Bring on the Bandwidth

Movies and Music

Despite all the video and music available for downloading, the only thing most web surfers get clearly is hype. Internet video is still as jerky and unattractive as a city bus. In the time that it takes to download an MP3 tune using a 56kbps modem, you could sing the entire Garth Brooks songbook. In the broadband world, PCs will be more like supercharged video and music stores, and you won't have to choose from a meager collection. Just think of the entertainment that will be available on AOL now that the cybergiant has teamed up with media titan Time Warner. Conceivably, every movie and song ever produced will be available with a few mouse clicks. Want to fill an evening with all the Barrymores on film, or the tunes form the latest Afropop charts in Mali? There will be a site somewhere that will satisfy you heart's desire--in a few minutes, rather than hours. And, yes, there will be portable entertainment gadgets galore.

Webcasts

Webcasts broadcast live programs over the Internet (we've been webcasting parties at the Playboy Mansion for the past two years). Hundreds of radio stations worldwide already play round-the-clock on the web but still hiss and halt like the shortwave radios in old Tarzan movies. In the future, Internet webcasts will be as clear as a CD--and as fluid as television. Speaking of TV, you'll have access to an entire world of video programming via the Net. But channel surfing on a global scale won't require a TV Guide the size of a dictionary. Webcast search engines will be smart enough to sift through all the programs online to find just what you're looking for. Specialized webcasts will give you more options. Concert and sports broadcasts will let you pick among various camera angles. What to check out Fiona Apple, front row, center? Go for the close-up from the comfort of your couch. Better yet, create your own shows. With digital audio recorders and digital camcorders, you'll be able to broadcast you home movies cheaply over the Internet or directly to digital set-top boxes attached to high definition digital televisions.

Shopping

In the broadband universe, shopping online for clothes will be science. You'll be able to program a small smart card (like a credit card with extra memory) with all your vitals--size, tastes, budget--and plug it into a card reader on you PC when you're ready to start spending. Stores, such as bananarepublic.com, will show you their wares in full 3D animation superimposed on your own image. If you like what you see, the garment will be tailor-made (or rather, computer-made) to order. In the future, small boutiques will unite over broadband networks, to offer you better service than the giants. Want fishing gear? Skip Wal-Mart and head to the bet angling shop in Montana. Want that backgammon set you passed up in Istanbul? Finding exotica will be simply a matter of typing the request into a search engine. But instead of getting a million hits for every mention of backgammon, it will point you straight to the board you desire.

Chat

Most chat rooms now require the finger speed of a concert pianist and the deciphering skills of a Pentagon code cracker. If your typing lags, or you blank at the Internet's latest acronyms, you'll miss the thread of conversation. Broadband will put your fingers to rest by turning the Internet into a massive phone system capable of carrying conversations with lots of people. When the gaggle of voices gets too confusing, voice recognition software will translate the talk back to text. Expect full-motion webcams to become commonplace. On the upside, you'll get to see "Raging-Babe'' before agreeing to meet her face-to-face. On the downside, the fantasy element of web chat will be over. Broadband also will change the way telephone calls are made. The concept of long distance will vanish, since all calls will carry over the Internet at essentially the same cost. No wonder AT&T is so eager to get in on the broadband.

Games

Computer games are Americans' favorite form of indoor entertainment, and games already show off a computer's talents better than any other application. They will lead the drive to new technology in the broadband universe, too. Expect online games to become far more realistic, with believable 3D settings that rival those of Hollywood films such as "Star Wars'' (itself created in large part by the digital graphics tools that will be used to create new games). Instead of just commanding some third-party character, you'll be getting in on the action--or at least your 3D likeness will. Sure, you can scan your face into games today, but the technology is crude compared with what will travel over the Internet in the next few years. Highspeed connections for computers and game consoles such as the forthcoming Playstation II will let you take on real players in cyberspace. Or you'll play under assumed identities that grow in power as you vanquish opponents. When you get as far as you want, you can auction off your character--or his weapons--in an online marketplace. That gives a whole new meaning to being a slave to technology.

More Cool Stuff

A superfast Internet connection will also change the way television and portable information devices (like the PalmPilot) work. TV will offer far more choices, letting you pick when and how you watch your favorite shows. With a broadband connection fed into your set-top box, you can catch the seven o'clock news--from start to finish--beginning at 7:19 P.M. Ads will be more interactive. See a video on MTV you like and then shop for it with you remote control. An increasing number of palm devices will merge with cellular phones, allowing you to check e-mail and voice mail from the same handheld device, browse selected websites and e-shop on the fly. Need on-the-spot training when your tire blows or when you're cooking lamb chops for the first time? You'll be able to feed the training video or video phone call to your handheld device and get busy. Plus, wireless gadgets will double as video phones.

Waiting for a web page to churn onto the screen of your home computer can feel like doing hard time. especially if you've been spoiled by a TI line at work or school. Well--rejoice, time biders. Faster Internet access (a.k.a. broadband) is finally heading home. Cable television companies are already rolling out, albeit slowly, Internet services that are ten times faster than the fastest modem connections. Phone companies promise even faster on-ramps via a service known as Digital Subscriber Line. (FYI: DSL requires a special telephone line and costs about $50 per month, compared with $55 per month for cable.) Expense aside, industry insiders predict that 15 million homes will have some kind of fast Internet connection by 2003. The speedier services will do more than add years to your life; they'll change the way you live. We've queried some of the best companies planning for the new way of computing, and here's what to expect within the next five years.