08 Jul Google TV and T-Boxes Set to Change Viewing Habits
Couch potatoes rejoice! Loads of new products have hit the shelves recently that are set to revolutionize the way we watch television by integrating the internet. In Australia in recent months, a flurry of great new set-top gadgets that allow us to watch online video on our regular TV set have been launched, including T-Box, Fetch TV and more (read all about them in the news here) that all look exciting, but in most cases – T-Box especially – the internet reach is limited to a mere handful of sites.
Meanwhile overseas, Internet giant Google is readying for the launch of Google TV. It’s not due in Australia until 2011, but looks set to truly combine the large screen and high resolution of your television set with the complete freedom and instant accessibility of the entire Internet.
So why the big fuss? At the moment, the majority of your favourite shows and movies can be found online, but small screens and poor quality are a problem. And while cable television and different networks offer a huge variety in viewing options, it can mean endless channel surfing to find a program you want to record on your TiVo, or re-arranging your schedule so you can sit down and watch your favourite show at the allotted time.
Google TV will allow viewers to type in what they’re looking for on their TV screen and Google will find it… within seconds. It’s basically like having the entire Internet at your fingertips, but on your TV screen. It also means that your TV can act as a photo slide show viewer, a gaming console, a music player and more.
Some new model televisions will come with Google TV built into them, or you can get a separate box for the one you already own, but whichever way it works it means you can spend a lot less time trying to find what you want, and a lot more time watching what you want.
Here are Soul Arch we’re eager to see the way in which all these devices will change and simplify (or complicate!) viewing habits and how quickly they will catch on. One thing is for certain though – the common path of producing low quality video for the web will need to change, at least for corporate or commercial video. Blown out, pixelated handy cam footage will look like ants in a snowstorm when blown up full- size on the latest plasma screens, so this new wave of internet TV will no doubt be fruitful for professional online video commercial production companies who are shooting affordable high quality footage. Hey… That’s us!
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