Bibliography of sources used

References


Antonoff M. (1990) Stay tuned for smart TV [WWW] Popular Science Magazine. Available from; http://www.popsci.com/archive-viewer?id=tgEAAAAAMBAJ&pg=62&query=stay+tuned+for+smart+TV (accessed 12/02/2012) 

Baker J. (2012) Interview Commissioner Neelie Kroes. [WWW] Vieuws website. Available from; 

http://www.vieuws.eu/issues/26-eu-digital/71-eu-digital-agenda/273-interview-commissioner-neelie-kroes/ (accessed 08/03/2012) 

Bradshaw T. (2012) BBC expects olympics to usher in new TV age [WWW] Financial times website. Available from; http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7b9cfcd2-66c9-11e1-9d4e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1oS6OgykL (accessed 08/03/2012

Capablue (2012) Experts in connected TV, VoD & e-commerce [WWW] Capablue website. Available from; http://www.capablue.com/products (accessed 04/03/2012)

Carmody T. (2012) Smarter TV: Living room as Digital Hub, From Samsung and Microsoft to Apple and Google. Available from;

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2012/03/smarter-tv-living-room-as-digital-hub-from-samsung-and-microsoft-to-apple-and-google/ (accessed 08/03/2012) 

Crowell G. (2012) Blip.TV founder says SOPA & PIPA Threaten All Online Video Platforms [WWW] Reelseo website. Available from; http://www.reelseo.com/sopa-and-pipa-bliptv/ (accessed 05/03/2012)

Eaton K. (2011) Why Sony Must Reinvent The TV [WWW] Fastcompany website. Available from; http://www.fastcompany.com/1794494/sony-has-to-reinvent-the-tv (accessed 12/02/2012

Frisch S. (2008) The future of Bandwidth [WWW] TCBMag website. Available from; http://www.tcbmag.com/industriestrends/telecommunications/106215p1.aspx (accessed 11/03/2012)

Goss P. (2011) Interview Sky TVs Brain Lenz [WWW] Techrader website. Available from; http://www.techradar.com/news/home-cinema/interview-sky-tv-s-brian-lenz-947776?artc_pg=3 (accessed 06/03/2012)

Hadhazy A. (2010) Satellite internet is set for a big leap forward in 2012 [WWW] Livescience website. Available from; http://www.livescience.com/10271-satellite-internet-set-big-leap-2012.html (accessed 11/03/2012) 

Heitzel P. (2000) How it works: Satellite internet access [WWW] PC world website. Available from; http://www.pcworld.com/article/17617/how_it_works_satellite_internet_access.html (accessed 11/03/2012)

Horton J. (2012) Will the landline phone become obsolete? [WWW] HowStuffWorks website. Available from; http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/landline-phone-obsolete2.htm (accessed 15/02/2012) 

Jacobsson S. (2010) The Future of TV: 3D, WindowWalls, Visbale Light Communication, and More [WWW] PC World website. Available from; http://www.pcworld.com/article/1943622/the_future_of_tv_3d_windowwalls_visible_light_communication_and_more.html (accessed 10/02/2012)

Lawler R. (2010) Sony internet TV with GoogleTV review [WWW] Engadget website. Available from; http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/29/sony-internet-tv-with-google-tv-review/ (accessed 12/02/2012

LG (2012) Easily Connect, stream & share with the new LG Smart TV [WWW] LG Website. Available from; http://www.lg.com/uk/cinema3d/smarttv/smart-control.jsp (accessed 20/02/12)

Panasonic (2012) Internet TVs [WWW] Panasonic website. Available from; http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/7420871/index.html?gclid=CLvi7NGC3K0CFRIhtAod4T4t2A (accessed 20/02/12) 

Samsung (2012) Samsung Smart TVs [WWW] Samsung website. Available from; http://www.samsung.com/uk/smarttv/#/learn/gallery (accessed 20/02/12) 

Smart Surveys (2012) Free online surveys [WWW] Smart Survey website. Available from; http://www.smart-survey.co.uk/  (accessed 06/03/2012) 

