Digital Explosion

FROM ISSUE # 97 (January 2004) | IN THIS ISSUE
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If we were to keep up with the latest gizmos and gadgets, we'd spend the rest of our lives shopping. Switch on the tube and ads keep flashing on the screen of the latest mobile phone, flat TV's, digital refrigerators...the list could go on and on. I remember watching the ad of the refrigerator that orders supplies for you from the net; of course I found myself saying, "Man! I wish I had that!". Alas, "I wish" has been a part of our vocabulary for a long time.

The international market is flooded with a plethora of high-end, hi-tech gizmos ranging from Computers, MP3 players, WebTV, compatible TV's, MMS & SMS Cell phones and tons of other unimaginable gadgets. Take a walk with me into a world of...DigitAll and tread cautiously, this is a journey into your future.

Imagine paying no phone bills for your High Speed Internet connection plus, you get your Cable TV on the same line. The best part, you can surf the net on your huge TV. Paying only for what you watch is an option with Pay-per-view services, Subscription Video-on-demand and Video-on-Demand. And for all you gaming freaks out there— an enhanced gaming platform. The PS-63P3H Samsung plasma screen TV with high-end image and connectivity, which has features that can take signals from any kind of source – conventional broadcast, high-definition digital broadcast, DVD, PC, and game consoles is already in the market. Direct-To-Home (DTH) services, the convergence of the internet and television has made the array of choices limitless. No more choppy Live Webcasts, no more guilty feelings for being largely responsible for the high phone bills. Well, there's good news for all you hi-tech, really busy people, as well as those of you who love to flaunt; you may see Wi-Fi (wireless) hubs in the city in a couple of months.

Walking around the cell phone market, hunting for a simple set is very tempting. Every time I turn my head, I see a sleek 3G cell with a built-in camera, colour display, Multi-Media Messaging Service (MMS) and web browsing capabilities. It's surprising to see people carry high-end cells when they can't even make full use of them. NTC has recently laid 80% percent of the Optic Fiber Cable (aka Information super Highway). It will enhance Information and Communication Technology upon completion. Shweta Singh, an owner of a Samsung V200 cell says, "It's unfortunate we don't have the infrastructure required to make full use the MMS and web capabilities on our phones." She, also being the manager of Samsung says, "The goods are in the market and if the demand rises, they will be available."

Portable MP3 players like the very popular I-POD from Apple computers, with enormous storage capacities of up to 30GB, are gaining markets. With the launch of i-Tunes and its expediency, people are opting for them instead of Discmans/walkmans. They may still be on our wish list because of unavailability and high pricing, but do not fret --Samsung is soon launching Yepp! portable MP3 players, which can store up to 2000 songs. Philips has made listening to internet radio almost as easy as tuning into your favourite FM station. The Phillips FW-i1000 allows a listener with a broadband connection to connect to audio streams from Web radio stations as easily as AM and FM signals. Listeners can sort radio stations by genre, region, or language. They can also access and playback MP3 play lists stored on any PC.

The arrival of Digital Cable Systems and advanced entertainment and communication technology has brought the world into our living rooms. Digital explosion is: give vast increase in choice to the consumer experience. The consumer reaction to those new found opportunities for making choices is to make the choices that fit their needs, their budgets, their tastes and their lifestyles—in ways that bring them the kinds of benefits and satisfaction they seek. We are no longer a one-television, one cable outlet, one VCR unit society. DVD players sit on top of the TV set – and in the high school student's bedroom is his computer. DVD capability may also be in his younger brother's video game system. The personal computer connects to the high bandwidth Internet services of the digital cable operator, offering more places in the household to choose media and enabling more decision makers in the household to do so.

With advanced countries perceiving information and communication technologies as a basis for developing sustainable social and economic growth in developing nations, the wait could be shorter than we expect. In the meantime, see to it that you don't miss your favourite show on TV.