Spider-man 3 on Your Cellphone Anyone?

The titanic developments in new technology have radically changed the way we watch TV and movies at home. Gone are the days when the TV set was a box in the corner with a 20in screen and a tinny speaker. Now most of us prefer to watch movies and sports casts on a widescreen that's at least 28in from corner to corner.

If you are a fan of home theater then that screen will almost certainly be bigger and be accompanied by a surround sound speaker system to maximise the aural effect and immerse you in the action. As technology improves and equipment becomes cheaper, more and more people will have high definition TVs and home theater set- ups.

However, if Sony has its way, we'll all be enjoying a completely different movie- watching experience, on a 2inch mobile phone screen. Sony wants to see an iTunes- style download service for movies so we can download them and watch them on the move. Would you watch a film on a cellphone? I wouldn't.

Imagine it. Out would go the immersive, involving experience of the movie theater that we've tried so hard to create at home, and in its place would be a screen so small that it would be difficult to make out what was going on. That in itself would create a dilemma for film-makers. If a sizeable number of people who pay to see a movie do so by downloading it on their mobile, will directors have to take this into account when making it? Will studios reject cuts because they contain too many subtle facial expressions or movements that can't be detected on a tiny screen? Will the muted colors of a Saving Private Ryan have to replaced with more lurid and brightly colored scenes to make them more easily visible on a cellphone?

And what of the audio? Is their any point in spending time and money developing a detailed and textured surround-sound experience if a significant portion of your audience will be listening on earbuds while travelling on a train?

These examples may be extreme, but they do highlight the differences between the way a music download service works and the way a movie download service would. Music, by its nature, is immensely portable. OK, the sound quality from an iPod over a pair of earbuds may be nothing compared to that from a decent hi-fi set-up, but for most people most of the time, it's a close enough approximation. That won't be the case with movies. Why did those tiny, battery powered, pocket TVs never really take-off? For the same reason.

Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, who knows a thing or two about the movie industry through his stewardship of Pixar, has often said that he's not interested in producing a video iPod because no-one wants to watch movies on a small screen. Jobs is right about most things, and I think he's right about that. Sony disagrees. It will be interesting to see who's right.

Robert Armsrong is a contributor to The HDTV Tuner - a guide to the kit, the technology and the programming on HDTV.

---

Americans Catching on to Wireless Text Messaging

Once considered a teenage fad, text messaging popularity in the... Read More

Cell Phones Can Damage Your Eyes

A recent scientific study identified a link between microwave radiation... Read More

DECT - A Brief Explanation and How We Could Benefit From It

DECT stands for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications. Unlike analogue cordless... Read More

Cell Phones - The New Media

Every day, there are more new uses for the classic... Read More

Is That Your Cell Phone Ringing or Mine?

The newest technology is incredible and getting better. The newest... Read More

Camera Cell Phone Samsung

Camera cell phone by Samsung ? description.Samsung manufacture a large... Read More

Cell Phone Etiquette

... Read More

Choosing a Phone and Voice Mail System

Phone and voice mail systems can be pretty costly, even... Read More

The Convenience Of Prepaid Wireless Service And Phone Cards

Prepaid wireless service and phone cards are a convenient, reliable... Read More

Some Tips For The Safe Use of Cell Phones And Batteries

1. Increase the life span of your cell phone and... Read More

Ringtones Explained - Monophonic, Polyphonic, or Whatever Phonic Rings Your Bell

Downloadable Ring tones - The Latest TrendWhat can you say... Read More

Cellular Phone Company

Cellular phone company list.There are many large cellular phone companies... Read More

Senior Citizen Calling Tips

The AARP, American Association of Retired Persons, ( ... Read More

Add a Cell Phone Booster to Make Life a Little Easy

Cell Phones have become a mainstay for every earthling. Right... Read More

Advantages and Disadvantages of Prepaid Cell Phones

We are constantly seeing advertisements on TV promoting cell phones... Read More

Contemplating Selling Your Cell Tower Lease For A Lump Sum?

Many landowners who have leased land for a cell tower... Read More

Prepaid Phone Cards Will Save You Money On All Your Long Distance Calls

If you make a lot of long distance phone calls,... Read More

Take Care of Your Cell Phone Battery. Your Life May Depend on It

You probably don't even think about it but do you... Read More

Donate Your Old Cellular Phone To Support A Worthy Cause

With new features being added to cellular phones at an... Read More

Smartphones - Beyond Voice to Information and Entertainment

Investments in shares of wireless technology companies and wireless service... Read More

Prepaid Calling Cards and Terrorism: Where Did All The ?Chatter? Go?

Does that necessarily mean that there are no terrorist communications... Read More

Cellular Phones ? Things to Consider When Buying a Phone

Staying connected with a cell phone has become a way... Read More

Cell Phones Revealed

The cellphone is truly a marvelous invention. It has had... Read More

Overview of Cellular Phone Carriers

How many times have you heard of people spending hundreds... Read More

What is SMS?

What is SMS?SMS, also known as short messaging service, is... Read More

An Introduction to Text Messaging

Why Text?Text messaging is a quick way to stay in... Read More

Helping You Choose From Cell or Land Line

Most of us have two phones, our cell and our... Read More

Read This Before Getting A NEW Cellular Phone

It seems like these days, there are a million and... Read More

Cell Phone - Why Should I Upgrade

We hear from friends or just general chat by people... Read More

Cheap Long Distance or is It Really? The Search Continues...

Each month, there are countless Americans who are faced with... Read More

UK Top 40 Singles: Should It Include Ringtones As Well?

I noticed two interesting stories today. The first one on... Read More

How to Find the Best Long Distance Rates

These days the best long distance rates are not found... Read More

Internet Cell Phone Deals - How to Take Advantage of Them

The internet can be a great place to buy your... Read More