iPad Just Another TV Set?

An anonymous reader writes "An iPad is just another TV set, and can be viewed just like an extra outlet. These are the words Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) has thrown toward content providers as demand for consumer viewing keeps shifting to more available sources like Roku, Apple TV, and the iPad, over providers like Netflix, and Hulu, and now Cable TV. Programmers are throwing down the gauntlet as more devices are able to stream video from a variety of providers."

Comments

Programmers, not what you think they are

[Vectormatic]

Schedule managers would be a more apt term

when first reading TFS, my first parsing suggested some random C-jockeys screaming "oh no it isnt" in a bid to prove the ipad isnt a TV, didnt make a lot of sense

They don't get it

[zule666]

I moved last fall and decided to try going without cable or satellite. Between Hulu and Netflix I really haven't missed cable other then the occasional sporting event. When are content providers going to get it? I don't want to pay for 110 channels I never watch.

Re:They don't get it

[Hijacked Public]

You'd think they would look at the death throes of the newspaper guys, and magazines, and Blockbuster et al, and record stores, and etc etc, and change their ways. But they won't.

Re:They don't get it

[Shikaku]

To a pull system from a push content system. A push system is defined as something like television, where everything is pushed with a schedule at timed intervals. A pull content gives you a choice, instead of waiting and being forced to stay for a show.

For example, even on legal sites, you choose when and what to watch, availability withstanding.

DVR is a stopgap in that direction. Netflix, Hulu and Youtube are currently going in the right direction.

Re:They don't get it

[Vanderhoth]

I have to agree with you. I tried to get rid of our cable to save $150/mo. It worked well for me and made me realize how little TV I watch. I mostly download the shows I like. The problem is I'm a highly technical person and spend a lot of time looking things (like TV shows and Movies) up for reviews and release dates and such. My wife on the other hand is the complete opposite. She'll watch a show I've downloaded and she'll say it was great, but she has no motivation to find her own stuff. When we got rid of the cable she just about went crazy because one of the people she works with would mention an episode of House, Bones, or talk about the next great show that's coming out this fall. I told her just to go download it, but she "couldn't figure it out" and wanted me to do it. There are only so many hours in the day, I have a lot of hobbies and not enough time for the things I want to do, let alone sit around looking for shows for her. So I broke down and had the cable hooked back up.

We just bought a new TV that came with Netflix, which we just got here in Canada and it's awesome. I can afford to pay the $8/mo they're asking and love the fact it's like downloading in that I can watch them when I want. I live on the east coast so most of what we watch we have to stay up until midnight to catch. That just doesn't work for me. I'd pay up to what we pay for our current cable if they had all the recent shows so I could make my wife happy and drop the cable in one felled swoop. We'll see what happens with the national usage based billing issue that seems to have sprung up right after Netflix came to town.

Re:Get a clue, Olde Skoolers

[xgr3gx]

"Throwing the gauntlet" worked so well for the music industry. They probably could have made so much more money, much more easily if they had embraced digital media from the onset.
Television needs to get on board with the digital age. If they fight it they are just going to fall behind as users find better alternatives to traditionally TV.
Perhaps it's time to offer ala-carte channel selection. Why should I have to buy a package from my cable company when I can just find what I want online.
The harder they fight it, the faster they will lose viewers. Especially now that TVs have Youtube and Hulu apps embedded, making it much easier for the average user to watch online content.

Grandma

[xnpu]

Ask my grandma and she'll tell you anything that can display TV programs is obviously a TV of some kind!

One doesn't disagree with my grandma.

Re:Get a clue, Olde Skoolers

[grub]

No kidding! The music industry wanted people to buy shiny plastic discs at brick and mortar stores. Fast forward a few years and a non-music entity (Apple) is the largest music seller in the world.

The old timers don't get that their shit is just data.

Re:"Rights holders" = Feudal lords

[Richard_at_work]

I'm pretty sure that the "majority of the population" do not need entertainment shows created by someone else. This isn't food we are talking about.

Re:Over-the-air & Cable TV are dead...

[slyrat]

The days of broadcast TV served at the expense of commercial breaks are over. I strongly dislike commercials and will avoid listening to/watching them, sometimes at extreme costs.

In October last year I got rid of the cable TV, kept the cable internet feed, and bought myself a Roku player. I rarely watch commercials anymore. I choose what I want to watch, and I can even stream stuff I've digitized and stored on disk on other machines on my network. And I'm paying far less, by orders of magnitude, for the couple subscriptions that I watch on the Roku as compared to cable TV.

How can broadcast/cable TV compete with this?

Where TV can compete is with live showing of programs. I've found that if you are interested in watching sports the best option is through actual TV / cable. You get much better picture and if you hate commercials just start watching it 30 min to an hour after start and just skip through the commercials with a dvr. Almost all other types of TV shows / programs are just about as good without paying for TV. Another aspect that has happened is twitter commentary on live shows when the shows are going on. This also gives a good reason to watch live shows or first shown shows. These are good ways to get people back to watching actual TV rather than after the fact recorded TV. I'm not someone who watches any of the above, but I can see the appeal of it.