TV Interactive

How to Become a TV Broadcaster

2011-12-04T17:50:00.000-08:00

Bill Burke's biography of Ted Turner, "Call Me Ted" details how difficult, expensive and time consuming it was for Ted Turner to become a TV broadcaster. To launch CNN, Turner needed to use a proprietary satellite network and had to convince MSOs to syndicate his new TV channel. The figure below shows the complex path that CNN video had to traverse from the CNN Studios to a viewer's TV. First the video is sent from the CNN Studio to a CNN uplink satellite. It then is forwarded to an MSO's head-end on the ground. From there it travels via cable to a set-top box in the viewer's home and to the TV.

Traditional video path from CNN to the TV set.

To launch a new TV channel today, Turner only needs to create an (iLook-enabled) iPhone App and store his TV content on the Internet "cloud". To view the CNN channel on their TVs, TV viewers simply download the CNN app from the iPhone app store, start the CNN app, select the TV as the target screen and, using the iPhone's touch screen, select the program to watch. The figure below shows the greatly simplified path that the video needs to traverse by using the Internet.

A much simplified Internet-based path from CNN to the TV set.

An iLook-enabled App is able to stream video from CNN's Internet cloud, directly to any screen. A "Screen" button (shown below) is touched to direct the video to the mobile device's touchscreen or to a any TV in the house. To make it's app iLook-enabled, CNN simply imports the iLook Library to it's app. The iLook Library provides API functions to display the Screen button and to perform video redirection.

The Screen button displays a list of available screens.

The iLook Library also provides API functions for displaying landing pages (called SidePages) on the touchscreen that are triggered by associated TV commercials playing on the TV screen (more about this in a future article, "How to Make Your TV Commercials Interactive").

AirPlay vs. iLook

2011-11-30T18:54:00.000-08:00

AirPlay and iLook are two similar two-screen systems for using a mobile device app as a combination electronic-program-guide/TV-remote. Interestingly, both systems also provide a simple way to broadcast TV programming directly from the cloud to a user's TV without the need for expensive set-top boxes and proprietary cable and satellite infrastructure. Perhaps less obviously, the resulting broadcasting path is relatively secure (with respect to digital rights management or DRM) because it is completely controlled by the broadcaster's cloud and the broadcaster's mobile app. The TV is just a "dumb screen".

What is AirPlay?

With AirPlay, a video can be selected on an iPhone or iPad touchscreen and played on a TV screen. The TV's HDMI input must be connected to an AppleTV media device (shown below).

The AppleTV media player connects to any TV via the HDMI port.

For example, a user launches the YouTube app on the iPhone, searches for "Avatar" and from the search results selects the "Avatar Trailer". After the video starts to play on the iPhone's touchscreen, the user is able to transfer the video to a TV screen by simply touching the AirPlay button on the iPhone's touch screen (as shown below). This same button is also touched to transfer the video back from the TV screen to the iPhone touchscreen.

The AirPlay button is touched to transfer video from the iPhone touchscreen to a TV screen.

The AirPlay menu enables selection of a destination screen.

Pros of AirPlay:

Works beautifully with the YouTube app and the iTunes app on the iPhone and the iPad.
Makes it very simple to find video by using the iPhone or iPad as an electronic program guide and remote and to play it on a TV screen.

Cons of AirPlay:

Video only works with Apple apps (only YouTube and iTunes at this point). Does not work with Netflix and other non-Apple apps.
Only works with the AppleTV media player. Unlikely to work with non Apple TV devices in the future (except possibly via expensive licensing arrangements).
Power-hungry because the iPhone or iPad must be on for the duration of any video since the video is sent to the AppleTV media player (and the TV screen) through the mobile device.
Non-Apple app publishers cannot use AirPlay for video in their own apps.
Only one mobile device at a time can be used to control the video.
Only one screen can be controlled by a mobile device.
The Screen Select button is located on the video navigation control panel which means that you need to fist start the video before selecting the destination screen.
Closed architecture makes it unusable (by app publishers) as an OTT TV broadcasting system.

What is iLook?

iLook is very similar to Airplay and is now available from iLook Corporation (ilookTV.com) in beta, by invitation only. Like with Airplay, a video can be selected on an iPhone or iPad touchscreen and played on a TV screen. iLook's advantage is its complete flexibility. It is designed to work with any Internet-ready TV and with any app that streams video. Any number of mobile devices can be used at the same time to control a single TV screen. And, a single mobile device can control many TVs, each playing a different video.

