Ten years ago today, in ending a relationship, I moved out leaving behind a 55-inch television, about which I said to my ex-partner: "I reserve the right for six months to come back and get this television." I've never looked back.
 |
 |
Needless to say, a lot has changed with regards to television in the last ten years.
From entertainyourbrain.com:
Top Shows of 2002: All of these shows are shows that are currently airing new episodes as of this writing and haven’t had their cancellation announced yet. Some might be in danger of it, or rumored to end this season, but as of now, we can still enjoy them.
10. “The King of Queens”-Everyone praises “Everybody Loves Raymond,” but no one ever praises how funny this unofficial “spin-off” of this show is. Kevin James and Leah Remini have amazing chemistry, even though the show is obviously unrealistic (no woman who looked like Remini would ever go for a package delivery guy who looked like James.) The bonus of the show is the hilarious Jerry Stiller.
9. “The Sopranos”-Four seasons into this show, and I still love it. This past season was great. I love how the show constantly goes against expectations. Everyone pretty much knew Ralphie was going to be whacked, but so suddenly, and over a dead horse? I also liked how everyone expected another whacking on the season finale, but it never happened (I honestly thought if there had been a whacking, the show would have become a predictable cliché.) It will be interesting to see how Tony gets by now that Carmela has kicked him out in the fifth (and possibly final) season.
8. “John Doe”-This was my favorite new show of the season, and it still intrigues me with every episode. I keep wondering how they are going to keep up this gimmick of a man who knows everything except who he is, but it does, week after week.
7. “Curb Your Enthusiasm”-Larry David was one of the co-creators of one of the funniest shows ever, “Seinfeld,” so maybe it makes sense that he is the only one to escape the “Seinfeld Curse.” After three seasons, this partially unscripted sitcom is still the funniest non-animated show on TV.
6. “Angel”-This show is treated horribly by the WB, because it keeps moving the show and pairing it with other shows that don’t flow with it (“7th Heaven” anyone?) The quality of the show has never suffered though. Occasionally, this show is even better then its big sister “Buffy.” The addition of Connor to the cast has only made it that much more interesting. Only the ick factor of Cordelia and Connor fooling around is the downside (but I have a feeling it is all part of a weird grand story arc. I have faith in creator Joss Whedon’s vision!)
5. “South Park”-I have no idea why, after six seasons, this so is still able to be edgy and very hilarious. Some people can’t take the language, but it is something I have accepted since the beginning. I also really think that creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have got to be Libertarian, because the points they make in the show certainly steer that way. It also doesn’t hurt that they are from my home state of Colorado!
4. “Alias”-This show was good the first season, but it is so much better this season. First, it is because of the fact that it is a little easier to follow this season (last season was a little confusing at times.) Second, I love the fact that Will is now part of the C.I.A. Third, Marshall and Dixon are still cool (I loved the two-episode arc with Marshall where he almost escaped SD-6.) Last, but certainly not least, the addition of Lena Olin as Sydney’s traitor mom has made the show a zillion times better than it already was. Plus, it may go without saying, but Jennifer Garner looks so good in those skimpy outfits while kicking major butt!
3. “24”-The only thing wrong with this show is that I have to wait seven days (or more if there is a holiday) until the next episode! This show is the most tense, exciting drama on TV. It hasn’t let up at all this season (I really want to know how Jack is going to avoid being murdered by Nina and find the bomb!)
2. “The Gilmore Girls”-I still don’t know whether to classify this as a drama or a comedy, but I do know that it has some of the best (and fastest) dialogue of any show on TV. For all of you male TV geeks who think this is just a chick show, you are missing out. This is no “Dawson’s Creek.” The main characters happen to be female, but I think you will recognize their sometimes obscure geeky pop culture references when they are talking. Try it before you dismiss it.
1. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”-Even in its seventh season, it is still the best show on TV. Take the female butt kicking from “Alias,” the tense action from “24,” and the hilarious dialogue from “The Gilmore Girls,” and you get a picture why I am still a die-hard “Buffy” fan. I have come to grips with the fact that this might be its last season, and I will miss it, but it’s best to go out on top rather than let it wallow in mediocrity eventually. All hail the genius of Joss Whedon!
And this history of television from www.high-techproductions.com:
- 2002
Sony introduces the MicroMV Digital MPEG-2 tape based digital recorders. This system offers high resolution recorders small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. It records digitally onto a tiny tape with files small enough to be transferred to a PC within minutes. It also has the ability to record video that can be played directly over the internet.
