Interactive TV
What is Interactive Television?
Interactive television is a two-way communication system that allows
viewers to not only receive information from broadcasters, but also enables
them to provide feedback through the set-top box. Due to this amazing feature,
iTV is commonly referred to an active, rather than a passive media. Unlike the
traditional televisions, iTV does not involve merely a sole participatory
experience with the hardware. Rather, it enables users to engage with the
content on the television.
Most popular iTVs today:
- Smart TV – An equivalent of a computer built into a television, but providing users with a greater number of services.
- Google TV – A web browser on a larger screen that also incorporates Android to the television. This feature enables apps to be available on TV just like android phones.
The Benefits of Interactive Television
The main benefits from interactive television stems from the
marketing potential through advertising, developing new applications for iTV,
as well as the possibility of implementing iTV tools in an office environment.
·
Interactive advertising – iTV enables
managers to develop new interactive advertisements where consumers can click on
their ads during shows to learn more about it.
·
Applications or Apps for iTV – managers
are able to take the initiative to create apps for iTV to promote their
businesses, create further convenient access for customers to their organization,
and to keep up with competitors.
Who uses iTV?
- Microsoft – Xbox Live connects to the Internet and enables one to play online games with friends across the globe.
- Universities – Some institutions in the US utilizes iTV in order to meet the needs of adult learners whose employment, family obligations and geographic location makes on-campus attendance difficult.
- Disneyland – Star Wars and Lilo & Stich have the cartoon characters communicate with the audience by providing information of what is needed to be done during the ride.
The Disadvantages of Interactive Television
The iTV may be a very useful technology in many ways, and it may help businesses and managers depending on the situation that they encounter. However, as of the present day, it offers limited benefits in the workplace as it is targeted mainly for consumer use. Therefore, it is not cost effective to replace existing internet technologies such as computers with web conferencing, with iTV.
Future Use of Interactive Television
With its continuing innovation, iTV is now in the gist of providing shows
that will bring a completely new experience:
- Microsoft is currently offering a series of shows that brings learning to life such as the Kinect Nat Geo TV content that focuses on teaching children about animals and the environment
- Sony has recently unveiled Wonderbook – an amazing innovation which puts a physical book in one’s hands with augmented reality, PS Move and the PS3 console to bring books to life.
Barriers to Adoption
For an average consumer, there are no apparent barriers to adoption
of the iTV. This technology is affordable, and therefore easy to be adopted.
How Prevalent Will iTV Become?
Since we are not yet in the future, we cannot be certain about how
prevalent the iTV will become. However, based on the current trend of iTV
adoption, and the increasing popularity and innovation of this technology, we
can roughly predict that interactive television will be ubiquitous in the near
future. Yet, it has its limitations as compared to mobile devices like
Smartphones and Tablets. Even though iTV can essentially perform just like
these common mobile devices, a typical household on average would have only one
television set as opposed to more than one Smartphone or Tablets.
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