Create your own Prime Time TV

A new age is dawning for television. Democracy player by the Participatory Culture Foundation is a free, open source, open content player which is downloadable might change the way we watch television forever. Even though the player has been around for some time its disruptive power is only becoming apparent now.

It creates a comprehensive new media experience by connecting previously disconnected platforms. A user can subscribe to “24″ or “Lost” and every week when the new series is moving from the broadcast networks on to BitTorrent it automatically downloads on to the users computer.
It builds upon the bridge TiVo and Sky Digital have created towards the viewer not being reliant on the broadcasters about what your television set shows you. Democracy player also allows amateur film makers to showcase their work on one of the 500 (and growing) channels, and some of the shows are actually good to watch! Other shows are funny, and some are useless. There is also a sorting/rating mechanism in place so you often know what the quality of a show is before you download it.

A great feature is the ‘Auto-Download’ where the player downloads the shows you like when they are released for later viewing pleasure. This feature can also be applied to current TV shows, which are all being released in the form of BitTorrents. Democracy player sorts all your downloaded films and even brings a very nice looking full-screen video player in the package. Movies are downloaded in the background, so you are not bothered by the ‘buffering’ screen before you can watch the film.

This type of player, which is still in testing phase and needs perfecting, will probably take over from the broadcasters and allow people to create their own ‘prime-time TV’. No more need to hurry to get to the TV in time for a show, as everyone can choose what to watch when they have time to sit back and relax. Another step in the right direction!

The question is: will the old broadcasting networks survive this change?
Unless they can join this ‘Free Culture’ movement suggested by Lawrence Lessig, they will find it hard to compete with the freedom offered by the internet. In Britain for example, the BBC are developing their own Media Player, offering only BBC content. In other countries in Europe similar ideas are being explored, but none offer the same amount of content & freedom as the Democracy player, the opensource player of the future.