Bye bye computer! hello smart television

The term ‘digital age’ has been conveniently understood to be having something to do with computers and the Internet. During the past few years, however, a silent revolution has touched our lives: a revolution that made every other household device go digital. ‘Fuzzy logic’ enabled washing machines, high-resolution digital videodisk players, mobile music systems a la i-Pod, pixel-perfect digital cameras and no-less-than-a-computer cellular phones have all metamorphosed the way we interact with and use these machines. But can you guess, other than the obvious beneficiaries such as the computer system and the mobile phone, who is making the most out of the digital revolution and the broadband technology? 

It is our humble, good old television set, with the help of the much-maligned set top box. 

Thanks to advancements in the data communication technology, the dull and drab living room appliance is now donning a new, digital avatar that is not restricted to receive signals and display soaps like it did in the past, but possesses interactive capabilities to work as a bi-directional device, aptly called ‘interactive TV.’ In such a set, information flows not only from broadcaster to viewer, but also back from viewer to broadcaster.

Not only does Interactive TV allow you to choose the movies but also makes it possible to participate in that favourite game show you always aspired to be on. You can pause a television programme for a minute, ask for more information on a particular product after watching an advertisement, and go back to watch the programme once again. Interactive TV can also allow you to order your favourite dish without making a telephone call. If that is not enough, you can use it to send SMS messages and emails; surf Internet; and chat with people who use similar television sets. Kathy Porada of Microsoft IPTV informs, “End to end Interactive TV platform allows network operators to offer compelling, competitive digital TV services and shared digital media experiences to consumers using currently available broadband network technology (e.g. DSL and DOCSIS).”

Emulating the computer

The idiot box has indeed undergone a revolution. Interactive TV now comes equipped with an ability to use Internet and sometimes, the phone line. With the introduction of advanced Digital Set Top Boxes (STBs) that act as a gateway between incoming signals and the television set, the device has taken a giant leap forward towards the age of connectivity, communication and power. In other words, the STB is like a limited-capability computer that works in coordination with the TV set for receiving, processing, displaying and communicating data. 

How do the broadcasters reach out to a particular television set? Interactive TV, also called IP based television due to its ability to connect to Internet and play streaming content received via broadband networks, is provided with an individual IP address for its digital set top box which makes it uniquely identifiable in the network. 

Advanced versions of STBs, such as those developed by Thomson, Motorola, and Scientific Atlanta have a Central Processing Unit (CPU) like the computers; memory; a large volume hard disk, to store recorded and buffered content; and a modem to establish the connection with the Interactive TV network. To accept commands from the user, they use a keypad (remote control) or even keyboards. They send these commands back to the broadcaster through a back channel, which may be the Internet or a telephone line. STBs are powered by operating systems such as Microsoft TV IPTV, OpenTV, WorldGate and Sun Microsystems’ Java TV API. 

Video on demand

One amazing feature of Interactive or broadband television is Video on Demand (VoD) that makes it possible for different viewers to watch different programmes at the same time, on the same channel. Using another feature called Digital Video Recording (DVR) they can also pause, restart, fast forward, rewind and even record the programmes. VoD and DVR are already available in some US cities and expanding base in countries like UK, Japan and China. 

Our very own, Amit Khanna (of Plus Channel fame) headed Reliance Infocomm, has come up with a pleasant surprise by announcing the singing of an agreement with Microsoft TV to make VoD available to the subscribers of its high-speed broadband (nicknamed ‘Netway’). The company is going to use Thomson IP1001 and the RCA IP1000 set-top boxes to provide Microsoft TV IPTV service, which might begin in Mumbai within the next few days. Mr. Khanna is upbeat about the technology and says the future belongs to Interactive, broadband based television. 

Microsoft TV, after a few initial setbacks, has finally registered success in the IP based TV arena. It has already signed deals with US cable biggie Comcast, Telecom Italia, Bell Canada and Switzerland-based Bluewin. Kathy Porada of the Microsoft IPTV told the writer, “Our platform is set to serve more than 11 million broadband subscribers, establishing Microsoft TV as a leader in the growing IPTV market.” Arch rival Sun Microsystems is also making its presence felt in the market by involving key digital television companies Hongkong Telecom, LG Electronics, Matsushita, Motorola, OpenTV, Phillips, Sony and Toshiba for pushing its Java TV Application Programming Interface.

Last fortnight, British Telecom announced the trial of TV-cum-video-on-demand over broadband. It is hooking up with Freeview, the UK's digital TV service which provides up to 30 free digital TV channels and more than 20 digital radio stations. BT has already won the backing of a number of content providers including the BBC. In the USA, a Silicon Valley startup company Akimbo Systems is also launching its pioneering Internet-to-TV video-on-demand service in some American cities. 

Customization brings profit

Interactive television provides a win-win situation to all: the viewers who get to view their choicest content and use television for interactive purposes; the fat pocketed broadcasters who get richer by selling localized advertisement space, providing Pay Per View visual content, charging commission for orders received through their channel, and providing connectivity services; and the advertisers who can conduct on-television surveys to design their products, sell their products in this way and perfectly hitting the target by adding the element of localization to their campaigns.