Everything"s on Your TV Now
Once upon a time, it was common for people to ask one another, "What's on TV tonight?" Of course, the question doesn't even make much sense anymore.
In fact, today the question would be, "What isn't on TV?" Cable television took hold in the 1970s and 1980s and has become nearly universal since then.
Even a basic cable programming package has 80 or 100 channels of news, entertainment, sports, movies, shopping and even music.
The broadcast networks have had to push the envelope on new programming just to counter the appeal of cable programming that is not subject to the same community standards.
This has led to some shows that are inventive and well-done, as well as others that track the tastes of a fickle viewership and never seem to get it quite right.
Yet, there is still something for everyone on TV, and lots of ways to enjoy the show with today's home theater equipment and large-format screens.
And the TV schedule is no longer an impediment to seeing a show that comes on, say, while you are getting ready to work the late shift.
With digital video recorders (DVRs) as low as $59 or so, folks can afford to break loose from the TV schedule by recording the programs they would normally miss.
"Watching TV" doesn't even have quite the same meaning as it did during the heyday of broadcasting in the 1950s and 1960s.
It does not so much refer to choosing and viewing a program that is on at a certain time and a certain channel, as it refers to choosing what film, DVD, video, cable news feed or (yes) even broadcast channel you care to display on your monitor.
Once again, it is impossible to ignore the influence and the impact of the Internet on TV programming, It is now not only possible, but cheap and easy to send movies, TV shows, Web sites or live broadcast channels from one's computer to the TV screen, or even multiple screens around the house.
The buzzword in media these days, "convergence," refers to the interactivity of computers, the Internet, display screens, live TV, recorded programs, DVDs, media files, music and all the rest of what we call "entertainment.
" Everything's on TV now!
In fact, today the question would be, "What isn't on TV?" Cable television took hold in the 1970s and 1980s and has become nearly universal since then.
Even a basic cable programming package has 80 or 100 channels of news, entertainment, sports, movies, shopping and even music.
The broadcast networks have had to push the envelope on new programming just to counter the appeal of cable programming that is not subject to the same community standards.
This has led to some shows that are inventive and well-done, as well as others that track the tastes of a fickle viewership and never seem to get it quite right.
Yet, there is still something for everyone on TV, and lots of ways to enjoy the show with today's home theater equipment and large-format screens.
And the TV schedule is no longer an impediment to seeing a show that comes on, say, while you are getting ready to work the late shift.
With digital video recorders (DVRs) as low as $59 or so, folks can afford to break loose from the TV schedule by recording the programs they would normally miss.
"Watching TV" doesn't even have quite the same meaning as it did during the heyday of broadcasting in the 1950s and 1960s.
It does not so much refer to choosing and viewing a program that is on at a certain time and a certain channel, as it refers to choosing what film, DVD, video, cable news feed or (yes) even broadcast channel you care to display on your monitor.
Once again, it is impossible to ignore the influence and the impact of the Internet on TV programming, It is now not only possible, but cheap and easy to send movies, TV shows, Web sites or live broadcast channels from one's computer to the TV screen, or even multiple screens around the house.
The buzzword in media these days, "convergence," refers to the interactivity of computers, the Internet, display screens, live TV, recorded programs, DVDs, media files, music and all the rest of what we call "entertainment.
" Everything's on TV now!
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