Everyone keeps a different schedule and everyone likes to relax at different times. Night owls might like watching television at midnight, while morning people might enjoy their programs at seven in the evening. While one person is getting home from work, another is just getting started at their job. And, for students, homework, extracurricular activities, and other obligations can make for a very unusual schedule. So why is it that, until now, everyone was expected to watch their favorite television shows at the same time? Sure, the VCR and other recording devices gave a degree of flexibility. But these devices can be so frustrating to use that getting a new job might have been an easier solution to a scheduling conflict! So it is with great relief and excitement that we are all experiencing the newest television technologies. These technologies, such as digital video recorders, Dish on Demand, and other interactive programming, make it much easier to adjust our television schedules around our own- the way it should be.
There are very few people who are not instantly enthralled by the idea of a digital video recorder. It is like a VCR where every single problem has been eliminated and every frill you could want has been added. A VCR makes you fumble with channel settings and timers. A DVR lets you tell the device what to record by selecting the correct program. With the VCR you are never quite sure that you set everything right or that you are going to record the correct show. With a DVR, the system is foolproof. With a VCR, you have to find blank tapes to record on and the quality of the recording never matches that of the original. DVRs store everything digitally right on their hard drives, giving you perfect quality and easy recording every time. VCRs can't give you the ability to rewind or pause live television. DVRs give you absolute control over what you watch. As you can see, the DVR is a much better piece of technology than the VCR! The digital video recorder is probably the single biggest factor in the ushering in of a new era of television where the consumer calls most of the shots. Everything from commercial advertising to viewing schedules is being upended by the appearance of these devices.
Along with digital video recorders, programming like Dish Network Dish on Demand is also bringing change to the television world. Dish on Demand is like an interactive, user-controlled version of Pay Per View. Whereas Pay Per View has a set viewing time and woe be to the user who needs to get up for a snack or bathroom break, Dish on Demand lets the user view the programming at his or her own pace. Like having long breaks in the middle of your movies? Dish on Demand allows it. Or do you constantly rewind movies to hear what someone said? Once again, this is possible with Dish on Demand. In fact, everything that you can do with a video rental is possible with Dish on Demand except paying late fees or wasting gas to go out and get the movie.
The world of interactive television and user control is new emerging and will be a welcome change of pace from what preceded it. After all, if everyone is different and likes doing things at different times, why should everyone be forced to watch television at the same time?
