This is a bit of a late post for me as it is actually already Wednesday where I live, in Michigan, on the East Coast. Although, I am still here to post my thoughts for this week on the topic of streaming TV. Streaming TV is a topic that really has grown upon many people, and no, this does not only include technology geeks. Instead, many people rely on the computer for their TV needs.
One thing that I do predict to really happen is streaming TV on the computer with true 1080p High Definition video, rather than the limited 720p/1080i video that is currently broadcasted on TV. I do not really categorize YouTube under the cloud of streaming TV sites, but I think that they (meaning YouTube, which includes Google) are the farthest ahead of any other site. YouTube has had 720p video support since November of 2008, and a year later, they added 1080p video support. Just last week, YouTube announced that it had launched videos in the 4k format. This 4k format is equal to 4096x3072 pixels compared to 1080p which is 1920x1080 pixels. There is one problem that comes from the introduction of 4k videos which is that seriously, who owns a 4k display or TV. However, if you are interested in buying a 4k television, call your bank, call your credit card company and make sure you haven't hit the monthly limit, sit down in a chair to avoid injury, and then click here (oh and did I mention it is expensive).
So, out of the previous paragraph, I can call my prediction true (which isn't really a prediction I guess as it has already been proven). I do not understand why there still is not 1080p broadcasting to a TV near you, but I really do hope that changes in the next few years, especially since broadcasting in 3D has already come to real life. I had the chance to watch some 3D TV a few days ago and it was extremely cool, and felt almost unreal.
Back to streaming TV...
When I want to watch a TV show online, I immediately go to Hulu.com. I have visited a few other sites where you can watch online TV, but there is still nothing that compares to Hulu, and it is by far the best known online TV site (I apologize to people outside of the US, as Hulu is currently only available in the US). I feel that I have not taken advantage of Hulu or the websites of the major TV networks because I still watch almost all of my TV shows (still not much) on the TV. I have AT&T's U-verse DVR which I record my shows on. I am still waiting for AT&T to update their iPhone app to allow me to watch my recorded shows anywhere [well, yes, of course, AT&T limited it to Wi-Fi only, but that's better than nothing, and it is free]. It would also be nice if AT&T came out with something on the web or an application so that I could watch TV from anywhere but I will give them some time.
The advantage to watching your shows on a site like Hulu is that you don't need to remember to record the show or make sure that you have enough room. The other advantage that comes with it being online is that you can watch any show on Hulu's site at anytime, as long as you are on a computer and you are in the United States. I think that it is also an advantage to be able to watch a TV show on your computer, even though there are commercials. The commercials aren't that painful and are much quicker than watching a show live, although still not as good as watching it recorded and skipping through them, but hey, it's free! It has also worked out for me because I can watch TV on one display, while doing work on the other, which makes it both productive and fun at the same time!
While there still isn't 1080p TV online, I do think that it will be available online before you can sit in your couch and watch on your glorious 1080p TV.
Until then, I guess we will just have to suffer some more with the existing 720p video quality.
Make sure to catch Stephen's post tomorrow in the resolution of your choice (or your display's).
Your Tuesday Tech Troop Leader,
Scott Wasserman
Twitter: @applehockey • Applehockey.com
YourAppleWorld.com • Your Site for Anything and Everything Apple
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