The day I brought home my DVR, or digital video recorder, box was a momentous occasion in my life. No longer would I have to count the minutes as yet another promised full episode of Eureka failed to buffer just when the space debris was about to kill everyone. So imagine my delight to read an online article announcing that mobile television will be available to consumers in the United States by the end of the year.
According to the Tuesday Washington Post article, wireless vendors like Dell are working on getting this mobile technology straight from TV stations onto cell phones, computers and cars. Once the prototypes are satisfactory, the technology will be further tested in Washington, D.C., before heading to other cities. At first mobile video will be free in all markets, but surprise, surprise: eventually users will have to pay for its use.
If I thought DVR was bad for my TV habit, this is going to make it far worse. I'll be able to watch live TV anytime, anywhere; at work, at the grocery store, even while watching another show on the TV set and the Internet.
But caution to all drivers: don't think for a minute about watching WWE Smackdown on the road. This texting-while-driving epidemic is dangerous enough without adding visuals and audio to the mix. If I see anyone driving while viewing, especially if I find out they're watching Private Practice, I will not hesitate to make a citizen's arrest for both offenses.
I'm still unsure if I'll pay for the service. It depends on my post-graduation employment situation, which is still in the air, and my living situation. But the odds of me having the self-control not to gorge myself on this freedom are so low it would make an instant Las Vegas pay-up.
It's exciting to be a part of a technological age where mobile video will be a reality, not just a long-term possibility. It seems not long ago I was confined to six channels on broadcast television, two of which didn't come in.
After mobile video hits the mainstream, what can technology vendors possibly come up with next - TV screens in eyeglasses? Just the thought of that makes me cross-eyed.
Stephanie Hummel is a senior studying journalism. Tell her what you would like to see in the future at sh213005@ohiou.edu.
3 Culture
Stephanie Hummel
