Interactive television
Television on tap
Interactive television is changing the role of the TV at home. George Cole investigates what’s being done to make I-TV a mass market proposition in Britain.
T oday, many consumers are
watching TV programmes on their computer screens, and accessing internet content on their televisions. The talk is of I- TV – television that offers internet access, interactivity or (BBC) iPlayer content in the living room. Panasonic offers the Viera Cast service on its range of TVs, from the G20 series upwards, which provides access to selected websites including YouTube, Picasa (photo albums) Euronews and Acetrax, a video-on-demand service. Skype video calling is also available on selected Viera sets.
Samsung’s Internet@TV system offers a range of Widgets – web applications, such as Yahoo!, Flickr (the photo site) and YouTube. Later
this year, new widgets in the form of BBC iPlayer, Lovefilm movies and Muzu will be introduced. TV music videos will be available on many of Samsung’s TVs including, the C9000, C8000, C7000 and C6500 LED TV series. BBC iPlayer can already be accessed via most Freesat HD set-top boxes and sets, and Cello Electronics’ iViewer LCD sets have built-in iPlayer, YouTube, WebTV and Podcast functionality.
Humax plans to add a portal service to its Freeview HD range, which will include services such as Sky Player, while its Canvas-enabled products (Project Canvas is an internet TV service supported by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and others) will include a whole host of new services and features.
18 The Independent Electrical Retailer August 2010
Philips’ NetTV service offers a mix of open internet browsing alongside customised services. Philips plans to expand the range of sets offering NetTV, which will be available on this year’s 7000, 8000 and 9000 range of sets. LG’s NetCast gives access to various online content including, YouTube, weather forecasts and online photo albums.
A mass market offer? But just what is the appeal of interactivity on a TV? Is I-TV a mass market offering or one for the ‘techies’? Graham North, Humax’s commercial director, says: “Interactive services on a TV are without a doubt a mass market proposition. As with most technologies, features like internet access and iPlayer functionality have started out by
appealing to the more technologically-advanced consumer, but demand will quickly spread as others begin to see the advantages of on- demand television and catch up services. Watching your favourite shows via a PC does not make for the best viewing experience, but making these available on your main TV is a much more appealing proposition.” Stephen Gater, LG Home Entertainment’s head of marketing, says: “As the living room becomes the hub of home entertainment, it is more important than ever to provide consumers with the ultimate in convenience and innovation from the comfort of their sofas. Previously, people have been forced to use laptops in front of the television, (but) I-TV functionality has allowed online
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