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Defining
Interactive
TV
October
14th, 2009 - Park
Associates projects that by 2014, U.S. addressable, interactive TV
advertising revenue will exceed $4 billion.
October,
2009 - The CEO of
Comcast said in a recent earnings call that 25 million U.S.
cable-enabled homes will have access to interactive TV by the end of
2009. Combine this with the 30 million satellite and IPTV subscribers
who already receive interactive TV and there will be 55 million
households
that will be able to access interactive TV {by the end of
2009}.
Interactive
Television - (May also be known as: ITV,
iTV, i-TV, ETV, eTV, Enhanced
Television, Enhanced TV, Transactional Television, Fully Interactive
TV, Interactive Digital Television, Interactive TV, Web-based
Interactive TV, Social Interactive TV, Smart Interactive Television,
Two-way Television, Synchronous
Programming, Digital Interactive TV/Broadband IP Convergence,
Interactive Cable, Interactive Video, Enriched TV, Enhanced
Broadcasting, Advanced Interactive TV, TVs with Interactive
Programming, Total ITV, Fully Interactive Television, Fully Interactive
TV, Advanced TV, Multiplexed TV viewing, Full-service Integrated
Interactive TV, Customized, Individualized or Personalized TV {used
more often in Europe;} Real-time Companion Programming,
ActiveTV.
Looser but at least substantial association with: Web TV, WEB Enhanced
TV, Internet TV, Internet Television, Interactive Mobile TV,
Individualized Viewing, Net TV, Online TV, Internet on TV, Web-over
Television Services, Web-accessed TV, TeleWeb, TV-based Web Browsing,
TV Based Browsing, TV Internet System, TV Internet Access Device,
Web-over-TV, TV Mail, Web Enhanced TV, Internet Protocol Multicasting,
IP Multicast, BusinessTV, Videoconferencing {videophone}, Web PCs, Web
Phones, Phone-based Web Boxes, Set-top Browsers, Public Access Internet
T, Internet HDTV, IP-based Interactive TV Applications, Interactive TV
Widgets.)
A major
problem interactive
television has had, at least in the States, is that after a particular
type of interactive TV technology, such as timeshifting (DVR use)
or Video on Demand, becomes at least somewhat successful, journalists,
analysts and often even industry professionals seem to spin it off into
it’s own separate category of television technology, thus making it in
many people’s minds no longer directly associated with interactive
television. I remember in 1999 when Video on Demand and DVR use, (timeshifting)
were struggling to gain acceptance, these were regularly referred to as
interactive television, then those two technologies became successful
and so long amigo. With so many interactive television technologies
being spun off into their own technology categories, it makes it
tougher for interactive television in the States (because interactive
television has been successful for many years in other parts of the
world) to beat its checkered American past.
Many think that the incorporation of WiFi connectivity will greatly aid
in interactive television deployment. In the late 1990s, interactive
television had trouble taking off, not only because of the economic
roadblock of the 2000 NASDAQ downturn but due to logistics. At that
time interactive television applications typically needed to be
compatible with many different types of set-top boxes, network
operators, types of middleware,
headend technologies, etc. WiFi
integration into TV sets however can move a good deal of that burden
off those often incompatible and proprietary technologies.
Utilization of the Internet also aids in interactive television
deployment due to its ability to be a cross platform technology.
The
term "ITV (iTV)" has gotten popular. The British TV station ITV
utilized the word "ITV". Apple TV is expected to be re-branded as
"iTV", Monster Cable
produces an iPod video accessory known as the iTV Link and Comcast
offers a interactive television service branded iTV. Also for years TThe Interactive TV Dictionary
and Business Index™x™ has been trademarked.
Web-enabled
TV Widgets - Web-enabled TV Widgets are small,
self-contained programs that can be plugged into a web
application.
iTV
2.0
Gesture Recognition
-
Controlling devices such as TVs and video games primarily with hand
and/or finger movement. With this technology you can change television
channels, adjust the volume, interact etc. Also see Air Mouse.
CI+
Specification - A standard for enabling interactive
applications
in smart card modules and more.
Advanced
Remote Control Devices
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Note, there
can be differences between Enhanced
TV
and Interactive TV. Also note that IPTV
can offer great
interactive TV but it is not a synonym for Interactive TV.
(1) This first
general definition of Interactive TV is for those who
define Interactive Television as the top level umbrella definition for
all types of interactivity involving televisions, as well as television
programming viewed using other interactive mediums, such as the mobile
phone and PC. (Note that the web is interactive thus when interactive
features are available on a website offering video, technically that's
interactive television.) Thus Video on Demand
(VOD)
would be a subset of Interactive Television and because of that VOD
could be entitled either Video
on Demand and/or Interactive
Television. The same is true of Internet TV
(Broadband TV), Personal
TV,
etc.
For interactivity, interactive
voice response (IVR), Point
and
Click Devices and/or 3D
Gesture
Recognition may
be used instead of, or in addition to your
remote control/keypad.
Interactive Television is TV programming with interactive content
and/or enhancements. Interactive TV provides a richer and more
efficient television experience. It can combine Traditional TV viewing
with a back channel (return
path), thus offering the interactivity enjoyed by those
communicating through a network, such as the Internet. Interactive TV
programming can include interactive
advertising, electronic
storefronts, electronic communication with others, richer
graphics
and
links to Web (or web-like) sites such as walled
gardens.