- 2003
- First DVD camcorder is released, allowing total digital recording directly to disk in the MPEG2 format. DVD's gain in popularity and pre-recorded DVD's over take video tape rentals in stores. DVD's take up less room, are much higher quality, and contain many features not found on video tapes. They also can hold a lot more information and a single disc can have up to 6 hours of high quality video with multiple sound tracks.
- 2004
- DVD's Out Sells VHS tapes., Disc sales go through the roof as DVD's surpass VHS as the most common format for home entertainment. The price of DVD's has also fallen as it's popularity increases. Blank DVD's can now be purchased for as little as 25 cents for a 4X disc. Just a year ago, prices were as high as $15.00 for a single 1X disc. Home DVD recorders are now as inexpensive as a good quality VCR. For more than 25 years, VHS dominated the world home entertainment market after winning a challenge from Sony's Betamax in the early 1980s. By next year, some retailers are actually going to stop selling VHS VCR's as the DVD format now dominates the home video market. DVD's also have the advantage of containing "Extra's" that movie studios add to encourage sales of their disc's.
- Another major advance this year is the use of large capacity hard drives to record video. Digital video recorders (VDR's) are available for under $1000.00. Some models combine a hard drive with a DVD burner so you can record 100's of hours of video on the hard drive and then burn what you really want to keep on the internal DVD burner. This is far superior to VHS VCR'.
- 2005
- Flat screen TV's & HDTV are the "In" thing of the year.Almost all televisions sold are now flat LCD and Plasma screens. Some are only a few inches thick. Large screen Plasma and LCD TV's are also well within the reach of the average consumer. A 42" Plasma screen retails for as low as $1400.00 with prices getting lower as the year progresses. Hi Definition TV's, (known as HDTV) are also the big seller for 2005. A 42" Plasma HDTV usually retails for $4500.00 – $7000.00. Some new 42" TV's even sell for as low as $999.00. By 2006 all television stations will switch to a HiDef broadcast.
Click Here for more information on HDTV
- 2006
-
Flat screen TV's are larger and less expensive.They are finding their way into more & more homes as prices continue to drop and screen size gets larger. LCD TV's are now outselling plasma screens and projected to be the most popular kind of TVs in the world by 2009. 
Blu-Ray DVD's are released in the middle of the year. A single-layer Blu-ray disc, which is the same size as a DVD, can hold up to 27 GB of data — that's more than two hours of high-definition video or about 13 hours of standard video. A double-layer Blu-ray disc can store up to 54 GB, enough to hold about 4.5 hours of high-definition video or more than 20 hours of standard video. And there are even plans in the works to develop a disc with twice that amount of storage.
| Toshiba introduces HD Disks as competition to the Sony Blu-ray. A format war starts with some companies backing Blu-ray and others backing HD. |
2007
| Organic LCD TV's (OLCD) are Introduced and promises to revolutionize flat panel displays with their thin size. |
|
Time Running Out on Analog TV's as the FCC deadline approaches. By 2009 all broadcasts are to be in Hi-def digital format. |
2008
| Blu-ray Seems to Win over HD Disks as Wal-Mart, Target, Netflix & Best Buy Stores commit to the Blue-ray format. Most Blu-ray players now also "Upconvert" which means that a regular DVD played on a Blu-ray system will almost have the definition of a hi-def disc. |
| Government Gives Out Set-top Converter Coupons to people that don't have cable or satellite TV. Once the change over to all digital, anyone receiving TV from an antenna will need a converter in order to watch the new digital signals on older (non-digital) TV's. |
2009
| Hi-def is everywhere as all manufacturers release high definition TV's and monitors. Almost all sets now have the capability of displaying high resolution images. 1080 is considered the standard in the industry as the must have number of lines of resolution. |
| HDMI digital output connects it all. It is the one cable that can now connect a TV or monitor to a hi-def cable box, satellite receiver and/or Blu-ray player. It delivers true 1080 picture quality as well as stereo audio all through one multi-pin connector. Now you don't have to have multiple wires running to your TV as it is all done through one HDMI cable.. |
| Internet Widgets on Televisions as a way of integrating the web with TV. All you need is an internet enabled set or set-top box and you can watch certain Internet sites directly on your screen without having a computer hooked up. "NetFlix", "YouTube" and other providers stream the info to the set and allow you to watch Internet programming at the touch of your televisions remote control. Sony, Panasonic, Samsung and others make sets with Internet Widgets built in. |
2010
3D movies and 3D television sets arrive. It started with James Cameron's blockbuster "Avatar". 3D has been around for decades, but this time it seems as though it is here to stay. Numerous movies have come out and all TV manufactures have released high definition 3D sets.
New 3D Blu-ray players have also been introduced so you can watch your favorite movie (as soon as it's released on disc) in 3D at home. Several cable stations and networks are starting to deliver programs in 3D. |
