Interactive televisiondescribes a number of techniques which allow viewers to interact with television content as they view it. It represents a continuum from low interactivity (TV on/off, volume, changing channels) to moderate interactivity (simple movies on demand without player controls) and high interactivity in which, for example, an audience member affects the program being watched.
The most obvious example of this would be any kind of real-time voting on the screen in which the audience's votes create decisions that are reflected in how the show continues. A return path to the program provider is not necessary to have an interactive program experience. Once a movie is downloaded for example, the controls will probably all be local. The only link needed was to download the program, but texts and software which can be executed locally at the set-top box or IRD (intra-room decoder) may occur automatically, once the viewer enters the channel.
Information flows not only from broadcaster to viewer, but also back from viewer to broadcaster. Another feature common to all iTV systems is the ability to offer each TV set, or each viewer who uses that TV set, a different choice of content.
There are different hardware configurations and it is possible to build a crude interactive service using analog systems. But the type of systems now being offered, that will dramatically change how viewers live, are digital – either cable or satellite.
SCOPE
People are talking about interactive television for three main reasons:
- T-commerce: You will be able to buy a pizza without dialing a phone.
- Interactive Goodies: You will be able to pause live TV or record shows. You will be able to click on advertisements to “find out more”.
- Click stream Analysis (“telegraphics”)
Interactive TV is often described by clever marketing gurus as "lean back" interaction, as users are typically relaxing in the living room environment with a remote control in one hand.
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