Sony (2012) Internet enabled TVs- World of Online Entertainment [WWW] Sony Website. Available from; http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/lcd-television/range/internet?campaignId=12002700&s_kwcid={ifcontent:ContentNetwork}{ifsearch:{keyword}}|{creative} (accessed 20/02/12) 

Sunny (2011) Sony improved social network integration in it Bravia TV with an update [WWW] Thetechcheck website. Available from; http://www.thetechcheck.com/gadgets/sony-improved-social-network-integration-in-its-bravia-tv-with-an-update/ (accessed 12/02/2012) 

YOUVIEW (2012) YouView [WWW] YouView Official Website. Available from; http://www.youview.com/ (accessed 29/01/12)

Which (2012) Who makes the best Smart TV [WWW] Which website. Available from; http://www.which.co.uk/technology/tv-and-dvd/reviews-ns/how-to-buy-the-best-smart-tv/who-makes-the-best-smart-tvs/ (accessed 12/02/2012) 

Which (2012) What is Smart TV [WWW] Which website. Available from; http://www.which.co.uk/technology/tv-and-dvd/reviews-ns/how-to-buy-the-best-smart-tv/what-is-smart-tv/ (accessed 12/02/2012) 

Wikipedia (2012) Video on demand [WWW] Wikipedia website. Available from; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_on_demand#History (accessed 12/02/2012) 

Wittman A. (2012) Peek at TVs future [WWW] Informationweek website. Available from; http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/personal-tech/home-entertainment/232400206?pgno=9 (accessed 10/02/2012) 

Wittock J. (2011) How YouView will boost competition [WWW] C21Media website. Available from; http://www.c21media.net/archives/73781 (accessed 05/03/2012) 

Zeebox (2012) The new way to watch television [WWW] Zeebox website. Available from; http://zeebox.com/ (accessed 01/03/2012) 

Conclusions

In this section of my blog I am going to summarise what I have learnt from research and come to some conclusions. I will analyse what I intended to find out (what I set out in my proposal) and review what research I have gathered.

In order to focus my conclusions I will look at points;

• How 'Smart' is TV becoming?

               - Definition of the term 'Smart' and how it refers to the consumer electronics industry.
               - Smartphone/Smart TV similarities.
               - 'Apps' dominating new technology
               - 'Smart' like a smartphone?

• Social networking within the new 'smart' era.

               - How has it changed?

               - What about the future?

• Computer-TV convergence & companion devices.

     - High or low? 
     - Companion devices integration.
• Is there a future for Smart TV? & My opinions.
• Project evaluation

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How 'smart' is TV becoming?

The term smart TV is a difficult one to describe as it can mean many different things, in this instance two particular examples come to mind; smart in terms of an intelligent device and smart as a buzzword to sell a product. Defining the term smart within the consumer electronics industry is not easy, It is in essence a buzzword that many consumers are familiar with, this is as a result of the boom in sales of Smart phones over the past 5 years. The word smart links TVs with the idea of a connected device that is internet enabled and runs via an operating system. It helps consumers create an idea in their heads of what smart TV is before even seeing or using one. This is a useful marketing device; from my research & personal experience I have noticed that companies are very quick to use this as a selling feature; they are keen to compare the idea of Smart phones to Smart TVs. 

TV is becoming smart in the sense that it is following the trends of Smart phones.  Many features included in new TVs are similar, it is easy to notice the clear similarities between the two; they use similar, and in some instances the same, type of mobile operating system. They both run mobile applications or 'Apps' which allow users to access condensed information, content and entertainment features. They both are highly integrated with social networking and use it as platform for many of the services they provide. They both provide a 'media centre' service that allows users to listen to music, watch films, browse the internet, connect with friends as well as their primary features as a TV/phone. There is a clear convergence between TVs & Smartphones and we have been left with a new generation of TVs. Although this is as a result of convergence I think it is important to look at the finer details. I think that Apps are the main similarity between phones and TVs today, and this is something which is taking over new technology as a whole. 

