Can't Stop Change

I was in college during the Napster craze. Record labels and bands were caught in the middle between a horde of hungry pirates looking for free downloads and change itself. Change always wins.

That craze began on college campuses due to the spread of broadband. Students away from mom and dad's dial up were drunk on bandwidth.

Today you can find broadband anywhere, even in rural Maine. Because of this change entertainment habits changed as well. Tivo a product for recording your favorite shows has become an adjective. Watching your favorite shows when you want is now not an issue. And where you want is becoming easier every day as networks and websites scramble to compete with the demands of consumers. Now you can watch shows like Lost or Heroes on your computer in High Definition. Or download them for your mp3 player with director and actor commentary. Features once reserved for dvds.

As many know this was one of the concerns that the writers had when they went on strike. How do companies get paid in this era of change? Syndication? DVD's? What will survive?

Netflix is competing with iTunes and soon Amazon will jump in the fray with direct downloads. For now subscribers can watch movies and some shows on their computer. Of course technology does allow you to hook up your television to your PC.

As cable and internet prices rise congress refuses to allow an a la carte payment system, but we can only hope for quality television shows.

Best sites for Free Web TV

~Seth Davis