Because "Real Life" Isn't Good Enough

Over the past 5 years, the HDTV industry has flourished. If you don't have the newest and sharpest HDTV, you are way behind. Arguments about where to "watch the game" are constantly engendered based on the clarity of the picture that each arguer has to offer. "HD" is everything.

But this whole "HD" thing may be old news just as quickly as it came.

We've all heard the whispers about 3-D TV being something that would become household items, but when?

The numbers are shocking. "While it’s all speculation, the best guess from the DisplaySearch research firm is that about 120,000 3-D TVs will be sold in 2010, the majority of them being big screen plasma sets. By 2013, more than 11 million are predicted to be sold, with LCD TVs capturing about 70 percent of the market then," according to the NY Times.

On a personal note, I never thought the whole 3-D thing would catch on. But after seeing movies in the theaters in 3-D, and even the USC v. Ohio State Football game broadcasted LIVE in USC's Galen Center, I'm a believer. I want that in my home.

And it seems like I will be able to soon due to the large push in the industry.

According to the NY Times, "All the stars seem aligned to make this a business: an increasing amount of 3-D theatrical films, a commitment from the major television manufacturers to bring 3-D TVs to market next year, and a coming standard that will allow 3-D programs to be distributed on Blu-ray discs."

As aforementioned, the promotion has already began on the biggest stages. The big screen has already proven to be an incredible phenomenon that people are eager to enjoy. But now electronic companies are trying to promote the smaller, more personal level 3-D venture.

"To kick it off, both Mitsubishi and Panasonic are sending home theater trucks around the country to show retailers and customers prototype 3-D sets. According to one conference participant, more money will be spent in the first two years promoting 3-D TV than was spent on promoting HDTV when it was a new technology," according to the NY Times.

From a marketing standpoint, the promotion of 3-D TV screens is more important than it was when the original HD sets were becoming available. The HD phenomenon was very intriguing and practical for a house, while the 3-D TV sets could easily be viewed as more of a gimic.

But no more promotion is needed for me. I'm sold.

For more about this exciting new tv option, visit this article on the NY Times website.

Another Way For Google To OWN You

From GMail, to Google Earth, to Google Street View, our world has become Google's world in a matter of a decade. Not only is it great for us to use, but our constant ties to Google is great for them. Google can document our interests, needs, views, and basically anything else that we use Google for.

Not surprisingly, they have taken it one step farther. Introducing, Google Voice.

Google Voice is an exciting new tool that will change how we communicate once again. According to USA Today, "Not only will its new Google Voice service give you free phone calls within the continental U.S., it also assigns you a new phone number that forwards calls to your cellphone and land line. And it transcribes your voice messages into e-mail."

Talk about consolidation! As a consumer, this is extremely convenient. We only will need one phone number, and will have the option of which phone to pick up when all three or more numbers ring at once. For free.

Also, as if it were sent via email, what is said in a voicemail will be transcribed to an email-like database. Not only will this help keep a permanent record of these messages, but it will provide the option to the receiver of reading the message in a setting where listening to a voicemail would be deemed inappropriate.

Back to Google. Now, based on the messages that are transcribed, they will have even more access to their consumers' tendencies. Advertisers will be able to target their desired audience incredibly accurately.

Once again, Google is making moves to weave themselves even deeper into our lives. Not that anyone seems to have a problem with that.

For more information, check out this article courtesy of USA TODAY

Roku: Making A DVR Old News

These days, TV is all about convenience. The days of sitting and waiting around for a TV show to come on are over. Nobody even bothers to sit through commercials anymore, because viewers record shows using TiVo, and can fast forward through them when they watch their show.

But just when we got comfortable with this whole "TiVo" and "DVR" thing, it appears we are about to take another leap. Roku, a company that created "ReplayTV," (the first digital video recorder to reach the market) has now introduced a new product that will revolutionize TV and movie viewing. It is called the "Roku player," which is essentially a video jukebox that allows users to use the Internet, and play movies and TV shows from Netflix and Amazon at their own convenience. At any time, without recording anything, they can scroll through the Roku's library and find any show or movie to stream directly to their TV.

You may be thinking, "Wait. This already exists." As a matter of fact, you are right. Apple, Samsung, LG, and TiVo have all started similar operations, and offer similar products.

But the systems they offer don't cost only $99.

Before, this high end equipment was only available to the families who could afford to pay for the equipment, along with the expensive monthly subscription fees. Each of the competitors' products costs over $300. Roku has made a point of providing this same convenience, but at a much lower price. It is also made to be extremely easy to use, and offers more content than any of its competitors.

By using Roku, and its agreements with Netflix and Amazon, users can pay $9 a month to have access to a 50,000 movie library with Netflix, and thousands more options with Amazon.

With competition growing in this area, Roku has to get started with saturating the market with this product. Soon enough, the Internet will have a direct feed to the TV, and the Roku will become obsolete. However, with over $22 million worth of funds invested in Roku, as well as a connection between the CEO of Roku and the CEO of Netflix, the Roku player has an opportunity to make the Roku player the next essential thing in homes across the country. While Roku's first product was beat out by its competitor TiVo, it is currently in a strong position based on its low price, enormous amount of content, and binding agreements with Netflix and Amazon to finish ahead.

Finally, stealing a page out of Apple's "IPhone app" book, another exciting feature that the Roku box intends to include is for third parties to have the opportunity to post their own content and applications.

Not only will the Roku provide streaming movies, shows, and internet to a TV set, but it is entering the Web 2.0 sphere of allowing users to post content. This revolutionary idea may be the kicker in making the Roku player the next essential household item.

So here we are: Flat screen TV's, High-Def, TiVo, and now the Roku Player? We shall see.

For more on this exciting new product, see this article at the USA Today website.

Intro

In the rapidly changing and evolving world that we enjoy today, it is interesting to take a step back and see how little things are having an enormous impact on society. Think about how different your day would be if cell phones didn't have text messages, you had to carry around CD's to listen to music you wanted, and the images on your television didn't look like they were actually really in front of you.

These are developments that were introduced to contemporary society very recently, yet seem like critical components of our day-to-day life.

In this blog, I will be analyzing developments such as these, and will explain whether or not they will have a dramatic impact on our daily life and why. Stay tuned for bi-weekly updates on why YOU should be prepared to adapt your lifestyle!

Look around, because things will be changing,
Brian