Where Does Bill Gates Live

In Response to the Next Sea Change from Bill Gates
By Ryan Matthew Hoback

Bill gates recently wrote an internal document to his executives, titled “The Sea Change”. This letter speaks of the movement towards internet delivery of content, for Microsoft, its software and numerous other applications. So I went to bed that night after reading that article, and I had a dream……

Last night I had a dream about the fusion of Broadcasting and Internet television, and its current closest medium, podcasting. As podcasting has evolved over the past few years, it has morphed into all sorts of shapes of programming. But the real “Wow” factor behind podcasting is yet to be talked about, or not highly publicized at all.

That is, the merging of what we know as the “internet” and current broadcast, cable or satellite programming. It has long been discussed that the internet and television would one day be one in the same. But there has not been much talk into how this transition, into a new future of “Informative Entertainment” or “Intelligent Programming” will develop.

The question and conundrum that most dreamers faced is, what catalyst will form that will make this bridge possible. Well in my opinion, the catalyst is “podcasting”. Let me explain further.

Podcasting is the fusion of “pod” and “broadcasting”. “Pod” stands for personal-on-demand, so the word means personal on-demand broadcasting. It is based around an internet platform and xml/rss programming. Podcasting has now opened a new section of its market, which is called Video-podcasting, or Vod-casting. Vod-casting is the transmission of video over the internet in podcast format, for viewing on the web, or on personal devices.

Video podcasting has opened the floodgates for internet television to directly compete with traditional broadcast television. Over the next few years, companies like Microsoft will introduce home T.V. set-top boxes, which will stream internet feeds directly to televisions in your home. This is the birth of home internet television in its purest form.

As this medium grows, podcasting will become internet programming. The popularity of podcasting will grow the market to morph once again into a new-age of internet broadcasting companies. These podcasts will become T.V. shows with new programming, or re-runs. These shows will be able to be subscribed to, just like cable, but on an individual basis. As these shows grow in popularity, internet broadcast networks will start to form, and the traditional companies like ABC, CBS, NBC, and all the cable and satellite channels will have to conform to new technology to prevent being swept aside.