Do you lean forward or lean back?

I never knew the difference between the two until Nalts (of GooTube Conspiracy fame) pointed it out. You "lean forward" when you watch online video and "lean back" when you watch TV at home.

At my age, I grew up with "walking remote" and "real remote." I was the "walking remote" for many years. With only 5 channels, it didn't take long to chose a station, but, seeing as I was the low man on the totem pole, Dad made me change the channel.

Since then, technology has progressed to include LCD, plasma, 1080i, DVR, TiVo, YouTube, and Google Video. I could list more, but this post isn't about that.

This is about the savior that online video has become for me.

Here's an example of my viewing as a child:

Dad and I sit down to eat dinner at a 1950s era metal table. I sit with my back to the TV (a remote less tube with buttons on the side for a max of 20 stations), so I have to constantly turn to see what's going on. Dad decides what we watch, usually M*A*S*H or Three's Company, and when the channel needs changing, I'm the one to do it. By 8 pm, I'm in bed wishing I could stay up to watch more of V. Sometimes I'd come out for a drink and try to stay for the end of the show. It never worked well. If I missed an episode of Taxi or some other "cool" show, I was out of luck. VCRs weren't commonplace enough to tape something on one TV and watch something on another. Hell, TVs weren't commonplace to have more than one in a house.

Here's an example of my viewing as an adult:

My wife, child, and I sit down to eat dinner at a 1990s era wooden table. We all face the TV to watch our 20" LCD with built in analog and HD tuner. Changing the channel is so simple, the three-year old does it, but fortunately doesn't decide what we watch. It's usually M*A*S*H or MacGyver on DVD, or Friends if my wife picks. Movies are also in the mix. By 8 pm I'm finished with the dishes and the three-year old is in bed. If I miss an episode of a "cool" show like Heroes or CSI, I can set the VCR and satellite receiver to tape whatever I desire.

What will the future bring? I had thought for many years a TiVo or DVR would be added to our entertainment center. I'd even dreamt about adding some sort of wireless box that would allow us to watch the recorded shows on any TV in the house.

But thanks to NBC and CBS, that won't be needed. Instead, I watch shows I miss online, either at home or at work. With the proliferation of online video, I'm more often leaning forward to see what happens next in Vegas or Miami. This morning, I watched Jericho on the laptop (17" widescreen) that I was able to take where ever I wanted thanks to the wifi connection. The resolution is better than the VCR and I could move it with me. Tuesday I watched Heroes in much the same way.

My biggest disappointment so far? Two things. One, my connection at work is too slow to stream the video so I have to rely on YouTube (Jericho can be found here). Second, ABC doesn't let you watch earlier episodes of LOST. I'd like to see what the big deal is, but won't start in the middle of season 4 (or 3 or whatever it is).