Saturday, November 26, 2011

TV is Becoming Obsolete

In 1927 the first television was invented and broadcast everything from news to soap operas. At the time, many households could not afford a TV and only the wealthy had one, and programs were only on for a couple of hours a day. By the 1930's TV began appearing  across the western world and by the 1960's, TV was not unusual. 


As technology improved, TV has started to become obsolete. Before people would have to watch their favorite show the night it premiered, but since the invention of the DVR, people recorded their shows and watched them later. To avoid even dealing with TV, people now rely on the internet and websites such as "Hulu" and "Netflix." In this way, they can avoid watching commercials and focus on the program. In this economy, it saves them money to watch shows off the internet because it is less costly. Many people buy their TV just for better graphics. 


The internet is much more convenient for people than TV because of how quickly episodes are posted on websites. Sometimes an episode that airs on Thursday nights, is posted on Hulu on Friday mornings. Of course, not every series will be on the internet, but the majority are. In fact, I have gotten interested in shows that have aired years ago, and it's faster to watch them over the internet then wait for them to come on TV. Being able to download full length movies from the internet has turned people against watching TV. It's more affordable and easier to watch movies that are downloaded.


People would rather go on social networking sites than watch TV. They can easily meet other people, whether they be down the street or across the world. People have become hooked to the internet instead of TV. They have become aware of more shows that they would be interested in by surfing the internet, instead of surfing channels. 


Cell phones are now capable of wireless internet, and it has made it easier for people to watch their shows anywhere and anytime they want. People are starting to rely on TV less and less with further advancements in technology that do not demand the use of TV. 


Television has tried to counteract the developing internet by advancing the picture quality and the capabilities of the TV. Many television companies have come out with high quality picture and making the size of TVs larger to emulate the theater. Networks are bringing recent movies to TV earlier than before to attract more viewers. Despite their best efforts, viewers still prefer to watch their programs on their computers. 


However, the internet is younger compared to the TV, and it still has a ways to go in terms of entertainment. I prefer to watch my favorite shows off of the internet because it's easier and much faster than TV. I don't have to wait for reruns to come on to catch up on what I have missed the week before. I can watch shows that people have recommended quicker, and I can watch whole seasons within a day. As the internet advances each year, television will soon become obsolete. Possibly, the TV will be used to aid entertainment on the internet, instead of just an alternative way to enjoy entertainment. 


Source: 
http://www.tvhistory.tv/pre-1935.htm

6 comments:

  1. Consider an interesting comment from Michael Wong regarding young children and their lack of computer literacy: television will not become obsolete as long as it remains low-tech and accessible for them.

    Of course, television is perhaps a significant baby-sitting device as well.

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  2. As a child, my parents had used TV as a baby-sitting device as they finished their work for their respective jobs. They did try to put programs on that had some educational quality.

    I do agree with Michael that TV is not obsolete at younger ages because children are not computer savvy. Later in life though, TV does become obsolete as we become computer savvy. The internet provides viewers with more opportunities and activities than TV. I believe that TV will become an aid to entertainment on the internet, instead of an alternative way to watch programs.

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  3. I like how my comments in real life transcend the internet. In the past week I've been exposed to a new observation. Some of my friends allow their young children (toddler age) to watch television content on laptops. I guess this makes sense for the control of content. So in a sense, small children *are* becoming more tech savvy and the devices they use allow for the personalization and immediate delivery of content.

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  4. I understand the view on how Television is becoming obsolete. I would not say that the television is becoming obsolete though. The internet has just become another way of viewing our TV shows, etc. Without television broadcasting none of these sites, like Hulu, would even exist. In today's society television is not obsolete. But in the future I could see shows just being broadcasted off their respected TV channel websites. And that would be the way of viewing our shows. But I think people in the general sense would rather sit on their couch with remote in hand and watch their favorite show. I think, at least for awhile, the internet is not televisions killer, but partner. If you look at more of like a relationship, the internet feeds off of television. Until a big move is made to watching shows strictly off of the computer, television will be around.
    In the future it's hard to say whether it will in fact become obsolete but it is definitely a possibility. So the possibility is their, but there is nothing that shows it is becoming obsolete. An overwhelmingly vast majority of people still watch television just on their TVs. Even people that watch their shows online, still watch TV most of the time, you have even admitted this yourself. Internet is just another tool in which television is viewed, just like DVR. Without television itself, none of this would even exist. Until television moves strictly to online, television will be around.
    Also in regards to Mike's comment, the television will still be around in the future because of children and their low tech savvy level. You also have to keep in mind the older population. What 70 year old person would rather watch CNN on their computer rather than on their TV. I know all of my grandparents only use their computer to check emails. You also have to think about the less fortunate who can't even afford a computer or internet and rely on television. They might have cable programs but they at least have the basic channels.

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  5. The last sentence I meant to say they might not have cable programs...

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  6. I agree understand your reasons behind tv becoming obselete but I don't believe it will happen. For example, with recording the show the night of but not actually watching the show that day, it will still show as though you watched it. And once you get ready to actually watch the video, you will still need the television to play what you recorded.

    Also for those who are not fund of the computers yet or at all will still be using the television to watch their shows or whatever on.

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