The Future of Television

The box that sits in your living room is changing. 

It's slimmer, higher definition, sounds better and 3D is on the way (and looks incredible if the latest Panasonic Viera's are anything to go by).

But the change I am talking about is far more fundamental than aesthetics. The television is becoming smarter, connected and a whole heap more social.

Leading the charge on this change are the manufacturers themselves. Panasonic have launched Viera Cast that provides you with an internet connected TV that can access your home network, YouTube and has an inbuilt Skype client amongst other 'apps'. 

Pushing the boundaries even further are newcomers such as Boxee who are incredibly exciting and set to revolutionise your Television experience. Boxee is a new form of media centre. It will run on any existing computer (and is free to download) or you will soon be able to buy a Boxee Box. Simply plug it into your TV and it opens up a world of internet enabled content including Hulu, Joost, YouTube and even works as a social media centre telling your friends on Boxee what programmes you enjoy watching and how you rate them. It also allows you to watch any movies, TV shows, music or photos stored on your hard drive and will scour the web for the artwork to match that content to complete your media library.

It's an incredibly sophisticated piece of software that essentially cuts out the broadcasters. You can watch whatever programme you want, whenever you want. The service is currently geo restricted meaning you can use it here in NZ but you won't be able to watch the latest episode of Lost or Desperate Housewives however you can imagine the future. That passive box that has always sat in your living room has just been opened up a whole new world of potential. Imagine it like a giant iPhone sitting in your living room with streaming HD video, music, social and other apps.

     

To learn more about Boxee, check out the video below. The blog post from Boxee founder Avner Ronen at this link is also really interesting. Keep a close eye on this space as it's about to become the future of your TV experience.

Boxee Beta from boxee on Vimeo.

Comments

[Peter]

Innovations of such companies are outstanding. Creating products and services that consumers would surely love. I'm sure Zworykin would be proud.