Everything Entertainment Almost
We’re so beyond that.
For a couple of years we’ve been trying to figure out how to have a single home entertainment solution without parking a PC in the living room.
It’s still a “work in progress.”
The advanced services people tell you are almost here are coming…slowly.
Figure 3 – Active Entertainment – Driven largely by people’s experience with Web 2.0 ITV and instant communications cellphones, consumers expect their television viewing to be just as interactive. Bringing the communications and entertainment experience together is still a work in progress. Source – Microsoft
There still isn’t a non-PC PC solution available that will appeal to folks who don’t have/don’t want home PCs as well as the technogeek who wants it all at the touch of the remote control button. Options are on the horizon. Pipe owners and content amalgamators (not owners) who get there early will have a decided advantage…this is a space that needs to be watched. Closely!
In our household we have another faction.
Our son doesn’t exactly believe TV is a government conspiracy…but close. He’s got his notebook computer, a fantastic 24-inch LCD monitor and internet connectivity. Like most kids he never knew life without the Internet. His generation doesn’t worry much about privacy because …it’s all out there. He’s not paranoid like Brill… “The more technology used, the easier it is for them to keep tabs on you.”
Kids Internet-Ready
He just looks at you and says…”Yeah…so?”
Globally notebooks are increasingly being used like his — work/communications/entertainment – everything!
Figure 4 – Multiple Purposes – With the sale of notebook computers surpassing those of desktop systems, people are also finding that the portable devices can be used for more than just work and personal storage. Millions of entertainment files are posted on the Web around the globe delivering the new form and freedom of online entertainment. Source — IDC
All the systems are video ready…game ready…music ready…photo ready… Content on the Web is available from everyone! In fact there’s more TV stuff online than OTA! Just the other night we visited him in his room (you do that with kids…visit them) and watched a Larry, Curly & Moe classic on his system “Slowly I turned…”
Try finding that on one of your gazillion cable channels. It was damn good too!!!
Closet TVers
Now he also cheats – just a little. He got a Pinnacle PCTV HD stick to watch “educational” shows between classes.
Growing Entertainment Screen – Your desktop and notebook monitor is already a HDTV screen and a growing number of people are finding the entertainment content they want on the Web. If they want OTA content they can grab it on the go.
He doesn’t use it a lot because of all of his other online choices. But thank gawd he’s not totally anti-TV…just a closet TVer. He just refused to buy into standard TV logic…you will watch their stuff, on their cable, at their times.The dynamic relationship between broadband access, broadband content and broadband consumption has changed the TV viewing landscape. Makes it tough for networks, stations and cable providers to charge for eyeballs like the good old days!
According to a recent ComScore report the total landscape is changing:
- 69% of Americans find PCs more entertaining than TVs
- 47% engage more with TV ads online
- Americans are choosing smaller, not larger TV sets
- 50% of US households have digital TV
- 38% of US consumers watch TV shows online
- 30% of cable subscribers would drop cable if shows were available online
Even as online content becomes more compelling there will still be a lot of big screens sold:
- 102.5M LCD TVs will be sold this year
- 105M satellite, cable, IPTV subscribers WW
- 13.7% of Americans have HDTV
- 144B DTVs will sell by 2011
- 75% of HDTVs sold in 2011 will be LCDs
- 85% of HDTV owners are happy with the picture
- China exported 39.5M TVs in 2007 with 38.3M sold domestically
- Flat panel TV sales exceeded $100B in ‘07
Bottom line is we’re going to have a lot more video entertainment options from both content developers and channel partners. All they have to do is learn how to monetize it.
They just have to remember Brill’s advice, “Well, if they’re big and you’re small, then you’re mobile and they’re slow. You’re hidden and they’re exposed. You only fight battles you know you can win.”
All we have to do is learn how to get more time to watch the stuff!