Computers, mobile phones, TVs, internet browsers and even individual websites are starting to catch on with the idea of Apps. Apple, one of the worlds leading computer companies, are developing an entire new computer operating system (OS Mountain Lion) based on their popular iOS mobile operating system. In addition to this they already have a 'app store' which allows users to download apps to their computer. 

The big question, 'is smart TV only smart in the sense that a Smart phone is 'Smart'? Yes and no- Mobile phones developed from basic computing devices able to text message and make phone calls to what they are now; a complete 'smart' media device. TVs are going through the same process and are becoming more than just a box to watch live video streams. They are becoming a complex media hub. However they have the capability to become 'smarter' than mobile phones, the possibilities for TVs are far greater than for mobile devices. 

Social networking within the new 'smart' era

Social networking has changed since the introduction of Smart devices, and smart TVs in particular. It has opened up so many possibilities and created social networking in situations never thought of before. Take Zeebox (see my blog post for more details) for example, It has added a new dimension to social networking that we would have never been possible had it not been for Smart TV. Internet communities have been created as a result and people are able to collaborate and discuss things about TV/film so easily using the very device they are viewing them on. The addition of an inbuilt internet browser allows for social networking to stretch from the bedroom/personal computer to the living room and explores the family as a whole. Making social networking something for everyone not just those who use Facebook/twitter for example. Social networking can no longer be categorised into one genre it is at a stage now where it is breaking off into sub categories like music, films, sports and so on. Smart TV is helping to develop this idea and the more technologies that allow this the more that social networking is going to change, adapt and grow. 

What about the future for Smart TV & social networking? I think that it will only develop further, it will increase the demand for TV/film networking as peoples viewing will become more social- they will be able to share their choices automatically. It will encourage the development of advanced third party apps and continue investment in already available apps like Zeebox. Creating the family TV and living room into a social network hub will help to increase the amount of people who use social networking sites and will encourage more people to get involved in social networking/sharing of information.

Computer-TV convergence and companion devices

In the proposal I talked about the idea of computer-TV convergence, having conducted my research I have come to realise that convergence in the conventional sense of the word is relatively low. In reality many of the features have been developed from 'Smartphones' and less from computers. Look at the operating system used in smart TVs for example it is far from what we see in computers but much like what we in our phones everyday. Having said this it could be argued that Smartphone have an element of convergence with the use of services such as on demand TV etc. In this example I think that it is more of a case of the development of services and expansion of their compatibility than a convergence. 

In my early research I entertained the idea of a computer being taken over by the Smart TV, however having furthered my research I have altered my opinion and feel that this will not be the case. I think that computers will always serve a purpose, I have no doubt that their purpose will change but I feel their primary purposes will remain the same. I think the idea of companion devices that connect to a Smart TV is far more realistic, the idea of using tablets/computers to connect and share information with a TV is something with great possibilities. 

Future of Smart Tv & my opinions 

I think that Smart TV has a certain future and will be something which is seen in the majority of households within the next 10 years. The technology is fascinating and my research has really opened my eyes to what is available and what I can actually do with a TV in this day and age. I think that smart TVs in the future will focus more on apps and less on the idea of computer convergence (e.g. full internet browser, word processing) as this is more realistic and seems to be what people are interesting in. I also thinks that connectivity between Smart TVs and companion devices like tablet computers and cloud computing will play a massive part in the development. I can really see a future for increased interactivity via external devices, I think that it adds an extra element to TV and help to develop our TV experience. I think that consumers are more likely to be more interested in using their TV as a media centre to interact with than solely as a computer convergence. 

I think that there are definitely things which could slow down or interrupt this process. Internet Bandwidth certainly falls under this category, with many households going to be streaming and sharing content via the WWW. Bandwidth is going to struggle if it remains the same. However I can't see this being a problem, as demand increases, technology will follow. The way in which we receive our internet signals could change with technologies like satellite broadband set for a big investment. One of the biggest providers of satellite internet, HughsNet, is lauching a new spacecraft named 'Jupiter' and it will offer users up to 10 times the current internet speeds. This is just one example which could point us in the direction of the future, this technology could certainly open the door to increased bandwidth.

