{ "attachments": [], "comments_archived": true, "date": "2005-10-12T20:12:13.000Z", "layout": "post", "tags": [ "asides" ], "title": "iPod with video versus cable TV", "wordpress_id": 732, "wordpress_slug": "ipod-with-video-versus-cable-tv", "wordpress_url": "http://decafbad.com/blog/?p=732", "year": "2005", "month": "10", "day": "12", "isDir": false, "slug": "ipod-with-video-versus-cable-tv", "type": "entry", "postName": "2005-10-12-ipod-with-video-versus-cable-tv", "html": "

Hmm, so the video-playing iPod has arrived. And they're selling current episodes of ABC TV shows at $1.99 a pop. Let me lay down some quick thoughts here:

\n\n

Forgetting for the moment about the tiny screen and low resolutions even on the desktop, it seems somewhat crazy and counter-intuitive to give up several dozen channels of cable television for less than a couple-dozen hours of programming. But I'd bet we give a crap about less than a couple-dozen hours of content on cable anyway.

\n

But, I've gotten more and more convinced that being given just what I want is more valuable than being given large quantities in the hopes that I'll like something in the pile. It's all about intentionality in my media consumption.

\n

Of course, along the lines of what I wrote this week, I'm hoping to see lots of amateur content flowing into this gadget. Of course, 90% will be crud, but there's still the chance for 10% good that wasn't there before.

\n

Archived Comments

\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n", "body": "Hmm, so the video-playing iPod has arrived. And [they're selling current episodes of ABC TV shows at $1.99 a pop][video]. Let me lay down some quick thoughts here: \r\n\r\n * We subscribe to basic analog cable at about $50 a month. If we instead put all that money into iTMS, that'd be 25 episodes a month.\r\n * Weekly shows only manage around 4 episodes per month, so that'd be about 6 shows we could keep up with.\r\n * Come to think of it, that's probably about the maximum number of on-air shows we care about anyway—everything else comes from Netflix.\r\n * A season of a show seems to run about 24 episodes, which would cost about $48 through iTMS. The first season of Lost on DVD retails for $59.99, [sells for $38.99 on Amazon][lost], as of this writing.\r\n * The price difference here comes out much more favorably than I thought it would. This would obviously trade immediacy for quality—but that's what you're doing with music through iTMS versus CDs, anyway.\r\n\r\nForgetting for the moment about the tiny screen and low resolutions even on the desktop, it seems somewhat crazy and counter-intuitive to give up several dozen channels of cable television for less than a couple-dozen hours of programming. But I'd bet we give a crap about less than a couple-dozen hours of content on cable anyway.\r\n\r\nBut, I've gotten more and more convinced that being given just what I want is more valuable than being given large quantities in the hopes that I'll like *something* in the pile. It's all about intentionality in my media consumption.\r\n\r\nOf course, [along the lines of what I wrote this week][indy], I'm hoping to see lots of amateur content flowing into this gadget. Of course, 90% will be crud, but there's still the chance for 10% good that wasn't there before.\r\n\r\n[lost]: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JNOG/0xdecafbad01-20 \r\n[video]: http://www.apple.com/itunes/videos/ \"Such a tiny screen!\"\r\n[indy]: http://decafbad.com/blog/2005/10/10/urban-birdsong-copyright-and-cores-of-culture\r\n\r\n
\r\n

Archived Comments

\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n
\r\n ", "parentPath": "./content/posts/archives/2005", "path": "2005/10/12/ipod-with-video-versus-cable-tv", "needsBuild": true, "prevPostPath": "2005/10/11/the-8th-dungeon-is-on-warren-just-off-woodward", "prevPostTitle": "The 8th dungeon is on Warren, just off Woodward", "nextPostPath": "2005/10/13/minding-the-planet-the-spherical-desktop", "nextPostTitle": "Minding the Planet: The Spherical Desktop" }