The Alfred Computer Guy: The obsolescence of television

At this point, it’s no secret that the internet has changed the way we work, the way we play and the way we interact with the world. Ten years ago, the notion that the internet would provide anything more than some corporate placeholder pages, geocities eyesores and rudimentary shopping portals was far-fetched, but here we are.

A year or so ago, I was paying a pretty penny for a combo pack of high-speed internet and high-definition cable television. I started out fairly basic, but an additional TV outlet, an extra DVR and an HD channel package later, my bill was crossing the $200.00 per month line. I needed to re-evaluate my entertainment options.

With my wife acting as a muse, it then dawned on me, “With Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and a host of other content available for little to no cost, do I really need a TV provider at all?” It turns out, with some accepted headaches, the answer was “no.”
By taking the TV out of my provider’s bill altogether, I trimmed the cost down to a small fraction of what I was paying before. I then set about getting my home set up for internet-only content.

In the living room (with the bigger widescreen HDTV), I connected my desktop computer’s video card to the television using an S-Video cable and assigned a quick-access profile using ATI’s control panel that allows for easy switching between the monitor and the TV. A wireless mouse and a shortcut to the On-Screen Keyboard application built into Windows XP later, and I had a working media center system. In the bedroom with the smaller television, I had to figure out something else. I wasn’t willing to purchase another computer to use as a second media center – after all, my goal was cost savings. In the end, I found my answer with a product called Roku.

Roku is a digital video player for your television that connects to the internet via wired or wireless connection and, using a very basic GUI, allows you to browse and play movies from your Netflix Instant Watch queue. At a one-time cost of $100 for the hardware, this was a financial hit I was willing to take and I’ve been pleased as punch with the quality, even over wireless.

Roku has also just released a developer SDK kit. This means more channels are being added all the time, including Pandora Radio, Facebook Photo browser, Flickr Photo browser and a host of third-party custom content.

There are, of course, downsides to this setup. I don’t watch shows at the same time or day that many of my friends and coworkers do. I have to get my “Lost” fix a day after everyone else, and it can be difficult getting through an entire Wednesday workday without overhearing spoilers.

Additionally, my content choices are more limited than those with a thousand channels. If it isn’t on Netflix, Hulu or SouthParkStudios.com, then I’m pretty stuck. Still, Netflix is adding more and more television shows all the time, including some great BBC features like “Doctor Who,” “MI:5” and “Top Gear.”

Ultimately, it doesn’t feel so much like I’m missing out on things, but rather that I have more control over my content choices. I no longer find myself stuck watching a show or infomercial I have no interest in just because it’s where I stopped flipping through the channels.

So is the transition worth it? If you’re willing to maintain your network, invest in the necessary technology and approach the situation with realistic expectations, then the extra heft in your wallet will surely answer that question for you.

Do you have any questions you would like to ask? Send me an e-mail at: stone@alfred.edu with the subject “Alfred Computer Guy.” Mac, PC, Linux, OS/2 Warp, NeXT… hit me with your best shot!