We hear it all the time, that TV over the Internet will destroy cable, satellite, and broadcast networks. We’ll stream programs on demand to our mobile devices and the world economy will collapse into rubble because no one will have any idea how to monetize it all. While this may happen in the far future, I don’t think that it’s something that the big networks need to concern themselves with.
I stream all types of stuff from just about every site in creation: YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Vimeo, etc. And I have a super fast broadband connection. I just did some testing and I’m getting about 18mbps on a consistent basis. That’s really darn good. Yet whether it be a TV show, movie trailer, or some viral video I get hiccups, drops, hangs, and all that. It’s not based on resolution either; a video made on a phone will run as slow as a full 1080p movie trailer — it just depends on the temperament of the network.
It also should be noted that a solid 1/3 of the country doesn’t have broadband, and something around 15 million don’t have access because of their location. How are they going to get this new magical on demand content? Anyway, broadcast TV (over the air) is free, supported by ads. In order to get TV over the Internet these days you need a computer and a broadband connection, both of which cost considerably more than a TV with rabbit ears. And if you want to hook said computer up to your entertainment system, you better have the skills to do so, or you’ll be spending a lot of money calling the computer support folks to come by the house (at $100 per hour or more).
So if you worry about the end of broadcast TV, just forget about it. The streaming technology in it’s current incarnation is not as good or as reliable as traditional methods of delivering broadcast content. Until this changes, and the costs are in line with what consumers are willing to spend (including accessible technology) it just isn’t going to happen.
And please, don’t get me started on 3D TV…
Note: This blog post was written entirely in 3D.
Well Put!!