For example, a user launches the Netflix app on the iPhone. The app displays a "Screen" button on the nav-bar as shown below. Touching the Screen button displays a list of all Internet-ready TVs on the home network. The user selects Living Room. From that point on, all movies played through this app will play on the currently selected TV screen and the iPhone will be used as combination interactive program guide and remote.

The iLook "Screen" button is typically located on the Nav Bar.

The iLook "Screens" menu enables selection of a destination screen.

This same Screen button is also touched to transfer the video back from the TV screen to the iPhone touchscreen. iLook makes it possible to transfer a video to a different screen while a video is playing. For example, a user can easily switch watching from the living room TV to the bedroom TV. It is also possible to transfer control only. This makes it possible for the currently playing movie to continue in the living room while the same iPhone is used to start a new movie in the bedroom.

Pros of iLook

Works with any app and with any Internet-ready TV.
Does not use extra mobile device power while a video is playing on the TV screen.
Available to app publishers for free (no license fees or royalties).
No advertising is imposed on app publishers.
Multiple mobile devices can control a single video.
One mobile device can control multiple screens.
iLook SDK (called the iLook Library) makes it simple for app publishers to make their apps iLook-ready (available through iLookTV.com).
The Screens button can be located anywhere in the app. It is typically on the nav-bar. This means that a destination screen can be selected before playing a video.
Open architecture makes it useable (by app publishers) as an OTT TV broadcasting system.

Cons of iLook

Currently only available by invitation through iLook's beta program.
Will not be widely available until Q2, 2012.

How to Cut the Cord

2011-11-15T16:27:00.000-08:00

Much is written about Internet television but many TV viewers still don't know what it is and how to take advantage of it. Internet TV is simply TV via the Internet. This means that TV programming can be received on a TV screen through the Internet without the need for a cable or satellite TV subscription! For example, if you have a sudden urge to see Ingrid Bergman in "Casablanca", you can start the Netflix app on your TV, search for the movie and click the Play button. If you want to watch the news, you can start the CNN or FoxNews app instead. It's that simple.

Internet TV enables TV viewers to watch any TV program, any-time. No cable or satellite subscription is needed.

To replace your traditional TV provider (or in other words, to cut the cord) you only need a high-speed Internet connection and an Internet-ready TV (such as the Sony^® EX621-Series). All new TVs available at Costco are Internet-ready and can be connected to the Internet either directly through a wire or via WiFi. Older, non Internet-ready TVs can connect to the Internet through an Internet-enabled Blu-ray player (such as the Sony BX18) or through a "media player". Media players come in two flavors: DLNA-based (such as the Iomega 35045 ScreenPlay TV Link DX HD) and proprietary (such as AppleTV or Roku). The Roku media player is shown in the photo above. The Iomega media player is shown below.

Media players such as this Iomega 35045 ScreenPlay TV Link DX HD can be used to make any TV Internet-ready. A WiFi dongle is included.

The disadvantage of the AppleTV media player is that it only works with iTunes which is the same as having only one app available on your TV for watching movies. The advantage of having your TV connected to the Internet directly or through the Blue-ray player or through one of the non-AppleTV media players is that you have many apps available to you for watching movies. For example, Sony TVs include movie apps from Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu, Qriocity and others.

AppleTV is a proprietary media player that only works with iTunes. WiFi is built-in.

Regardless of which movie app you end up using, you will have thousands of movies available for on-demand viewing. However, there are some differences between services that may be important to you. For example, Netflix specializes in older movies such as Casablanca and Gone with the Wind. Amazon Video, Qriocity and AppleTV stock most of the new releases that are available on DVD. Amazon also has a large library of older movies through its Prime service. Hulu specializes in TV episodes such as "The Office" or "The Pretender".

The best way to connect the TV to the Internet is via WiFi since the best TV locations in the house typically are not near the Internet cable. If your TV does not have built-in WiFi, then you can use a WiFi "dongle" that pugs into the TV's USB port (Sony UWABR100). Another viable alternative is to use a "power-line" Internet connection such as the NETGEAR XAVB5001 Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter Kit.

The WiFi dongle is plugged into the TV's USB connector to wirelessly connect the TV to the home's local area network (LAN).

