Wolf Tracking

School’s finally back in session and I’m quickly reminded just how much our entire household (myself included) depends on certain technologies, such as video on-demand (VOD) and DVR.

On Sunday night, my five year-old watched me ever so closely to ensure that we recorded his favorite cartoon series, “The Justice League.” It airs weekly at 10:00 p.m. and our pact is that we’ll watch two 23-minute shows – back-to-back – either Friday or Saturday nights. My daughter, on the other hand, has her own set of DVR’ed programs but really prefers watching movies on demand.

And while my husband DVR’s just about anything sports-related, I reluctantly admit to recording and watching shows with no real value. This could be HGTV’s “Divine Design,” TLC’S “What Not to Wear” or The Style Network’s new show, “Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane.”

But the point of this is not to emphasize what we watch on TV, but how we watch it. And more importantly, how our digital living room viewing experiences will continue to evolve and impact the way we live.

Nearly 26 million people use DVR, according to the Carmel Group. They conducted a survey called, “Digital Video Recorders 2007: Time In A Magical Box,” that examined what appeals to or aggravates consumers about DVR usage and related digital services. According to the study, nearly half of all U.S. TV homes will be equipped with a DVR system by 2010. Another research firm also estimates that there will be nearly 65.9 million VOD homes that exist in 2016. Of course, our household is one of the millions contributing to these growth trends.

In the next 5-10 years, I’m looking forward to seeing how DVR and VOD technologies will evolve and how I can use them in every day life – beyond just sheer entertainment. For example, I’m warming up to the idea of being able to – at some point – search through interactive ads and purchase products directly through my DVR.

Ladies, just imagine being able to record and watch your favorite interior design show, and purchase paint and decorating accessories specifically based on one of the rooms featured on your favorite episode. That’d be pretty cool, right?