TV Gone Backwards

I’m always impressed by how clever modern things are. But I’m also perplexed how some people take all this cleverness and make things that aren’t very useful. Take my telly. I’ve got a Sony PS3 plugged into a Sony amplifier which is connected to a Sony TV. When I try to watch a Bu-ray disk on the PS3 it takes ages to connect to the TV and I sometimes get a bright green (or purple – it varies) screen. And often the PS3 has forgotten all about any previous audio settings that I’ve laboriously made so that I have to go and do them all again. And when I watch the Blu-Ray (also from Sony Columbia Studios) it shows me a warning that because the disc contains “Advanced Interactive Content” (which I have no interest in) it might take several minutes to get started. And then when it has loaded the disk it insists on showing me lots of trailers and other stuff about how much Blu-Ray is better than DVDs before I get to the main feature that I have paid money to see. Say what you like about my old record player, but I could guarantee that within 10 seconds of arriving home with a new album  I could be listening to it.

Wah. Did nobody at Sony actually try to use this stuff? Apple are rumoured to be moving into TV soon. I bet their system won’t have 30 second pauses while nothing useful happens. Here’s hoping that their presence will force manufacturers to get their act together.