Another thing that falls under this category is connectivity copyright issues. As previously talked about in my copyright blog, there are copyright law issues with the connectivity of Smart TVs, however I think that the technology itself can be developed in a way to benefit copyright and actually could help combat it. Take social networking for example, the features available on smart TVs could help to spread the word and get people talking about films and TV. I think that the technology, if used to its potential, could increase sales in revenue for production companies and cinemas. Exposure and discussion will bring publicity and along with it, the possibility of increased sales. In my experience the more that I hear about a film/TV show the more likely it is that I will go out of way to see it. I think that many people, particularly of my generation, would be much more likely to watch something as result of exposure in their friends group than from watching a TV advert. I think that although adverts serve their purpose, the introduction of TV social networking will actually help the industry. In addition to this, if companies make an effort to provide a seamless integration between TV and download rentals, people will be likely to use this service. If nothing else, just to avoid the constant adverts and annoying internet banners that you get from using illegal video sharing sites. I for one would choose to pay a small monthly fee or one off payment directly from my TV and watch ad-free, good quality TV and films. 

Project evaluation


Overall I am very happy with my research project, I feel that I have learnt a lot and most importantly really enjoyed it. I think that my choice to look into Smart TV was a good one as I ended up doing my research, not just for my assignment, but out of my hunger for knowledge in the subject area. It is something which genuinely interests me and I hope that has come across in my research. I think that I took on comments from my last assignment and have produced a project which is of a higher level, this is really important as I feel that the advised improvements have benefited my project substantially. For example my last blog was written quite casually with less care for grammar and spelling, this is something which I think I have made a big effort on this time. In addition my last blog was quite bland and included very few interactive links/embedded media, I have made a real effort in my research this time to make it more interesting.

There are things however which I feel that I could have improved; for example my focus could have been a bit more specific. I think that because of the amount of research available, I would have been better equipped for my conclusions had I been able to focus more directly on one area of Smart TV. Also I think that if i could do my project again I would have got more opinions from primary research, what I did do was really insightful and gave me some great results. With a bit more time I could have found out more and perhaps asked specific target audiences on their opinions.

To conclude, I feel that my project was a definite success and I took on board improvements from last time well. I could have improved certain aspects but I have answered the project brief fully and have learnt a lot about Smart TV technology.

Copyright issues with Smart TV internet browsing? Has it put a cap on the capabilities of Smart TVs internet browsers?

The topic of copyright within the Smart TV market is very interesting  (http://www.vieuws.eu/issues/26-eu-digital/71-eu-digital-agenda/273-interview-commissioner-neelie-kroes/) and brings to attention the issues raised by the SOPA petition in 2011. Smart TV browsers could potentially bring copyright issues to the living rooms for hundreds of thousands of people. Internet browsers are not new technology and the ability to access & stream illegal content has been around for a long time but Smart TV brings about new opportunities.

Having a system (in this case Smart TV) in the living room that makes accessing and streaming illegal content easy & accessible creates a problem. Its one thing having people streaming content from laptops etc but the problem becomes a different story when living room culture is involved. With content being much more accessible- could this culture do some serious damage to the film/music industry? With the future of certain media industries at hand does Smart TV play a role? If every household is able to easily stream illegal content, industries might struggle.

At the moment there is a compatibility 'floodgate' stopping all content on the internet becoming available via Smart TVs. Many Smart TVs are not able to process content on media rich web pages, they are not able to meet the flash player requirements. Without a way to control how people are able to watch illegal streams it is unlikely that TV companies will be allowed to unleash these services to their customers. i.e. TV internet browsers may not ever be completely compatible- this puts to bed the idea of a fully 'internet connected' TV, and the idea of TV-computer convergence.

