Finally – the internet, coming to a TV near you

Editor — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:15:28 +0000

It was way back in 1995 that the US start-up WebTV first began promoting its idea for a web-connected television experience. It probably wasn’t the first, and it certainly hasn’t been the last. But 15 years later, for most people their Internet and their TV set remain sadly isolated. There have been some attempts to bring them together, such as Microsoft’s Media Centre and Apple TV, and recent hook-ups such as Foxtel’s deal with Microsoft’s Xbox. Intel also had a run at it with its Viiv technology. But nothing has achieved broad consumer uptake, and the television remains mostly used for what it was originally intended for.

The latest annoucements from Google and Sony will also take a while to have an impact, but should lead to some interesting developments, and potentially a slew of similar announcements from rivals. The two companies have teamed up to create a series of entertainment products based on Google’s Android technology and Chrome browser. Viewers will be able to use the devices to access all of their regular TV channels as well as web content and applications. The Sony Internet TV will be the first device to incorporate the Google TV technology, and is scheduled to launch in the second half of 2010.

Internet telephony and video-conferencing service Skype is also reshaping what we do with our TVs by also partnering up to launch a series of Skype-enabled televisions that will enable people to make video calls from their couch. LG, Samsung and Panasonic already have models in the marketplace. The ‘movie of the week’ has already succumbed to changing media trends – perhaps in the future its replacement will be the Sunday night high-definition videoconference with the relatives overseas?

Entertainment is one of the industries that has been most impacted by the advent of digital technologies, and that impact will only increase as broadband connections become faster, and fast connections become more ubiquitous. Choice for consumers has already exploded in terms of the number of media services they can access through the web, leading to audience fragmentation. When sites such as YouTube and Vimeo make the leap from the small screen to the lounge room TV, that fragmentation will accelerate rapidly, leading to an ‘interesting’ future for traditional media owners, and advertisers.

It will take some time for these new devices to get out into users hands, but it may not be too long before watching scheduled programming is just one of the many things that we do with our televisions.

Is business travel under threat?

Editor — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:51:19 +0000

Last year the US networking company Cisco revealed that thanks to its use of high-definition video conferencing, its Australian office had been able to save $890,000 in travel costs. Cisco’s Telepressence, and similar systems from Hewlett-Packard and Polycom, use broadband connections and high-definition televisions to capture and recreate images across multiple screens in a meeting room. They create a meeting environment that is much closer to the real thing – and hence are an effective mechanism for conducting business.

While to date these systems have been used mostly inside large businesses such as Telstra, now Starwood Hotels and Resorts have unveiled its first Telepressence systems that are open to the public. Two or the first have been installed in the W Chicago City Centre and the Sheraton on the Park in Sydney.

It’s an interesting undertaking for a hotel, and initially appears somewhat counter-intuitive, given that hotels make money by housing people who fly in from distant locations. Why therefore install technology that may give them an alternative to travelling?

But with awareness of high-definition video conferencing rising, Starwood has taken the step of turning a threat into an opportunity, and is renting its telepressence facilities out for $500 per hour. Business travellers are likely to increasingly follow Cisco’s lead of cutting their corporate travel, and by providing Telepressence facilities Starwood has an opportunity to make money out of the service. You can read more about what they are doing by clicking here.

In the long term is it also possible that other related businesses may follow the example. Perhaps one day we will see dedicated video conference facilities installed in airport lounges, as airlines realise that they are in the business of facilitating business meetings, rather than simply shuttling folk around the country.

If you can’t beat the broadband future, you might as well join it.

A Faster Future » Video Conferencing

Finally – the internet, coming to a TV near you

Is business travel under threat?