Letters to the Editor
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Strange, isn't it.
Yes, music these days is all about convenience and availability. For proof you need only compare the iPod with SACDs and DVD-Audio. The day it was launched, the iPod became one of the hottest consumer items in human history, whereas SACD and DVD-Audio players and media were introduced to little fanfare and dropped off most people's radar within a year or two. The iPod added convenience; the other technologies added quality. People wanted convenience.
On the other hand, people DO care about video quality. Bigger and better HDTVs are selling well, and HD home video is starting to take off... unlike the once-promising and now-dead PSP media format, or personal video players in general (the iPod video sells well because it's an iPod, not because it plays video). And despite all the carrier-generated buzz about cell phone video, I have yet to see a single person watch an episode of 24 or whatever on their phone.
The lesson, I guess? People only care about music if they can have it everywhere, but they're still content to watch TV at home.