I'm guessing that either he's fucking weird (certainly possible considering his parents) or all children love to watch shit. While he gets excited when I come home from work, it's nothing like he gets when he's watching my parents on Google Video Chat. If he's going to feel excited via a particular medium then I say I'm all for it--especially if it helps one particular child learn better than others.
He's not weird. Or no weirder than normal.
He likes to look at things, check. He's still learning to see, so any NEW thing will be interesting to him.
He's more interested in watching your parents on GVC, check. You're one of the two most important things in his universe. But you're old news compared to this little picture that talks and looks like Granma and Grampa. Though frankly he'd be just as interested in total strangers - he's after NEW.
The only problem with TV will come when you decide to use it as a babysitter. At that point, it becomes bad. Until then, it's just more novelty for the wee lad.
While he has some attention for books, especially ones where my mother recorded herself reading them and we play it for him while he listens
He's too young for books, other than as more NEW stuff.
That said, mother reading to him is better than mother recording things for him to listen to later.
Starting in about two years, you'll have your chance to start him on a lifetime of reading. There's pretty much one simple way to do that - read. Not necessarily to him, though that certainly helps. But if he sees you and his mother sitting down to an evening of reading most every night, he'll want to do it too. And once he starts, he'll never stop....