Many media & government experts are looking into how the Smart TV market will effect copyright laws and how it will change the habits of users. Neelie Kroes, vice president of the European Commission for the Digital Agenda in Europe, believes that it can combated by technology and won't be a problem. She does however think that in a few years 90% of TVs sold will be connected to the internet and therefore understands the scale of the project.

"Noting that within just two to three years, 90 per cent of the TVs sold in Europe would be connectable to the Internet, Kroes said that during the year, the EC would be coming forward with a paper on Connected TV. “It will consider how Europe can realise the opportunities – and of course, how it can meet challenges too. For example: can we preserve the integrity of broadcasting signals? How would competing but incompatible technical standards affect the viewer experience? How will our traditional rules on advertising, protection of minors and promotion of European works apply? We want to ask these questions, and make sure we are ready to let this market flourish,” she suggested.

“We don’t have all the answers yet. But I want to find them out: and so we will be talking to stakeholders — users, producers and regulators — so that Europe can truly hook up to the Connected TV ecosystem,” she concluded."

Kroes N. 2011. viEUws.com. 

Survey results

I am going to quickly note down a summary of my findings in bullet points with a few examples to back up my findings. Most people answered all the questions although some of the answers that required written input where missed out by certain individuals.

Most people had at least a basic understanding of what Smart TV is

Fig. 1

Fig. 1 shows a very small proportion of answers but as you can see most people understood the term, there where even some answers (see fig. 2) that entertained other concepts, for example TV-computer convergence.

Fig. 2

This is quite interesting as it displays that people are aware of TV-computer convergence and highlights the potential for a change in the way that we interact socially as a result. 

Although people are aware of what Smart TV is, many have not ever used one

Although 91% of the 44 people asked knew what smart TV was, only 16% of those actually had used one (see fig. 3). 

Fig. 3

This highlights how new this technology is in the consumer market. It also summons the question; is Smart TV really necessary? or are people happy to carry on using their normal TV sets? The technology isn't actually all that 'new' even in the consumer market. In technology terms a year of high street coverage is quite a lot, take the iPhone for example, after a year of being available in the consumer market most people either owned one or had experience in using one. This is not the case for Smart TV and you have to ask why. Its a great idea but are people really interested enough to invest their earnings- particularly with the current state of our economy? 

Social networking not really important for people on their TV

It was interesting to see that the majority of people (77%) said that they wouldn't benefit from having Facebook/twitter available on their TV (see fig. 4). 

Fig. 4

So why do people not want to view their social networking sites on their TV? People seem to be more interesting in using their current devices or companion devices for this and see their TV as just a TV.   Do people not want Smart TV or do the social networking features just not interest them? 

Little demand for inbuilt browser

Nearly a half of all the people asked (45%) said that they would rarely use an inbuilt Internet browser over their computer (1 times out of 10). Another 41% of the 44 people asked said that they would use an Internet browser sometimes (3/4 times out of 10). A mere 13% said that they would be regularly users of an TV Internet browser over their personal computer (7/8 times out of 10). (see fig. 5) 

Fig. 5 

The results point towards users preference of an app designed operating system, much like what is already available on smart mobile phones. Apples iOS is perhaps the most successful example for the smart phone market and operates around its 'app store'. It offers consumers a marketplace to buy/download/trail thousands of Smart phone applications. it looks that consumers are much more interested in apps than a computer-tv convergence. This is interesting and it seems that Smart TVs have started to follow this pattern, many of the TVs which have not gone for this approach may struggle. 

This point is backed up in another question which I asked; 

" In relation to TVs, do you think that having downloadable apps, much like what is available on phones, is more beneficial than a full Internet browser? " 

People seemed to be very keen on the idea of apps (73%) and only 27% of people asked said that they thought that apps where too basic and that they wanted to be able to do what they wanted on their TV (see fig. 6) 

Fig. 6

As long as I can watch TV I am happy

63% of people said that they weren't fussed about buying a smart TV wouldn't have a preference when shopping as long as they can watch TV on it (see fig. 7). This again highlights the lack of desire for Smart TV and begs the question; do we really want to do all the things that smart TV is advertising? Perhaps a simplified Smart TV with useful features would be more suited to the consumer market as apposed to a overcomplicated attempt at computer-TV convergence? 

