Internet my TV

Photograph by Hannah Schultz

When I was in high school, I was refused again and again when I'd ask to have a TV in my room. I'd plead my case, arguing as best I could against what I considered, "the injustice of it all." Fifteen-year-old me was tired of Dr. Phil, Oprah, and Greys Anatomy, not to mention the stress of competing for the clicker with my older brother. My parent's main rebuttal was that I wouldn't get my homework done. (Little did they realize, I wasn't getting my homework done regardless.) Today, I understand their point. They were being responsible parents, and I love them for that. But now that I live on my own, I have the freedom to make these decisions for myself. And as I write this blog post, in my room, there is in fact a TV across from me playing the first season of "Lost."

But this post isn't about rebelling against my parents. What's more interesting, I think, is the transition television has made to the Internet. Yes, you can still watch your shows on good old-fashioned cable, but with a few key websites like TVDuck and SurftheChannel, I promise you could find just about any TV episode of any show you could possibly think of. Some of these websites may not be completely legal, but that doesn't stop a significant portion of viewers from using them every day.

Photograph by Hannah Schultz

Personally, I watch almost all of my shows on Netflix or Hulu. The TV in my room is hooked up to a Wii, which streams Netflix straight to your television through a wireless Internet connection. Netflix is, in my opinion, one of the best things that has ever happened to TV. Through the Instant Queue, you can watch a never-ending variety and amount of shows. Some are classics, and some you've probably never heard of. From every season of "The Office" to "Heroes" to "Family Guy", I'm pretty sure there's enough content to keep you entertained for years. Hulu is perfect for staying up to date on the new episodes of current shows. So while I watch old seasons of The Office on Netflix, I go to Hulu to see what aired last week.

Photograph by Hannah Schultz

The big picture of this is that through the power of the Internet, computers can almost completely replace televisions. And this development will continue to have a substantial impact on the film and TV industries. In fact, it has recently been reported that Showtime is going to remove all of its' shows that are currently available on Netflix, like "Dexter" and "Californication". Another article further explained that, "The studios don't want to see any service running away with Internet distribution and accumulating the kind of power that could enable it to one day dictate terms." Netflix has simply become too popular too fast, and it's making network executives nervous.

Regardless, the way people watch TV is changing. Companies like Blockbuster are going out of business while Redbox kiosks are popping up like dandelions in the spring. People want their shows quicker, faster, and cheaper, and that's what these Internet services provide.