Yet Another Call for McLuhan
Fascinating article on the revolution that is about to take place in electronic entertainment. Here are two excerpts: (1) The opening paragraph; (2) a paragraph that describes one of the leading technologies that is going to lead the revolution. The entire article is worth the click.
"Over the next ten to twenty years there will be a revolution in broadcasting so drastic that I believe TV sets will virtually disappear in American homes within the next 25 years. The in-home AM/FM radio is already going the way of the 1950's short-wave, and within 15 years will become a curiosity."
"How does HDD DVD work? From what I have read and seen, the HDD DVD is basically a computer hard drive system coupled with a DVD RWR (Read, write, re-write) player. The unit is merely switched on in the morning ”“ no programming necessary ”“ when you are heading out for work. When you return home, an on-screen menu will show you exactly what was recorded and at what times. The menu listing will allow you to click a button to immediately view only what you want to view and in what order ”“ as easily as choosing a track on a CD. Television and radio commercials, or entire sections of programs, can be automatically deleted. I'm not talking technology that will be outrageously expensive either. Through some investigation, I found that Wal-Mart will be offering units at $299 dollars by this Christmas in the United States. Perhaps $99 dollars by Christmas 2006?"
