maybe comcast will deliver freshly popped popcorn and sodas

Last night I was watching television, some new crime show I'd never seen before, and I couldn't help marveling at the camera work. Shots that panned in and out, close-ups and dramatic zooming- the whole thing seemed remarkably artistic. Combine the fancy camera work with high definition, and it felt more like being at the movies than watching a regular tv on a week night.

I couldn't help thinking that we never could have anticipated this, even a decade or two ago, when a sitcom consisted of a camera watching people chat in a living room, or a coffee house, or on the street. Nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary, the show was simply about the interaction with the characters on the screen, nothing else. Last night's show was about far more than just the conversations on the screen. It felt like I was watching this carefully choreographed dance between the scenery, settings, and the people.

I wonder what television will be like when Gabe and Josie grow up. He already lives in a world without commercials and without having to wait for a show to come on (thanks to DVR). He doesn't believe me when I say a particular show isn't available on tv, he'll just hand me the remote and tell me to find it on the tv. What do you think? Maybe holograms? Maybe everything will be 3-D? Maybe we'll have movie theaters in our house?