Television, or the way we watch it, has changed considerably in the past few years. Nobody really builds their lives around the broadcast schedules of networks anymore, because honestly, who has all that time?
It’s not about having to fast-forward through commercials; it’s more about timing. Sure, in high school, it was much easier to skip homework and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer live at 8 p.m. on a Tuesday night. And sure, everyone was going to watch Friends on Thursday night but once we were in university, studying actually became a priority. Just like how staying late at work, or even going to the gym after work is a priority today. We’ll still watch our shows, but on our own schedule.
Don’t get me wrong. There are still some shows that I know most of us will sit and watch live, like Revenge but that’s because you can’t log on twitter Wednesday night at 10 p.m. and escape spoilers in your timeline. But that’s just one show and most of us, don’t just watch one or two shows.
Technology has made it easier for us to keep up with our favourite shows whenever we want. We’ve got the PVR, OnDemand and online viewing. Sure, online means are never “legal,” but they work the best. PVRs can make mistakes (god forbit) and OnDemand services are at times slow.
I’m a guy. I like my big screen TV. I enjoy shows so much better when I’m watching them on my HD screen, in quality HD. The shows you can get online, they’re in HD. My PVR won’t work properly on my HD. I don’t know why, it just doesn’t. Why should I or anyone fork out another $600 for an HD PVR when I can just get my shows online?
Not everyone has a PVR, whether it be HD or SD. Not everyone has access to, let’s say, Rogers On Demand…because, and this is a shocker, they don’t have cable. They love New Girl, but they don’t have cable. What they do have is a gaming console and a cell phone.
Well, guess what? You can now watch 2 Broke Girls legally on your big screen through your Xbox 360 thanks to your cell phone account (if you’re with Rogers).
Rogers’ On Demand joins the list of apps that are now available on Xbox LIVE’s new dashboard. Shows available from Citytv, CBC and even all four seasons of Mad Men are available for Rogers wireless, home phone and Internet customers. David Purdy, Vice President of Video/Television products at Rogers teases that this is just the beginning for Rogers, and that this is just one of the new TV innovations that will be revealed in the next little while.
While the Rogers app mainly covers Citytv programming, look out for actual channel apps. The first channel app launched will be Astral’s Disney XD, which is an existing digital specialty channel. Peter Furnish, Astral’s VP of Marketing, explains that the Xbox LIVE app enhances the Disney XD experience. Fans of Phineas and Ferb and Kickin’ It can catch up will previous episodes and extra features on their Xbox but can still tune in to the main Disney XD channel to watch the latest episodes. Disney XD’s library will refresh every two weeks.
While, Xbox LIVE’s new offerings may not exactly replace your need for a cable box right away, like all new technology, it will continue to make it easier to keep up with your shows and discover some new ones.
Other video partners available to Canadian Xbox users include VEVO, YouTube, UFC, Crackle and MSN. Content will be made available to users who have an Xbox 360 LIVE Gold subscription.
Families without the Gold membership can check out Disney XD on Xbox LIVE for free during the weekend of December 16-18.
There’s no word yet on the game plan for more television content on the PlayStation and Wii, but hopefully there should be an announcement soon. As of right now, Netflix is available on both PS3 and Wii, while the PlayStation also offers users the opportunity to purchase current television programs (and movies) from the Sony Entertainment Network.
Last month, Dose.ca’s style and social media editor Miranda Furtado got to hang out with CFL Hall of Fame inductee Damon Allen and the Blue Jays’ JP Arencibia at the launch of Kinect Sports season two at Xbox 360 Central in downtown Toronto. The game is now available in stores.