Fig. 7

Companion device integration appealing 

When asked the majority of people (80%) said that they would be interesting in the idea of interactive companion devices that connect via a TV (see fig. 8) 

Fig. 8

Its interesting to see the response from people, particularly given the feedback regarding buying trends (see fig. 7). It is clear that people do want more from their TV but the ideas being posed by Smart TV promotions just don't appeal. Most of the advertising campaigns highlight the sociability of new models, with many including in-built social networking apps, however it seems that people aren't all that interested. Perhaps this is the reason for the impartial responses regarding buying trends. In reality I think it is clear from these results that people do not want to simply have their smart phone's capabilities redesigned, instead they are keen for a brand new experience in which they can interact. This is where the idea of companion devices comes in, it is a new & innovative idea in which TVs could become 'smart' but not in a conventional sense, the idea of having to be like a smart phone is perhaps not the right direction. 

Online survey on Smart TV

Please click the below link and answer some questions for me please.



Click here to take my Online Survey

Connected TV and the idea of companion devices- is Smart TV what people want?

Smart TV as one integrated product is a great idea but media experts like Tom Cape, CEO of Capablue & Sky TVs Brain Lens believe that companion devices are the way forward. They argue that companion devices like iPads, tablets, mobile phones etc will transform the way that we use TV and that many of the services offered by Smart TV e.g. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc are just apps that are already available. They believe that instead of redeveloping these apps for TVs, they should be developed and integrated with TVs. This creates the idea of a companion device, one that works alongside a TV to provide the consumer with a new more interactive experience. It is already being experimented with by company's like 'Zeebox'- see my previous blog post for more information on this service.

"In reality I don't think your gunna get much interaction with customers on TV because customers are sitting back watching TV but they might well have their companion device on their lap and that's where they'll be transacting, that's where they'll be interacting with advertising, that's where they'll be making transactions, purchasing and entering data.." Cape T. 2011. C21Media.com. 

"The real question of something like those apps is 'are they putting them up just to have lots of things to say and is it cluttering TV viewing?" Lens B. 2011. Techradar.com.

"I can barely get my kids to tolerate me looking at the guide, so the interesting question is are there enough reasons where you can use these apps unobtrusively." Lens B. 2011. Techradar.com.

This point is very interesting and highlights the flaws with Smart TV, do people really want all those things on their TV or would they prefer it on a companion device, which if they choose, they can use to interact with their TV. Brain Lens from Sky has similar feelings and feels that TV apps are cluttering TV viewing and questions their usefullness for the viewer given the option of companion devices.

References 

1. http://www.c21media.net/archives/73781
2. http://www.techradar.com/news/home-cinema/interview-sky-tv-s-brian-lenz-947776?artc_pg=3
   
   

A big change in the last year?

In an interview with the CEO of technology company Capablue, Tom Cape explains the change in Smart TV in recent times and goes into detail about the big change that has occured over the last year or so (from 03:25)

 "A year a half ago we walked into regent street & asked about (connected TV)..didnt no about connected TV, found one switched it on. It wasnt internet conncted. Now if you walk into any Curry's theres massive displays selling internet connected TVs and its (internet connection) the main selling point" Cape T. 2011. C21Media.com.

This particularly quote highlights the speed in which developers have changed their attitudes towards Smart TV technology. It has become obvious, particularly with the success of Smart phones, that there is a market for Smart TVs. People are starting to want more from their TV.  The drive from the consumer electronics industry has started to create awareness among consumers. Advertising campaigns have become more prevalent and as a result the demand for Smart/connected TVs has grown enormously.


Sources used: CEO of Capablue, Tom Cape- http://www.c21media.net/archives/73781