jeudi 9 juin 2011

Life without a TV set

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You pay for a highspeed Internet connection, you access VOD, you subscribe to Netflix, Lovefilm or another service. With the Web, you have Hulu, YouTube and iTunes and many more. At home, there is an HD screen, a DVD player, maybe Apple TV, a videogame console, a Wii or a PS3, and of course you own a Smartphone (with a subscription) and maybe an iPad.
Under the TV set : PS3, Wii, set-top box, VCR, DVD player
Do you still need a TV set? Do you still need to subscribe to cable or satellite? Do you still need a set-top box or satellite antenna? Many people start to seriously wonder. They do the math, they compare, and they decide to cut the cord.
And if you live in Europe, where you pay a tax on TV sets ("redevance" in France, TV licence fee in UK, GEZ in Germany), you also save on that cost.

When asked which equipment they would be most likely to give up, if they had to, the majority of people, especially the most active, answer they would give up the TV set. There is really no choice: they absolutely need the phone and the Web. But they can easily do without a TV set.
What is TV exactly nowadays? It is what you see on a digital screen, small or big. It is connected TV, programs coming from the Net. TV is the Web. It does not have anything to do with a TV set anymore.

Is this a trend?
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4 commentaires:

Sebastien a dit…

Les innovations constantes améliorant la qualité de visionnage des films (et émissions sportives...)sur la télévision (les écrans sont devenus géants puis plats puis haute définition puis 3D avec lunettes bientôt 3D sans lunettes) rendent tout de même ce terminal indispensable. Mais il est vrai qu'à terme toutes les télévisions seront connectées, et des lors, parle de la "redevance télé" relèvera de l'anachronisme.

Sébastien a dit…

Les innovations constantes améliorant la qualité de visionnage des films (et émissions sportives...)sur la télévision (les écrans sont devenus géants puis plats puis haute définition puis 3D avec lunettes bientôt 3D sans lunettes) rendent tout de même ce terminal indispensable. Mais il est vrai qu'à terme toutes les télévisions seront connectées, et dès lors, parler de "redevance télé" relèvera de l'anachronisme.

CélineBUNIFR a dit…

We can certainly say that TV is nowadays faced with newer technologies and that many decide they'd rather watch direct TV via the internet for free rather then having to buy a TV set and pay TV licence fee (in Europe).

But to face these new challenges, television has adapted (and still is) greatly. Bigger screens, better sound and image quality (HD, 3D) and especially brand new functions with digital TV. Digital TV (for example Swisscom Tv in Switzerland) offers many new possibilities such as: hundreds of channels/radio stations, live pause, recording (one can even decide to record the entire season of his/her favorite TV show with one click) and the possibility to rent old and new movies in diffrent languages.

So although some signs show that television faces new challenges with the internet/digital pads/Smartphones, digital TV is constantly offering new functions who may put people off getting rid of their TV set.

Kim a dit…

Especially for students who are not living at home anymore, TV is replaced by the computer. It is easier to watch your favorite movie or show on the internet, especially because you can have access to it faster. We live in a society where people have practically no time anymore. Therefore ask these people to sit in front on a TV and wait for their show to come has become somehow surrealistic. I think that television will probably become another support for the Internet. Concerning the taxes, in Switzerland the "redevance" is going to be obligatory for everyone who has access to the Internet.