Microsoft's Ashley Highfield sees the end of TV as we know it
By Ben Drawbaugh 
posted Sep 1st 2009 4:47PM
posted Sep 1st 2009 4:47PM
We don't even know where to start with this one, but apparent Microsoft UK's Ashley Highfield, managing director of consumer and online, seems to think that the TV industry has about "two to three years to adapt or face its iTunes moment." There is no doubt that the content industry is changing faster than ever, but this type of monumental shift in advertising revenue from traditional broadcast TV to digital distribution in only two years just seems crazy to us -- this is especially true when you think about how complex the video industry is with all its windows and regions. Sure the DVR and network streaming services like Netflix Watch Now and Hulu are making waves, but we figure we have at least another five years of crapy reality TV before Hollywood gives up its grip on the tried and true model. Who knows, maybe his comments only apply to the UK, we suppose anything could happen in a country that taxes TVs.[Via Electronista]
I abandoned traditional TV 18 months ago, and haven't missed it.
Not a chance. TV=Mainstream
forgot to tie the points together, and no editing here...
Actually... radio is pretty much done. Where once apon a time a local radio station would have a local staff and local programing and news, they have pretty much by now fired most local staff and programming, leaving little more than ISDN lines and satellite drops to pick up nationally syndicated programming http://www.radiodiversity.com/localbroadcasting.html .
The reason the local stations are dropping local content is not because everybody loves Rush, but because ther is pretty much nothing they can put on locally for a price they can make money at. DJ's are expensive, news is pricey, and aside from drivetime, no one is listening.
Face it... unless you are stuck in traffic, hanging out behind the gym having a smoke or a talk radio wing nut, you not listening to radio anymore... and good riddance. If I ever again hear one more refi commercial or legal solicitation or medical miracle announcement it will be to soon.
Thank God/Jobs? for iPods
@ Frankinla i think you replied to the wrong person :D
AM/FM radio can coexist with ipod. Why should broadcast TV be different?
Microsoft should focus less on Apple and more on resolving their internally competing media platforms -- zune, xbox, media center.
how are those three items competing with one another?
You feed media to your xbox via your media center...hence media center extender. The when you leave the house (maybe an abstract concept for you) you feed media from your pc to your zune or xbox to zune. Then you go to a friends (in real life) you can exchange media and then take it home and feed your other toys.
Wait, the Zune competes with my xbox 360? Wow, I heard they might be brining gamging to the Zune but I never realized it was be of such quality that it would be able to challenge my xbox 360. Odd how small that little box is and what quality it can produce considering its size.
/sarcasim!!
Its a shame I never need to use my Media Center or Media Center PC now that I have a Zune since the Zune outputs in 480p and certinately no media center pc or media ever goes beyond 480p. I mean heck, what does this 'hd' on the end of engadget mean?
darkone / wes - Do you enjoy watching movies you rent in xbox live on media center? How many steps does it take to get recorded tv from media center to zune? Can you do it all from media center or the zune UI?
Microsoft is re-organizing to get xbox, zune, and media center under one team. There is plenty of room to improve interoperability.
Actually... radio is pretty much done. Where once apon a time a local radio station would have a local staff and local programing and news, they have pretty much by now fired most local staff and programming, leaving little more than ISDN lines and satellite drops to pick up nationally syndicated programming http://www.radiodiversity.com/localbroadcasting.html .
Face it... unless you are stuck in traffic, hanging out behind the gym having a smoke or a talk radio wing nut, you not listening to radio anymore... and good riddance. If I ever again hear one more refi commercial or legal solicitation or medical miracle announcement it will be to soon.
Thank God/Jobs? for iPods
Calc.exe: I installed MCEbuddy on my PC, changed about two settings in it (one of which was the default save folder) and I have recorded TV on my zune in zero steps. I'm pretty sure that it is zero steps regardless of the mp3 player you have (unless you need to manually initiate a wired synchronization) with that set up.
The hardest part is deciding which shows to record.
