Internet Streaming Advances TV Viewing

Television, like the women in the old Virginia Slims cigarette ads, has certainly “come a long way, baby.”

As someone who spent a childhood in rural west Tennessee, sans cable television, my early viewing pleasure was relegated to major network channel affiliates 3 (CBS), 5 (NBC), and 7 (ABC). Add in channels 10 (WKNO) and 12 (WMAE) for public television viewing, particularly on weekends when sports dominated the network airwaves.
 
Add to this the fact that reception was a mixed bag. Yes, the signal was free, granted one had a gargantuan stick of metal, otherwise known as an antenna, mounted somewhere to the house, but uninterrupted viewing was never a guarantee.

The reception process, which anyone over 30 who grew up in a rural area should recall, was a bit tricky. It required one person to stand at the back door with an unobstructed view of the television set. This intermediary then communicated with another family member, who stood poised at the base of the antenna to attempt to turn it in a direction enabling the best possible reception. The process involved steady collaboration and a meticulous ability to get the pole turned to exactly the right spot.

Add to this process the frustration of interference any time stormy weather plagued the west Tennessee area—which was often in the spring—or any time some picture tube or other internal component of the television ended up “going out.” In this case, one might be left in the lurch for days or weeks watching a small black and white television perched atop the defunct cabinet set until it could be taken to the shop for repair.

A great number of devices or machinery may land criticism these days about their cheap construction and disposability, but the television should not be categorized as such. I can’t recall the last time I had a modern television to “go out,” and the picture quality continues to improve, along with the variety of content available for viewing pleasure.

While I don’t watch much television these days, I do enjoy having it available at my leisure. As an adult, I have enjoyed both cable and satellite TV programming, neither of which impresses me much because of overreliance on sports programming as part of the packaging, something that doesn’t pique my interest. If I had my wishes, a sentiment shared by many to be sure, I’d prefer some sort of a la carte offering.

Why is it, for example, that the basic programming package affords me no less than, say, five different ESPN channels, none of which I watch, but if I want to see good, quality independent filmmaking, I must purchase the most expensive programming package?

A recent item may not have been visible in the major news, but this week marks a landmark in television programming. This week, Hulu Plus, a nominal subscription segment of Hulu.com, which offers free online programming (a catalog of current and classic television shows, along with a number of feature-length film) began streaming Internet content on a subscription basis ($7.99 a month) to viewers who own a Roku device.

All of this newfangled technology may confound some, but essentially a Roku is a small, extremely lightweight black plastic box that attaches to the television audio/video and with a bit of computer linking, delivers a number of “channels” for viewing pleasure. The most well-known is Netflix.com, which established its business shipping physical DVDs to customers who purchase a subscription and establish a queue of desired titles. Netflix also offers, however, a growing catalog of instant titles available via computer screen or Roku. According to a 2009 article, Netflix had catalogued 17,000 instant titles, and of course, the company adds more every day.

This week I purchased a Roku player and linked my Netflix account. Within minutes, I was able to enjoy more movies than I could watch in a lifetime, available at the push of a couple of buttons. The sheer availability is staggering, and in response, I thought about how, in contrast to where my television viewing commenced, I’ve come a miraculously long way. We all have collectively. 

Just as those women in the Virginia Slim cigarette ads no longer had to worry about getting caught smoking by their husbands, the television viewing public no longer has to be concerned about being shackled to overpriced cable and satellite companies in the advent of increased availability of content via the Internet. The day will eventually arrive when all programming can be streamed from an Internet source. The ultimate cost will be much less expensive, and we will finally have the liberty we all desire in terms of choice, flexibility, and pricing. I eagerly await that time.