CES, Tech-Porn & the demise of HD-DVD & other digital dreams and meanderings

So I find myself scouring the intertubes today looking for anything and everything related to CES (Consumer electronics show) happening right now in Las Vegas.

So I’m asking myself right now…Why?  Why do I care?

I already have enough high tech stuff I love, but don’t really need.  Just what I need to do, look for more stuff out there I want,  but don’t really need.

Am I a consumer or am I consumed?  Looking through the products on display at CES is like looking at Tech-porn.

I’m going to try and not buy anything for a while I think.  Honestly there’s nothing out there I need.  I have been tossing around the idea of buying an HD-DVD player, but I don’t think that’s going to happen now.  I think HD-DVD is pretty much dead in light of Warner’s recent decision and the rumors now swirling around about Paramount.

I read an interesting interview with Bill Gates over at Cnet today and thought that he made a good point.  In this HD-DVD vs. Blue ray battle, there’s not really going to be a winner.  Not  a lot of people have bought the next gen DVD players…maybe many of them won’t (I’m not going to).  By the time one format has won and the players are at that $100 price mark where consumers want to purchase them DVD’s as a whole will more than likely be outdated.

The next big thing is going to be content without media.  We’ve already seen that happen with Ipod’s/MP3 players – Who really buys CD’s anymore?  And we know that companies are already feverishly working on it.  Netflix is offering movies on demand.  Comcast has plans to build their digital on demand library and change the way we watch television and movies.  Microsoft is in partnership with folks across the pond about Xbox 360 & IPTV.

The big problem right now is bandwidth.  We’ve got to get the bandwidth thing worked out.  (I heard Comcast was doing some demo today with their new broadband technology…something about downloading a 2 1/2 hour movie in 8 minutes….SWEET).

Now more DVD’s in the mail…or returning them to the video store.  I look forward to a day that is completely on demand.  That’s what I want.  TV shows, movies, music…everything.  Even better I look forward to the day when your content is completely liberated.  I can legally and easily download the latest episode of my favorite show to my touch Ipod and take it with me on the go.

I’m torn on this idea of “The Cloud”.  The idea that the things you  buy are retained physically somewhere in the ether, but when you turn on your device (any device:  TV, Ipod, Phone, Computer) and touch a button or something, it’s there.  Definitely possible.  If we ever lived in a world that was completely wireless and wide open bandwidth.  That could be a cool thing.  But I kinda like the idea of physically having and managing my own content.

There’s this war going on right now between those that create the content and those that use it…it will be interesting to see how that  all plays out.  Right now we’re at two extremes…Owners/Distributors want to get paid top dollar and users want to get it for free.  And stuck in the middle are the creators.  Eventually we’ve got to find some middle ground.  A middle man needs to be cut out or at least cut down.  And someone pays a price for everything…nothings free.

What would l like to see…

A wireless surround system.  (I’m sure they’re out there, but I can’t afford one right now)

An Iphone on Verizon service.  (The voyager is pretty lame I wouldn’t even think of getting anything like that)

A way to get the shows I record on my DVR to my computer – Even better…bypass the computer and go right to my Touch Ipod.   (Don’t mention downloading it from Itunes…If it’s free on tv it should free on my Ipod…I can fast forward the commercials on my Ipod just as easy as I can on my DVR)  Yeah there’s stuff like USB tuners and such to turn my computer into a DVR and other workarounds…but it’s too much work.  If I’m going to dream…I want it to by easy.  I want to spend time watching my shows…not ripping, encoding, downloading them.

Oh…there’s so much more…I could go on but I need to stop.  It’s time to go home.