You can’t watch any of those shows. They’re only available if you have a Netflix & Hulu accounts through the high speed access to watch them. Millions of people are watching new favorite TV shows exclusively through their internet connection. Movies, TV Shows, Cartoons, Standup etc… are being financed and created by the combination of Big Hollywood studios and Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu & Crackle. The networks are out. This is a trend you will see rapidly developing. There will most likely even be sprouting competition to these existing services.
Don’t worry. If you want to have access to some of these streaming channels, then all you need is an inexpensive Roku, Apple TV, Tablet or computer(all of which have ways to connect to your existing TV). These hardware options are easy to use and can easily open up the world of streaming video content.
My Grandma barely watches her Comcast TV programming anymore. She’s watching Netflix through her Roku or has that iPad in her hand. She’s most fond of the iPad as it really brings everything she wants in one device. She refers to it as her technology supermarket. So fire up your tablets, connect your streaming devices or buy your new Wi-Fi enabled TVs. The end of TV as you know it is near.
The Technologist
No Comments