The future of TV?

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We often hear about the media revolution that we are living through. And it's true that the internet has very quickly reshaped how wethink about accessing entertainment. But while it's possible that you can find many programmes to watch online - provided you are willing to dig around and put up with poor quality - the simple case is that for many households, the TV is still the central hub for entertainment.

The problem is that increasingly, the old ways of being a slave to the TV schedules are simply not compatible with our modern lives, and on-demand, streaming TV is the answer. And the best services - those that have the best content, and allow the most varied ways of consuming it - are starting to provide slick options that question the traditional model of free TV.

Is the internet evolving into TV?
Recent weeks have seen some interesting developments in the corners of our living rooms, with Microsoft's Xbox 360 - previously thought of mainly as a games machine - changing the way we interact with our TVs. Using the motion sensor Kinect device, users can now navigate through menus, find and play - and pause, rewind etc. - TV, films and more, simply by using gestures or their voices.

While this is not absolutely essential - and won't necessarily do anything more than using a remote control - it's an undeniably exciting and convenient option. Just as important, however, is the content itself; the broad range of internet-delivered, on-demand TV (for example, Sky Go, Lovefilm, 4OD), YouTube and social media platforms - not to mention normal video rental etc. According to Microsoft, this is the future of TV - though it's important to remember that while this content has been brought together into an intuitive package, it is also available on other platforms and devices.

The real good news for us is that, as more broadcasters enter the game, there is more choice - and more competitive prices for consumers. Recent days have also seen 'price wars' for streaming services between Lovefilm and US company Netflix, offering thousands of films and TV show instantly over devices such as games machines, tablet computers or PCs.

Meanwhile, for a potentially more rounded, but comparatively more expensive option, Sky's Go service, which has been around in one guise or another for a number of years, is also available on a variety of mobile devices, in addition to PCs or the Xbox.
Remember that if you want a really broad choice, then you are going to have to subscribe to multiple services. But while it can be confusing to know where to start, some are available with a free, no-commitment trial.

Internet sets
Internet TV sets work on a similar principle, allowing users to use either in-built apps on the TV, or stream internet-based services (such as Lovefilm, or BBC's iPlayer) using a normal home broadband connection. In addition to this, Apple has for some time had its Apple TV device, a small box which allows users to stream media to their TV, and to watch content from its highly popular iTunes store. Meanwhile, internet giant Google itself is predicting that by mid-2012, half of TVs on sale will features its own take on internet sets.

It's clear that these are exciting times for the way TV is delivered and consumed, but the way it is delivered is likely to be more fragmented in the short term, with a potentially confusing array of payment options for service and hardware (at least as far as traditional viewers are concerned).

If you're keen to get up to speed with the new technology, a credit card could be a useful way of helping you spread the cost - especially if you've got a card that offers a 0% period on purchases or rewards your spend - although you may choose to pay for ongoing services with a direct debit. Just make sure you're clued up as to when your interest free period ends to avoid being charged interest.

Issued by Sainsbury's Finance