Tweet
Heya, i'm in the midst of writing a paper and it seems like another one where views of this community could make a terrific addition. (others have provided really helpful opinions in the past, like when lil_freak gave some great input to a piece i was working on concerning the history of the Army's adoption of the M-16 rifle.)
Presently, the paper topic i've chosen for one of my majors* pertains to communication/content delivery technologies and how new products in this area tend to be more feature-rich but less democratic (and thus ultimately less satisfying of consumers' needs) with each coming generation.
For example, to record and time-shift broadcast TV content users originally had VCRs. These were rather limited (both in quality and in terms of strictly linear recording and playback) but users' freedom was hardly impacted. A VCR cassette could be removed from the recording unit, stored an indefinite amount of time, and played later in any other unit. (the conflicting standards of vhs and betamax notwithstanding) Briefly, home DVD-recorder devices were heralded as the VCR's replacement. They offered greater quality, smaller media, and the ability to skip forward or backward instantly during playback of recordings. However, some these units employed typical DVD protections of Region Coding (or even RCE) and other hollywood-style techniques to limit the portability of recorded content. And now, we have entered the era of the DVR. Replete with features, DVRs allow viewers to capture and playback video content in ways never before possible. However, with the mainstream versions of these machines being network-enabled, the potential now exists for third parties to exercise unbelievable control over how content is managed, when and where it can be viewed, and even how long it will remain recorded.
Nowadays almost every cable and satellite provider offers consumers the ability to add a Digital Video Recorder as part of their service package. However, this litany of DVRs has not yielded much true marketplace "choice" for the consumer. Many in the TV viewing public have been clamoring for the ability to save recorded programs to CD/DVD or the ability to share recorded content across computer networks. Despite the fact that there are now dozens of retail DVRs available, none of the manufacturers are eager to incorporate the public's wishes into their equipment. (The manufacturers instead choose to take their cues from Hollywood and the broadcast network corporations when it comes to how equipment should function.)
I would declare that DVRs have only recently become a truly democratic technology with the appearance of open-source software recorders such as MythTV, Freevo, Linux VDR, etc. The one thing these all have in common is a very strong and vocal user base who are excited to have their voices heard and to have their desires transformed into functionality.
I am interested in exploring the social, political, and organizational trends that have presented themselves in contexts such as the one described above. I would be very eager to speak with MythTV (or other open-source DVR) users in order to find out...
i wait with bated breath for the comments that i hope this topic may spark.
* the major of mine to which this thesis applies is Science, Technology, and Society... a really kickass combination of humanities/social sciences and technology-related coursework. Typically discussed is the theme of how human values and political forces affect the way citizens interact with technology and vice-versa.
Presently, the paper topic i've chosen for one of my majors* pertains to communication/content delivery technologies and how new products in this area tend to be more feature-rich but less democratic (and thus ultimately less satisfying of consumers' needs) with each coming generation.
For example, to record and time-shift broadcast TV content users originally had VCRs. These were rather limited (both in quality and in terms of strictly linear recording and playback) but users' freedom was hardly impacted. A VCR cassette could be removed from the recording unit, stored an indefinite amount of time, and played later in any other unit. (the conflicting standards of vhs and betamax notwithstanding) Briefly, home DVD-recorder devices were heralded as the VCR's replacement. They offered greater quality, smaller media, and the ability to skip forward or backward instantly during playback of recordings. However, some these units employed typical DVD protections of Region Coding (or even RCE) and other hollywood-style techniques to limit the portability of recorded content. And now, we have entered the era of the DVR. Replete with features, DVRs allow viewers to capture and playback video content in ways never before possible. However, with the mainstream versions of these machines being network-enabled, the potential now exists for third parties to exercise unbelievable control over how content is managed, when and where it can be viewed, and even how long it will remain recorded.
Nowadays almost every cable and satellite provider offers consumers the ability to add a Digital Video Recorder as part of their service package. However, this litany of DVRs has not yielded much true marketplace "choice" for the consumer. Many in the TV viewing public have been clamoring for the ability to save recorded programs to CD/DVD or the ability to share recorded content across computer networks. Despite the fact that there are now dozens of retail DVRs available, none of the manufacturers are eager to incorporate the public's wishes into their equipment. (The manufacturers instead choose to take their cues from Hollywood and the broadcast network corporations when it comes to how equipment should function.)
I would declare that DVRs have only recently become a truly democratic technology with the appearance of open-source software recorders such as MythTV, Freevo, Linux VDR, etc. The one thing these all have in common is a very strong and vocal user base who are excited to have their voices heard and to have their desires transformed into functionality.
I am interested in exploring the social, political, and organizational trends that have presented themselves in contexts such as the one described above. I would be very eager to speak with MythTV (or other open-source DVR) users in order to find out...
- how they found the MythTV (or other) project
- why it appealed to them
- what they value most in a DVR or similar technology
- what features their unit has which aren't found on mainstream products
- new features they'd like to see on DVRs in the future
i wait with bated breath for the comments that i hope this topic may spark.
* the major of mine to which this thesis applies is Science, Technology, and Society... a really kickass combination of humanities/social sciences and technology-related coursework. Typically discussed is the theme of how human values and political forces affect the way citizens interact with technology and vice-versa.
Comment