[geeks] Whee! Lightning strikes, AGAIN!

[nate at portents.com]

> On Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 05:36:00PM -0400, Phil Stracchino wrote:
>
>> As mentioned elsewhere, I really wish the world had long since switched
>> over to fiber not just for networking, but for pretty much all other
>> data-only connections.  Imagine how much easier it would be hooking up a
>> hi-fi/home theater system if each component - including the TV monitor -
>> required only a single optical cable to connect it to the receiver.
>
> It isn't fiber, but isn't HDMI already only a single cable to connect it
> to whatever?  There are certainly plenty of bad things to say about HDMI
> though.

There used to be a lot of buzz that Firewire was going to become *the*
home audio/video interconnect, and it would have been brilliant.  64
devices supported, isochronous transfers supported, device-to-device
direct communication, the option to run TCP/IP over it, etc.

I still think it could be great, but sadly the industry is more concerned
with how they can "protect" their precious content as much as possible,
while everyone is in bed with everyone else.  Witness Hulu bowing to the
cable companies and blocking Hulu on game consoles like the PS3 because
the last thing cable companies want is a-la-carte content, especially if
they're not the ones providing it.  Despite the fact that I think that's
what most people really do want... but whatever, I'm fairly convinced that
eventually the cable providers will be just where all the buggy whip
makers and ice harvesters are - extinct.  It's just a matter of time.

- Nate