If you’ve been reading my articles and columns over the last three years here in the Times Record, you’ll remember that I have at times cast aspersions on the concept of the personal computer becoming a television (or vice versa). I have scoffed at the notion that one would use their Media Center Edition PC to record the last episode of “Friends”, then download it onto their Media Center Edition Portable Player to watch on the bus on the way to work.

In defense of my position, I quoted Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who said, when asked why Apple didn’t make a Media Center PC, “When you use a computer, you turn your brain on. When you watch TV, you turn your brain off”. I supported my treatise further by paraphrasing Jobs when, asked why Apple didn’t make a video iPod, he said “we’ll make a video iPod when there’s good content to put on it”.

So, where are we now? Apple has added a Media Center interface to their new computers, called “Front Row”. Apple’s iPods with video capabilities have been flying off the shelves since their introduction last fall. The video section of Apple’s online iTunes Music Store (iTMS) has been filling up with the content Jobs described. Am I casting and scoffing still? Perhaps.

What’s amazing about all this is that there were digital music players around before the iPod, and Media Center PCs and portable video players around before Front Row and the video iPod. Plus, the full force (although somewhat diminished by pesky antitrust litigation and a barrage of crippling viruses) of the Microsoft mega-empire was behind the early efforts. For some reason, no one really took notice of Media Center PCs or iPod wanna-bes. So how did little Apple Computer end up with over 80% of online music sales, the hottest tech gadget on the planet since (ironically) the Walkman, and (at least a perception of) a leg up in the online video race?

Turns out Mr. Jobs was right. It’s content. Content. Content. Content. It’s the content, stupid. Well, actually, it’s content and delivery. Give ‘em cool stuff to watch on a cool player, and you’re “in there”.

Since Jobs introduced the video-capable iPod and online video store, everyone wants to get into the act. And, even more so than with music, there’s a lot of act to get into when we start talking videos and movies. Deals are announced almost daily, marrying content “manufacturers” (studios and networks) with content “deliverers”. Apple recently added more sports content to the iTMS, including 15-minute highlight packages of the BCS bowl games.

Plus, this week Pixar Animation Studios (makers of “Toy Story”, etc.) was sold to Disney, landing Pixar CEO Steve Jobs (there’s that guy again) on the Disney Board of Directors. Think there’ll be more Disney/ABC/ESPN content on iTMS soon? Duh, yeah.

Others are “stabbing in the dark”, trying to emulate the iTMS model, and failing. This week the CBS television network announced plans to sell online episodes of their series “Survivor: Panama”. The episodes will be available for purchase for $1.99 shortly after midnight following the airing of new episodes on broadcast TV. However, each episode will only “survive” for 24 hours on your computer. It will then, as with the message to Jim Phelps at the beginning of another famous CBS show, “Mission: Impossible”, self-destruct. Expect this method of distribution to quickly self-destruct as well. Just think. Watching a tired reality series, hoping your credit card information isn’t intercepted, suffering through a clunky interface. Put the popcorn in the microwave, honey, Survivor’s on!

© 2006 Peter F. Zimowski