When Top Gun came out I was 6 years old. I had to be Maverick, and watched the movie approximately 2.3 times a day for the entire summer vacation. I distinctly recall riding my bike in the street one summer day when suddenly I heard “Highway To The Danger Zone” on a neighbor’s boombox radio. He was washing the car in the driveway. I darted over to my house, ditched my bike in the grass, ran to the TV, and frantically pushed channel up until I was at MTV. To my disappointment “Highway To The Danger Zone” wasn’t on MTV, it was that damn Madonna girl again. I didn’t really like the Top Gun song, but I yearned to see Tom Cruise’s F-14 Tomcat fly the skies and shoot missles.
Flash forward 20 years, I can watch that music video with the help of the internet anytime or place that I desire. Screw the music video, I can take the movie with me anywhere. The idea of Tom Cruise in your pocket was absurd in the mid 80’s (yet every woman pondered the fantasy).
Where will it go from here? What dreams that I can’t fathom possible are being made possible? The Cable-Tec Expo 2005 will give you a hint of what’s to come in the near future. VoIP, H.264/MPEG 4 Part 10, Everything on Demand, DVR + DVDRW, Wireless MetroMesh Networking, and the list goes on. Highway To The Digital Zone I say!
I always try to watch TV when I’m on the freeway, thing is, I don’t have a TV in my car. Following a SUV on the highway at night almost guarantees a TV with The Little Mermaid playing for a car seat or two in the back seat. I like the Disney collection as much as any seven year old, but I can’t handle the same the heavy rotation that they consume most animated features. My tiny collection of DVDs coupled with the poor reception for broadcast TV stations on the road would provide a very repetitious viewing repertoire.