Toob: What's On?

by Matthew York
Winter 1999/Spring 2000

"What's on?" That's a pretty simple question. However, the question has profound implications for our lives. Many experts believe that you are what you watch. And the debate about the rise of TV violence and real-life violence continues to rage. Some people are convinced that those who watch violent programs become violent people.

Most believe that watching educational programs educates the viewer. And that seeking out certain types of programming is as important as avoiding other programs. It is clear that determining what to watch while sitting on the couch is a very important decision. And that's the premise of this magazine.

We want to promote the concept of Smart TV. We believe that TV can not only entertain, but that it can help us grow intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. Television can now be enjoyed in a more deliberate fashion.

Being a selective TV viewer is becoming easier. For example, the V-chip helps parents filter objectionable programs from their children. Intelligent agents are now able to seek out programs of interest to the viewer. The recording of desirable TV shows that originally began with the VCR is now being executed by a myriad of products.

In our last issue I wrote about the VRC (video recording computer). This is a subset of a large category of PVRs (personal video recorders). What all these devices have in common is that the video is not recorded onto tape, but onto a hard disc.

There are two categories of PVRs, computer-based units and stand-alone appliances. The computer category is essentially the same as the VRC. A computer's hard drive records video from a tuner card that is connected to a TV antenna, the local cable TV system or a satellite dish. A VRC also needs a video digitizing card, which converts the TV signal into digital data for the hard drive to store.

The most exciting development in this category is Pure DIVA from MGI. Compaq will offer a video recording computer that includes Pure DIVA in the latter half of 1999.

Pure DIVA claims to facilitate the personalization of entertainment. It is comprised of a suite of applications to record and view TV shows via the hard disc. Pure DIVA also lets users play DVDs. In both cases, it allows users to bookmark a part of the video for future reference. This is a new way of thinking about television. To date, television has been a fleeting experience. There was no easy way to review the transmitted video, so why would anyone even think about bookmarking. Even using VHS tapes doesn't make reviewing video a compelling thought. Several VCR manufacturers employ a similar feature, called indexing, which has not become popular. Fast forwarding or rewinding a VHS tape is so slow that few people would bother going to a bookmark. I have high hopes for what MGI will do for the Smart TV category with Pure DIVA.

A few other companies are making headway in this category as well. ASUS has been making motherboards for computers for years. They also make DVD drives and 3D cards for PC games. I've heard that they plan to offer a PC tuner card that records video on a hard drive.

The video recording appliance category currently has two companies offering products. Tivo and ReplayTV both manufacture products that record video onto a hard drive, however these devices are not personal computers, as we know them. These appliances look more like VCRs without a slot to insert videotape. TiVo has internal technology that keeps track of what types of TV shows users watch and then makes recommendations, to the users, as to which programs it should capture for future viewing. ReplayTV, on the other hand, will find programming for you based on your search criteria. This is an exciting field of technology, sometimes referred to as agent technology. Another company that is active in this arena is Metabyte. Their MbTV is a suite of complimentary software products designed to be integrated into set-top boxes, advanced TVs and data-enhanced broadcast networks. Expect to read more about MbTV in the near future.

Soon we will look back to what will seem like the Dark Ages of television where viewers, (with little control over content) were used by the TV industry. In the near future viewers will become users of the TV industry (by controlling their own content).