the McPhee Blog

 I don’t typically watch anything on TNT, but I’ve heard some good things about Leverage and I like the leading men in Trust Me.   So, I went over to TNT.tv to check out the pilots of those shows.  As it it turns out TNT does not support Macintosh computers.  I jumped over to Hulu which has a direct link back to TNT where, as I already stated, they do not support macs.

According to Gene Munster, Senior Analyst at Piper Jaffray Apple Computer has a U.S. domestic market share of 21%.  TNT has somehow decided that they need not support 21 percent of the market.  This is what TNT says about the issue:

“  TNT.tv would like to apologize for not being able to accommodate Mac     users.  The issue is related to the Windows Media Player, specifically video with Digital Rights Management (DRM). This is because the WMP for the Mac is not supported directly by Microsoft . Our agreement with the studios that produce the shows stipulates that their content be protected (full episodes) from piracy with DRM software. Additionally, WMP is more universal than other platforms like QuickTime and Flash Video for distributing protected content.   “

I can remember a time when the internet was a confusing place.  Nearly every website had a notice that read something like:   “This website best viewed at 800 x 600 resolution using a Netscape browser running Windows 98 and sitting at a computer placed next to a North facing window between the hours of 2 and 3 pm.”  We accepted it because that was how things were.  Compatibility hadn’t really caught on.

That is not the case today.  I am a big proponent of networks providing online content.  First of all it makes financial sense.  It is very quick and easy to get any television show or movie for free online.  However, it is slightly easier and quicker to go to the networks website and watch the show from them with their ads.  It’s a win win situation.  Additionally, At this point all of your competitors are doing it, so you really shouldn’t be the one network not playing along.  People are not going to just watch your show on cable.  They are going to take it from one of the dozen websites or torrents where your content is freely available.

I’ve railed against CBS in the past for having clips – a completely ridiculous idea.  TNT has the full episodes, they just won’t let everyone watch them.  I’m not sure if TNT’s issue is one of arrogance or stupidity.  ABC, FOX, NBC, and Comedy Central are just a few of the networks that have no issue supporting both Macintosh computers and PCs.  It’s really not all that hard.  I mean, really TNT?  You are no ABC.  Why would you think this it is a good idea to cut off nearly a quarter of your market?

In spite of the title, I really do enjoy reading Scott Adams’ blog. It is a well thought out blog that presents some interesting “philosotainment,” as he calls it. My issue is with his site. I use a mac to browse the internet with firefox and about a half dozen extensions. So for me most websites look and act the way I want them to. I keep my browser filling the legnth of my 21” wide screen monitor and everything behaves according to my settings..

When I go to Mr. Adams site, I immediately center click my mouse on the edge of his page to begin scrolling down the page. However every time I do this it opens his blog in yet another tab. The reason for this is that what looks like the edge of the webpage is actually part of an very long header. There is no reason for the header. It is exactly the same color as his background. If it were to be removed, I would be the only one who would even notice. Now having an unnecessarily long header alone would not cause any problems, but it happens to be a link back to the very page I am on. So, invariably I end up with two tabs of his site opened every time I go there.

This is certainly not one of the worst designed websites I have seen. However, it is one of the few that I cannot conform to my user controlled browsing.