Top 15 Reasons Why Interactive TV Will Be the Next Big Thing

I've added Interactive Week to my list of surfable and bloggable publications. This article, though five months old, inlcudes convenience as reason number two:

Instant gratification. When you see that ad for the SaladShooter, no longer will you have to race for pen and paper to frantically jot down the phone number or rely on a faulty memory. Just click on the icon, place the order and you'll be cranking cole slaw in no time.

Usability Study of PC and TV-based Web Platforms Reveals Online Shopping Tasks Confuse, Frustrate Users

The Company's comparative study of shopping and banking tasks on WebTV(R) and PCs asked participants to complete five tasks across the two platforms.

...by way of iaslash.

SONICblue Airs First Broadband Digital Video Recorder

Ken Potashner, chief executive officer and chairman for SONICblue, said he envisioned a scenario, which is essentially a dream for video/TV buffs where users "can now create their own video library, collecting their favorite movies and programs without commercial interruption, along with family videos and photos that can be easily retrieved for viewing at anytime."

This deck includes a fast network connection that allows users to send video clips:

Just being able to pause TV, as was the case with ReplayTV's first DVR three years ago, wasn't enough. ReplayTV 4000, the new hotshot on the block in the company's line, features broadband connectivity that lets users store roughly 320 minutes [I think they meant hours] of TV, as well as share video clips in or out of the house and play back programs without the commercials -- a big plus that VCRs couldn't address.

RespondTV Restructures

The exact number of layoffs has not been confirmed, but sources at the company say every department except engineering is at risk of losing top talent. Cuts are not expected at the company's European offices, where iTV is not only surviving - it's thriving.

iTV Battles Almost Complete Lack of Interest: Study

Don't let the headline worry you. Interactive Television is inevitable, but not in form this study assumes:

...the study revealed that consumers have little or no interest in many of the features of interactive television currently available or in development. These features include interactive Internet links, TV-based Internet, e-mail, interactive chat, interactive games and other interactive Net-based features.

Of course not! Email, chat, games: these are all things you can get on your computer or game console!

Consumers did display some interest in what are called interactive programming guides (IPGs) which effectively give users more control over what and when they watch.

I imagine that consumers would have responded well to functionality that not only gives more control, but also enriches the medium.

As an Internet consultant, I encounter clients every day who want to put a chat room on their Web site. The argument I use with them holds with interactive television: users already have a place to go for their chatting needs.

The methodology and conclusions of this study appear questionable. They conclude that because people who already have iTV aren't using the full suite of features, there's no interest in what it has to offer. As long as researchers (and content developers for that matter) continue to think of interactive television as "the Web on your TV," that interest will continue to wane.

CONVERGENCE 2001: TV's INTERACTIVE REVOLUTION

If anyone's going to this, I'd love a summary!