by: Lynette Webb
This has been coming for a while…. After all, if TV stations insist on showing programmes months after their US airdate, such that you can’t join in online discussions about the shows because of geographical discrimination, they can’t be surprised when people find their own solution. I do find it surprising though that the UK accounts for such a high proportion – perhaps it’s because now that legal download options are available to the US, people there are using those instead?
There’s another quote I like from the same article: "These days, missing a TV shows presents little problem to anyone with even a basic knowledge of the internet. Two clicks and your favourite programme is downloading… In effect, the Internet is now a global video recorder”. That is still a bit of an exaggeration but the principle holds. At the moment it only works currently for the REALLY popular shows, and you’ve got to be quick. If you wait more than a week, it can be hard to find enough people who still have it online. But, it does work well enough to give you a glimpse of what it will be like in a few years.
For example, a few weeks ago my TiVo had a little husband-induced hiccup and didn’t record the X-Factor. (ie: he cancelled the recording to watch the cricket!). For those who don’t know, X-Factor is a UK pop-idol type show but better as has more diversity – bands, older people, etc. It is extremely addictive, a little slice of pop culture, and to me it’s like junk food – something you know you shouldn’t like but can’t help yourself. 🙂 I’d been away for business and was really looking forward to watching it on my return, so very disappointed it hadn’t recorded. It wasn’t on ITV’s website and no more TV screenings so online was my only option. Hoping against hope I searched at BitTorrent and to my amazement there it was… it downloaded overnight and I got to watch it the next day. It’s such a pity ITV didn’t offer a catch-up service on their website as that would have spared me having to go searching & they could even have charged a nominal fee & I’d have paid. But, c’est la vie… Channel 4 do now, BBC and ITV surely can’t be too far behind.
Image from Flickr CC thanks to ph0t0 www.flickr.com/photos/ph0t0s/69085414/
Source: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6151118.stm
Original Post: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynetter/319498197/
