In a previous post, I speculate about some products and topics related to Apple. But, I forgot one of the features I have realized I want in Apple’s iTV product more than anything else: party shuffle of video playlists.
I want to be able to set up playlists or seasons or collections of shows and have the iTV play them like the party shuffle works for music, but output to a TV. So, in otherwords, I want to program my own network.
One idea I had was to watch several shows on the day of the week they originally aired on TV. But, having the ability to set up a playlist of shows and having the iTV shuffle through them indefinitely … now that would be pretty cool.
I haven’t played with Front Row yet, so I suppose this idea could already be in there … This is the major missing feature of the DVR and DVD experience. One of the greatest advantages of setting up a music player with tons of music is not having to futz with changing CD after CD. A replacement for TV and DVD, whatever kind of DVR-like device it may be, needs to have a cool way to program and randomize video content in the same way that music content can be currently.
Freeing the content is only part of the deal. Freeing the user to program their own network is about ordering and making sense with that content.