The Future of Television is Here (sort of)
March 22nd, 2007
Well the big news is that Apple is shipping their new digital video / multimedia device, the AppleTV. I can hear you now, “That’s great, Scott. What’s that got to do with anything?” That’s the future of television?
Glad you asked. *grin*
I don’t think that the true ramifications will be felt for quite some time. After all, there are still a few hurdles. That being said, this is a move that was developing for awhile and will have a large impact on the media industry.
As an independent media producer, there are multiple challenges to distributing content. For example, Reels in Motion has just finished editing Proof Positive, a 15 minute short film. It’s being scored as I type and hopefully, we’ll be releasing it in the next few weeks. But aside from the film festival market and DVDs, how can I get people to watch this film?
To answer this, lets backtrack a little.
A few years ago, podcasts changed the way people listened (or stopped listening, depending on your point of view) to radio. I, like many, was irritated by the constant commercial interruptions and generic DJs on local radio stations. The few songs they played between their profit breaks (commercials) were not the best selection, either.
Then along came XM. I switched to XM in a heartbeat. Crisp digital sound, no commercials and a channel for almost any type of music. It was a dream come true.
Then the cracks emerged. Four channels on XM began playing commercials. Huh? Apparently, under some deal with Clear Channel, XM was forced to play commercials on those four channels in exchange for Clear Channel letting them use the airways. XM was kind enough to add four duplicate channels that played the same lineup, sans commercial. Then came the DJs. I now had to listen to DJs.
So two reasons I left FM were beginning to surface on XM. The writing was on the wall, to borrow from the overused cliche.
My solution came from a little company called Apple. My iPod is the perfect solution. Not only can I listen to the songs I want, but an endless supply of podcasts.
The podcasts I listen to are wonderful. They range from 15 minute shows to one hour shows, all downloaded through iTunes, all free. And each one talking about topics I choose.
If I want to listen to a show about animation, I listen to one of several animation podcasts, with interviews from the great animators of a lost era who animated by hand using pegboards.
If I want to listen to the current events in the visual effects world, I listen to This Week in Media or The VFX Show, both one hour, weekly shows that talk only about that topic.
It’s like having a radio built just for me.
So, I now listen to crisp digital sound (not quite CD quality, but good enough for my car). I no longer need to suffer through obnoxious DJs and commercials. I have a playlist of songs and talk shows I like. I am in heaven.
Now we move to video; my line of work.
While I enjoy some television shows, I must currently either watch what my cable provider wants me to watch. We’re in the same place with television that radio was in a few years ago. Radio ratings are dropping while most of the younger generation listens to their iPod.
Within the next few years, television will see the same change. Plus, the entire Blu-Ray/HD-DVD mess is preventing many from getting into the High Def market. We’ve got the HDTV sets. Just no content.
AppleTV can play HD content downloaded from the internet. That’s the first crack in the damn.
While Apple’s current iTunes selections are not HD, over time, we’re going to see the same explosion we saw with podcasts. Independant producers creating content for niche markets.
Shows that never would have made it onto broadcast television, simply because there was not enough of a demand, will now be available at the click of a mouse.
For years independant filmmakers have tried to get their films broadcast, with few succeeding due to the limited number of channels on television. Now, we’ve got an unlimited number of channels.
This little white box called AppleTV more than likely won’t be the coup d’état that destroys big media and hands the keys to the independant artist.
Get ready for the next explosion of new media.
