One day soon the idea of getting your TV over standard cable or using an antenna will be greeted much the same way as hand washing your clothes or using a typewriter; with quizzical stares. Sure you could do it, but why would you want to? At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas manufacturers were busy showing off the latest and greatest in video equipment and content delivery systems. There were several companies showing off IPTV, among them such heavyweights as Motorola.
Weather you know it or not many people are using the Internet to get their TV already. Many thousands of cable TV customers are totally unaware that they are, in fact, using IPTV. Instead of a wide range of frequencies being sent to their cable box, each carrying a different channel, and having the cable box do the tuning, many modern cable boxes work a bit differently. When you press a button on your remote control to request a channel or video on demand program, a request is sent to the cable company's head end. The appropriate program is then streamed using IP to the cable box, where it's decoded and passed on to your TV.
To the viewer it looks just like it's being done the old fashioned way, but in fact we're undergoing a paradigm shift in the way we get out audio / video content. Within the next few years many people will be using their computer as their home's content management system. It will be networked with other computers in the house and connected to your TV. You'll be able to use it a giant video storage device to time shift and store content, much like you use your DVR (TiVO) today. When you want to rent a video, you'll simply stream it for immediate viewing or download it to be viewed later. The video store will soon be going the way of the pay phone; sure you'll be able to find one, but you'll have to really look.
Microsoft's new Vista operating system is ready and waiting for this new home entertainment reality. That will be part of the driving force behind the mainstreaming of streaming so to speak. As more homes throughout the world enjoy faster broadband Internet connections, and more computers have operating systems able to facilitate easy video streaming, streaming TV and video will become the rule, rather than the exception.
Did you know however, that you can enjoy many of these same benefits right now? There are many companies that let you download movies on a pay per view basis, similar to renting from your local video store. For around $3 - $5 you can download a movie that you can watch for a set time period, usually between 24 -48 hours. Many networks are putting their programming on the Internet so people can download it if they didn't catch it on regular TV. The catch is that these shows are usually delayed between a day and a week before the network makes them available.
Perhaps a better solution is one of the unlimited live TV streaming applications that are available. There's no waiting. You can view the shows in real time, just like if you had cable TV. Most of these live streaming applications have an unbelievable array of programming available. Some have over 3,000 channels from every corner of the globe. This is a boon to expatriates that want a taste of home. If you have a broadband connection and a computer, you're set. It's also great for college students and others on a budget. Sports fans, especially those who enjoy events that aren't well covered in the U.S., such as motor sports and soccer, will really love it.
For a reasonable, one time fee, usually around $40 - $50, you can watch an unlimited amount of live TV on your PC. It's pretty easy to get the video form your computer to your TV, so you can watch it there too. As the price of large screen LCD computer monitors continues to plummet, you may choose to forego a traditional TV entirely. With the money you save on a few months of cable TV, you'll be able to pick up a 22" widescreen LCD. Live, streaming TV is definitely something worth checking into. The future is now.
