Why do remote controls still ask you for the number of a TV channel?
It would seem that remote controls as interfaces are falling behind in usability with the deluge of 1000s of cable channels, VOD and DVR options….
I want:- a small wireless keyboard or touchscreen- and/or speech recognition- semantic search by actors, genre, recently [...]

As a fan of political debate, I was very saddened by the loss of journalist Tim Russert last Friday. If it’s Sunday… it’s Meet the Press…. and that was the show that I waited for all week.
Turns out that he was also a true believer in the importance of friends and family… and of treasuring [...]

[Vantage Point Poster via Flickr]
A few weeks ago I watched Vantage Point, an engrossing movie about the US President and the Secret Service that takes place in Salamanca (Spain).
There was something too perfect about the way Salamanca was being shown on screen… so I looked up the shooting location and foudn out that the film [...]

[Bruce Springsteen in concert via Flickr]
Sometimes it becomes easy to assume that the transformation of the
media and entertainment industry is driven by the Internet.
Take for example the super-serving of certain audience niches with highly targeted content.
To achieve this, the Internet breaks down the “power of the distribution pipe” and frees content from
intermediaries to reach very [...]

Tonight I am trying to follow primary election results online as my cable box from Time Warner keeps rebooting itself.
I am disappointed to see that CNN.com is not broadcasting the same feed as they do on TV, I miss the “best political team in TV”
Instead they have a rather boring online-only live feed [...]

Great news today with the announcement of a JV between MTV and Real combining the Urge music service with Rhapsody.
From a user perspective it might not make much of a difference, as Real had already caught up with MTV on Staff Picks and User Playlists.
Still, this will add much needed brand “coolness” factor and marketing [...]

There is something very appealing about the instant gratification that digital media provides. You can be informed or entertained on multiple devices and on your own schedule.
Want to listen to music on your radio, on the internet or on your mp3 player?… not a problem, just don’t try to use your US rhapsody account from [...]

Time Warner Cable is usually the target of irate customers angered by their high prices and infamous customer service.
But this virtual monopoly sometimes does things right to improve service:
Yesterday, I was waiting on the phone for customer service and the recorded voice said “your expected waiting time is 18-28 minutes”… and then something magical happened, [...]

Listening Post at WIRED lists some of the best examples I have ever seen of how DRM often goes against consumer’s “fair use”.
As an expat, I couldn’t agree more about the first example (DVD zones)!

Nielsen’s TV ratings have always had one major flaw: they failed to capture viewing by college students.
Finally, the company has decided to include ratings from college dorms. I bet the guys over at the Daily Show and other college-skewing shows must be very happy.
Via Lost Remote TV Blog