DAVE ROSS

Do you really love your TV?

Apr 5, 2013, 7:57 AM | Updated: 8:03 am

I think in many ways television is better than ever. Television SETS however, have become very annoying. (AP Photo/file)

(AP Photo/file)

I think in many ways television is better than ever. Television SETS however, have become very annoying.

Old analog TVs displayed a crude picture, but at least they were simple. Rabbit ears, a wall plug, twist the dial, within a minute you’re watching a show.

Today, you need AT LEAST two remotes, the one that came with the set, and the one for the box from the cable company. But why is it that every TV needs a separate box to work? If the parts inside this box are so crucial, why don’t they just put them IN the TV set to begin with? And then, this whole assembly has to be plugged into a cable, the computer network, the stereo, the security system.

I have friends who need seven active remotes just to watch Seinfeld re-runs.

The new smart TVs don’t have to warm up, like the old TV’s with vacuum tubes. Except the smart TVs have so much to think about, they take just as long to come on as the old ones. And they have an attitude. They sometimes demand a password. Sometimes they want money – in addition to what you just paid for the TV, and what you pay every month for cable and electricity!

But now, Apple is reported to be almost ready to unveil its iTV. One of the last projects Steve Jobs worked on. In fact right before he died, he told his biographer – in his cryptic way – that he’d figured it out: how to re-make TV.

For example, instead of a basket full of remotes, the iTV will let you control it without ANY remote – you would just wave your hand while wearing a special ring. That sounds exactly like what Steve Jobs would do. Make a TV so appealing we don’t just want to watch it – we want to marry it.

Dave's Commentary

Dave Ross on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
  • listen to dave rossTune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 5am for Dave Ross on Seattle's Morning News.

Dave Ross

privacy pods...

Dave Ross

Ross: Tracking employees’ vital signs at work via privacy pods, what could go wrong?

I saw a Bloomberg story about the latest innovation to reduce your stress level at work: Privacy pods.

18 days ago

car culture...

Dave Ross

Ross: Are we killing car culture? Or is car culture killing the US?

I don’t think the question is whether we're going to "kill" our car culture. The real question is can we stop our car culture from killing the U.S.?

25 days ago

drivers data insurance...

Dave Ross

Ross: As cars release driving data to insurance, is your driving my business?

Every move you make, every swerve you take, every lane change you fake – someone’s watching you. Do drivers have a right to keep driving data private?

1 month ago

rent control...

Dave Ross

Ross: Rent control was never the answer in Wash.

The rent control bill died in the Washington State Legislature this week, even though Democrats control both houses.

2 months ago

end of democracy...

Dave Ross

Ross: Conservative activist earns applause for pledging an ‘end of Democracy’

The theme from Jack Posobiec's speech is that Jan. 6 was a righteous attack not on democracy, but on those who threaten democracy.

2 months ago

Image: Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, is seen on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2023. (Photo: Alex Brand...

Dave Ross

Ross: Voters can help cull bad politicians from the herd early

Let's remember that just about every occupant of a higher office once occupied a lower office, and was put there by us, Dave Ross says.

2 months ago

Do you really love your TV?