With the vlog Rocketboom now available via TiVo, I had to wonder: what kind of media outlet does the internet really offer? Can my appetite for video and audio media survive on internet-available rations? And if it can, does that mean my TV viewing experience will eventually be an extension of my internet experience? I’ll have to adjust my viewing and listening habits to find out.
I intend to go on a strict media diet for 30 days. From January 15th to February 15th, I will only consume media via the internet. No television, no radio, no traditional media outlets.
In the world of video, televised broadcasts of any kind will be off limits. In it’s place, I will watch vlogs (video podcasts), video-oriented websites, and any downloadable TV shows or videos.
Audio media will be addressed by shutting off the radio for 30 days and replacing it with podcasts, streaming radio, online re-broadcasts, and MP3s.
On the surface, it is an experiment in media availability. Ultimately, I want to explore the user experience, financial implications, and content differences that extend from purely internet-based media consumption. Does Apple’s model for downloading TV shows really cut it? Do amateur vlogs engaging enough to watch like a TV show?
I have a TV (of course), with analog cable and a 40-hour TiVo DVR. The TV will remain dormant for the duration of the experiment, as long as my wife isn’t watching it. All the television I watch will be restricted to my laptop.
My computer is an 800 MHz G4 Powerbook (DVI), connected to the internet via cable modem and AirPort express. I’m surfing the net with Firefox and using iTunes 6 for some content management.
I’m pretty savvy on the mac and I know my way around the internet, but I have always shied away from internet video, primarily because of its low fidelity. As a result, I’m still learning my way around the world of vimeo, myfeedia, and other video-oriented sites. Help me out if you can.
I’m going to post entries during the whole experience, so stay tuned.
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For Immediate Release: January 3, 2006
Contact: David Panarelli, 571-332-4120, david@openthewindow.net
BLOGGER GOES ON MEDIA DIET
– OpenTheWindow.net Creator Bans TV, Radio and Other Non-Internet Media for 30 Days –
Washington, D.C.—David Panarelli, creator of the blog OpenTheWindow.net, today announces he will exclusively consume Internet-based media for 30 days, from January 15 through February 15, 2006. An otherwise heavy consumer of television and radio, Panarelli seeks to explore the recent trend toward video and audio offerings on the Internet. In place of television, he will watch vlogs (video podcasts), video-oriented websites, and downloadable television shows. He will turn off his radio in favor of podcasts, online broadcasts, and MP3s. Panarelli’s blog entries on OpenTheWindow.net will chronicle his experiences.
Over the course of the month, Panarelli will seek answers to questions concerning the consumption of Internet-based media in the mass market: Can the average American be satiated through Internet media alone? Will a television show still be desirable if one has to purchase each episode? Are amateur vlogs engaging enough to replace television? How does one’s morning and afternoon commute listening habits differ when podcasts replace drive time radio?
“On the surface, it is an experiment in media availability,” Panarelli says. “Ultimately, I want to explore the user experience, financial implications, and content differences that extend from purely internet-based media consumption.”
Panarelli plans to replace his television, TiVo, and radio with an 800 MHz G4 Powerbook (DVI) connected to the Internet via cable modem and AirPort express. He will surf the Internet with Firefox and use iTunes 6 to aid in content management. For media on the go, Panarelli will use an iPod.
About OpenTheWindow.net and David Panarelli
Created by David Panarelli in 2005, OpenTheWindow.net explores visual culture and design’s intersection with technological, aesthetic, and cultural fields. Panarelli is a graphic designer based in Washington, D.C.
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