Maybe guys like him make predictions like that because they work in buildings with T1 lines or better strung between all their cubicles and offices, so they can stream uncompressed stuff to each other with zero lag, hanging or buffering. They then think aloud "Everyone else must enjoy this amazing experience, too; anything less is unthinkable! This business of transmitting information and entertainment over the airwaves is dangerously antiquated and can't possibly last much longer!" (rolls eyes)
I don't buy it. I don't see an "iTunes model" somehow funding new TV shows. Also, I rarely watch broadcast networks anymore. That vast majority of TV shows that I watch are on cable anyway (which I pay for).
Besides, I see time-shifting and DVR recordings as a bigger hurdle for advertisers. I DVR most of the shows I watch and watch them later, FF over the commercials. That I can see as a problem.
Who is this knob ??
We don't even get guide data for free movie channels on DVB-S in the UK with windows 7 !!!!
'kin bell end
I hope these five years go by fast. I can't stand "crapy reality TV."
I absolutely agree, my cable is going off this month, I begin disliking TV when they started putting their channel logos at the bottom of the screen to show you what channel you were on, and now it's gotten worse. And, it seems they have ran out of program material because the only thing showing is Viagra,male enhancement, girls gone wild and weight loss infomercials late at night! I for one, will only have high speed Internet and stream only the content that I like to watch. Hulu and Crackle are great examples and I"ll be getting netflix later this month through my xbox360!
I suggest you guys check out "The Chaos Scenario" by Bob Garfield. Highfield is right. The advertising model that supports "TV as we know it" is going to collapse, and then perhaps an iTunes model will emerge to replace it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXG8zaB4eGw
it's coming. the end of traditional tv.
click thru tv is coming.
When I was a kid I always pictured future televison to be a catalog of shows and movies much like on-demand. Yes, there would be live tv but only when needed and you could find it on the gui. We don't need reruns or filler shows. Look at the BBC iPlayer it fucking brilliant. You can watch any show aired in the last 7 days, imagine the last 100 years.
Cable companies and the studios have to realize that digital media is the future stop fighting it and give it to us the way we want it. I wish every show in history was at my finger tips. Now that is a product that I would hundreds a month for. The value of the internet makes cable look like a joke. Don't nickel and dime us to hell. Companies need to learn form Netflix how hard is it to ask your customers what they think or how their doing. Netflix is constantly looking to make their customers happier. Comcast just wants to figure out how to charge you more and give you less.
As a UK resident, I don't like the line you finished the article with "anything could happen in a country that taxes TVs". I assume that you are referring to the TV Licence Fee, which pays for the BBC, the transmitter network and PSB on the other terrestrial channels.
£120 a year is not a lot of money for the quality of services the BBC offers. We get 7 national TV channels, all advert free, 12 national and countless regional radio stations, all advert free. The excellent BBC website, including the fantastic iPlayer, all advert free. On top of that the BBC have developed the vast majority of the technology used in broadcasting, if not entirely on their own, in co-operation with the Japanese broadcaster NHK.
To me £120/yr seems like an absolute bargain for all of that, and I can't imagine too many countries around the world who are not envious of the beeb.
Can I come live with you?
Here, Here!
Television in its basic broadcast form should be free, in the US people have the right to free over the air television as it brings news and democracy if you started charging for OTA that would not be good for democracy. When I say it is a right what I mean is it is kindof unofficially a right there are laws that say cable COs must carry OTA for free so while its not against the law to start charging there are some legal things you have to work around and the people won't let it happen. But hey you guys have free health care so I guess it more than works out in your favor or favour
Yes, all of your OTA is free, but it's so covered in adverts, that it's impossible to watch. I remember the first time I visited the US in 2002, and couldn't believe the ad break every 6 minutes in a film on ABC. It just made it impossible to watch. I gave up about half way through.
What the hell has it got to do with democracy?? Is it undemocratic to have taxes?
I would much rather pay the £120/yr Licence Fee than have to put up with US style TV channels, with more adverts than programme, and everything appealing to the lowest common denominator. I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but I am surprised you put up with it!
Here, Here!