Friday, November 14, 2008

"Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, one of the keynote speakers at the NewTeeVee Live event today in San Francisco, believes that the only way to reach "video nirvana" is to put the Internet on television by building browsers into TVs and getting rid of remotes.
And according to Hastings, to get there we only have two options: fix the current TV model, or reinvent television via the Web."

Television VS Web
"The advantages of traditional television are many Hastings told the audience today; a set fee per month, the ease of use (set top boxes), software can be updated quickly and easily. But its failings are significant too. The media landscape is changing, and what traditional television is missing is that "crazy, innovative Internet culture," something, he points out, that broadcasters are quickly realizing they want.
On the flip side is the Web, which right now has many problems when it comes to video, but significant advantages. Looking back, Hasting walks us through the advances and problems with online video. The first breakthrough for video on the Web was flash; the problem of course was that we needed to install codecs. The second breakthrough was YouTube streaming; that proved not only was it possible to put video on the Web, but that it was hugely popular. However, since then, there have been a plethora of products and services all competing for the same space, and make no mistake, the online video space is enormous."

Davis, L. (2008, November 13). Netflix CEO Thinks the Time is Ripe for Web TV. ReadWriteWeb, Retrieved November 14, 2008, from http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/netflix_ceo_thinks_the_time_is.php

Labels: Tech Class