With
developments including the incorporation of a digital TVDigital
Video
Recorders, Video-on-Demand,
Electronic
Program Guides, etc., interactive TV will continue to become
more commonplace. Interactive TV’s future looks great as research
conclusively shows that people want additional information and
enhancements pertaining to TV programming. Also telcos need to better
compete with cable providers who are now offering bundled telephone, TV
and Internet service. Interactive IPTV can offer a great deal of
interactivity at little extra cost.
Various
General
Types of Interactive
Television:
(Last updated in
2011)
(A) 2-screen
Interactive TV where you interact with the TV programming on
a
"screen" other than the TV. So you'd be watching the television but
interacting using personal computers, media
centers,
phone (or other electronic devices such as PDAs). Text messaging is
very popular when the phone is used.
(B) Single-screen
Interactive TV - When the program’s interactive
enhancements
are accessible using your set-top
box,
TV system etc.
(C) Internet
TV (Broadband TV) - (Interactive Television over the
Internet) -
The Internet/web is inherently interactive and as long as interactive
television in the United States and elsewhere is hampered by
incompatible delivery systems and/or receivers, Interactive Television
over the Internet has become attractive.
Things you
can do with
Interactive TV include:
1. The program credits could be available
anytime during
the show instead of only at the beginning and/or end.
2. At anytime find out who an actor/actress is that you're watching and
more information about him/her.
3. At anytime find out the location of a particular scene and
information on how it was filmed.
4. Get scores, highlights and game summaries whenever you want.
5. Customized and localized information (such as news, weather and
sports).
6. While viewing one program, you can keep abreast of specifics of
other TV program(s), including sports.
7. Home banking.
8. Home shopping.
9. Electronic Program Guides/Interactive Program Guides
10. Polls/Surveys – Make your vote count during a program (or after)
without having to pay for a toll call or log onto a special computer.
11. Interactive Game Shows – Play along and/or compete with others.
12. Interactive Sports (which can include the ability to watch an event
from your choice of camera angles.) You may also have the choice of
different audio tracks.
13. Local/regional/national weather and traffic.
14. Interactive advertising, infomercials, advergaming.
15. Videoconferencing.
16. Distance learning.
17. Answer trivia questions in real time during a TV show – Prove your
knowledge and win prizes by answering questions correctly.
18. Ability to switch camera angles. (TV Mosaics -
Interactive
Multi-Camera-Angle Events.)
19. Interactive video magazines
20. Interactive music selection
21. Instant Messaging
22. Email
23. Other Trivia Games
24. Interactive Betting
25. Instant Shopping – When you see a product or service you want, buy
it or order it immediately.
* Movie tickets
* Pizza from a commercial
* CDs from talk shows and concerts
* Author interviews
Acquire additional information such as:
* Retail locations
* Details on a news story
* Order a brochure or sample.
27. Cast interviews
28. Episode Guides
29. Vote on alternative endings
30. Participate vicariously in quiz shows.
(2)
(Maybe known as Interactive
Video)
- Many consider “Interactive Television” not to be an umbrella term for
all interactivity using the Television, but instead just one of many
different ways of experiencing interactivity via a
television.
Thus, Interactive Television would be a separate subset, while Timeshifting (Personal
TV)
would be a separate subset (and thus not called Interactive Television,)
as would
be the case with Internet
TV, Video-on-Demand,
etc. This
definition is more literal and often used.
----------------
Interactive
Television Further Defined
A
communication theory called
the Effects Theory
proposes that viewers are passive and television directs
them.
Some question how many viewers will want to do nothing more than change
channels and program their VCR/DVR. But after experiencing the fuller
iTV experience, most change their minds. Interactive TV is simply a
much more efficient way to watch TV, and it offers so much
more.
Many expect television's longer term future to be Internet
TV
and the countless millions of channels it could offer, including
people's own personal channels. Imagine, you want to watch a particular
actor/actress, or a type of programming theme, lets say car crashes,
you enter that into your video search engine and it comes up with shows
and/or video clips concerning that subject. Probably you would have
already pre-programmed your Digital
Video
Recorder (DVR)
or computer to have searched for and recorded on it's hard drive, that
particular type of programming. Your DVR or computer could of course
check regularly, automatically seeing if any new related programming is
available, recording it and alerting you. With the convergence of
broadband and a mandated digital TV infrastructure, the possibilities
are extreme.
The
television is more
associated with relaxed viewing (“sitting-back"
or "leaning back”)
while the
PC is more associated with working, ("sitting-up"
or "leaning forward”).
The argument is that most would rather sit back in a comfortable chair
and watch video on a television screen rather than watch video on any
other electronic device including a PC. Also watching a television can
be more of a social event, a better homogenizer for couples and the
home. Many electronic devices aid in transferring content from the
Internet to the TV. See Media
Extenders.
In Europe, folks have had interactive TV for some
time, much of that previously having been in the form of Teletext.
This is one reason that Europe, particularly Great Britain, has adopted
Interactive Television faster than the States. Still Americans may be
surprised at how much Interactive TV is already available and how much
more is on the horizon.
ITV -
Improved TOW Vehicle, Internally
Transportable Vehicle. (Military terms.)
Various
Related Terms
(Many more
are in the main Interactive Television dictionary)
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