Issue 8.17
It seems lately we always have to discuss the latest threat or some other problem. Today I want to focus on one of the reasons we use these machines in spite of the troubles we sometimes have.
There are a lot of fun and informative things you can do with your computer, tablet or even your smart-phone. This includes games and social media such as facebook, twitter, linked in, pinterest and innumerable others – but it also includes some things you may not know are available.
I feel a little sheepish to note that one of the things I often do is watch TV programs on my computer. It is not because I don’t have a DVR – I do. However I sometimes forget to record something I want to see or didn’t even know about the program until someone sent me a note telling me about a great program they had seen. I very seldom watch programs live because I don’t want to waste my time on 20 minutes of advertising to watch a 1 hour program. I guess I don’t watch enough to keep up on all the new programs. I also skip through all the ads with my DVR fast forward so I miss information on other programs there as well. I even record sports events and then skip through the unimportant parts and just watch the actual action. For a football game, I can usually watch a four hour event in about an hour and a half.
People are becoming more aware that networks usually have a website that has full episodes of many of their programs including ones that aired weeks (or even years) before. Usually you can google them by typing in abc tv or nbc tv or fox tv or cbs tv or hallmark tv or usa tv – you get the idea. There are a number of services that also carry programs that are otherwise available only by subscription through your cable or dish service. Some of the most critically acclaimed programs are on HBO, Amazon, Netflix, etc. You can access these by subscribing to their services (usually at a monthly cost) or in some cases, by signing up for Hulu or another streaming service.
The landscape is changing for tv watchers. I predict that eventually, most programming will be primarily streamed to your computer instead of on cable or dish. You can choose what and when you want to watch. You can pause and resume or repeat scenes in case of interruptions and you can go back and watch them at a time of your convenience. The only drawback at this time is that you can’t fast forward through the commercials. I use the commercial time to check email, catch up on facebook or play a quick game of solitaire.
Add to that the numerous music channels, foreign films and programs (usually subtitled) and the news services and most of the things you want to do in the entertainment field are available on your computer. Like me, many people that use their computer for these types of things have added a digital TV to their computer to watch them on. My 32 inch TV/monitor only cost $200 and, since I am sitting about two feet from it, I am having the same experience as watching a 80 inch TV from 8 feet away in my living room. We have also added a basic computer to our living room TV so we can stream programs there to share with the whole family.
There’s lots of fun to be had in addition to all the work we do on computers. Just remember to protect your data, documents, pictures and your computer by always baking up anything important.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 34 years, 27 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently works as a computer consultant. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or shaun@musicomp.net.