Will we be watching a TV in 10 years time?

The future is unpredictable. If I said to my past self just 10 years ago that the internet would be huge, we would have a smartphone that’s as powerful as a computer, or that the Simpsons would still be running, I don’t think I would have believed it. With all these huge technological changes over the last five years, the question now is; will we be watching a TV in 10 years time?

The first point to think about is will we be consuming TV in the same way? Traditionally the living room was the hub of the home, with the TV taking pride of place in the centre; TV channels were put on at certain times and we would almost religiously gather round to watch. Now, the internet has changed our appetites; we are now engorged with media and as a result our viewing habits have drastically changed.

The key example of this is TV on demand; you can watch TV whenever you like and more importantly wherever there is internet access. This really takes away TV’s key selling point, unique shows that you can’t get anywhere else.

Where we consume media is also changing, no longer do we want to sit down in the same place night after night to watch the same schedule. We want to be mobile, to take our laptop round our friend’s house and watch a whole series. The recent developments in mobile technology are also going to fundamentally change where we watch TV.



Smartphones have given us the power of the PC truly on the move. We can watch the latest TV shows on the bus or when we’re on our lunch break. The quality of this experience is worse than traditional TV viewing ; however, with every iteration of smartphone and improvements to download speeds, the gap between the mobile and static viewing experience is shrinking.



The type of TV that we watch is also changing. The success of YouTube has inspired millions to be their own media creators; unfettered with the restraints of corporations, they’ve produced totally original content. A great example of this is Dr. Horrible’s Video Blog; a mini-series shown on YouTube and their own website, it was not only a very high quality production but also very popular. This has been taken further by ITV who have commissioned a show which will solely air online.



TV’s themselves are also changing, originally they were singular boxes, unattractive to the eye; now they’re not just TV’s, they’ve got DVD players and Hard Drive recorders built in, and some can even directly connect to the internet allowing you to access all media.

So to answer the original question, do I think we’ll be watching TV’s in 10 years time?



Yes, but TVs will transcend their original functions and instead will contain all the types of devices we want for modern entertainment. We’ll watch TV differently too and the content we’re presented with will not resemble the majority of what we consume today.



jake Reacher thinks that a 37" tv is a really good size for smaller homes and flats, but thinks if you have the room it is worth investing in a larger Plasma TV screen.