I started reading to my daughter at 1m. Her first book was Pat the Bunny. Between 1-2m, she was already responding to it; she was feeling the textures and pointing at the pictures, etc. Maliit pa sya nakita ko na yung interest nya sa reading. She learned her ABCs, then I taught her phonics (sound of each letter), until she read her first word at 2y10m. Yung pagturo ko sa kanya based lang sa interest nya. We never used flash cards or videos; everything was through play, songs, and reading together. Now that she's 4y, she reads her books (no newspapers, of course) on her own, though at bedtime I still read to her. And because she can already read, she has learned to write and spell na rin. She writes me and her Dad notes, we send each other text messages sometimes (no, she doesn't have her own cellphone), and I write notes that I place in her school snack bag for her to read. I didn't teach her to read early to have an edge over other children. Basically, ang advantage ng early reading nya ay better (and varied ways of) communication for our family, ability to read her books all by herself, and access to more information (food labels, activity instructions, etc). I believe it is the parents' responsibility to offer learning opportunities for their children, build on their strengths and interests (whether it's reading, drawing, dancing, playing a musical instrument, etc.), and teach them at their own pace. Sana hindi tayo ma-limit by what is deemed 'age-appropriate' since children really develop differently.