The simplest Internet TV configuration is to hang an Internet-ready TV on a wall with an AC socket located behind the TV. With just a single wire -- the AC power cord -- your TV will be able to play on-demand movies and TV programs. This configuration uses the TVs built-in speakers for sound. If you want to significantly improve the sound quality without the complexity of installing a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound speaker system, do the following: place a powered subwoofer under the wall-mounted TV and connect it to the audio-out connector on the TV. This uncomplicated system will sound as good as a surround sound system in a movie theater.

A simple Internet TV configuration with cinema sound.

The TV configuration shown in the above photo uses the Sony EX621 55" TV, a Sony WiFi USB dongle (UWABR100) and a powered subwoofer (HSU Research VTF-3MK2). The stereo cable from the TV's audio out connector to the powered subwoofer runs inside the wall. An AC power connector is located behind the TV. A single basic remote belonging to the TV is used to control the entire TV system. A future article will describe how to use an iPhone or iPad as a remote control and program guide for watching on-demand movies on this TV system.

Why TV Apps Are a Dead-End

2011-11-14T18:03:00.000-08:00

TV apps (also called "widgets") are applications that are embedded inside a TV, a Blu-ray player or a media player. Each TV app provides a single-screen user interface to an Internet service such as video-on-demand from Netflix or Internet radio from Pandora. A typical Internet connected TV comes with many TV apps included as shown below.

Internet-connected TVs include many preloaded apps.

The basic IR remote included with the TV is used to select one of those apps. For example, if we select Netflix by clicking on its icon, we will see a list of recommended movie and TV episode titles. We can then scroll left and right and press a key on the remote to select a movie from this list.

The Netflix TV app user interface.

The first sign of trouble manifests itself when we try to search for a particular title. Typically, we are forced to use the basic IR remote that came with the TV in conjunction with a "soft" keyboard that is displayed on the TV screen. For each letter that we want to type, we need to use the remote's arrow keys to move the cursor to the corresponding key displayed on the TV screen and then press the OK key on the remote. It works but most humans will not attempt to do this more than once -- so if you like searching for video, consider using a two-screen user interface to control the TV.

A smart TV controlled by a dumb remote creates an unusable keyboard.

There are many other problems with TV apps:

The user interface is completely inconsistent between TV manufacturers and even between different TVs from the same manufacturer. This means that the TV in the living room will not behave the same as the TV in the bedroom.
It's difficult to read the small text on the screen without getting off the couch.
The response of the user interface is very slow and tedious.
App publishers such as Netflix need to create and support different versions of each app for every TV model from every manufacturer. Netflix employs hundreds of expensive programmers for just this purpose.

Contrast this with a two-screen user interface where the remote is smart and the TV can be dumb.

The user interface is perfectly consistent between TVs, across manufacturers and models.
Even the smallest text can be easily read without getting up from the couch because the user interface in in the user's hand.
The response of the user interface is fast and enjoyable.
App publishers only need to create one app (a mobile app) to be on all TVs.

And, of course, searching for video is very easy because the keyboard is in the user's hand, rather than on a distant TV screen, and each keyboard key can be activated by simply touching it.

Searching for video with the two-screen user interface is simple because the keyboard is in the user's hand rather than on a distant TV screen.

Also, note in the above figure that the TV screen only shows the video. The entire two-screen user interface is contained on the touchscreen of the mobile device.

The Perfect Program Guide

2011-11-14T14:40:00.000-08:00

The Internet makes shelf space infinite. This means that Amazon.com can stock an infinite number of books. Not only the best-sellers that are stocked by traditional brick-and-mortar book stores, but ALL books. Even books that only sell one copy every 10 years! In other words, the infinite bookshelf can easily accommodate the "short head" (best sellers) and the "long tail" (non-sellers). See "The Long Tail" by Chris Anderson for more on the concept of the long tail.

A traditional interactive program guide lists available videos.

The same infinite shelf space can easily accommodate not only the short-head blockbuster movies but also the long-tail, special-interest ("affinity") programs that may be watched by only a few people. We have all seen the user interface, or the "interactive program guide" to the short-head -- the Xfinity app on the iPad is a good example and so is the YouTube app on the iPhone. They just list the names of videos that are available for viewing.

Listing of video titles works fine for (short-head) movies and even for (long-tail) video searches. But is it effective for navigating rather than searching through special interest, affinity video?

The clue to the answer to this question is in the magazine industry. Bacon's publishes an annual, 3,100 page, "Magazine Directory" that in the year 2009 listed over 18,500 magazine titles in over 90 affinity categories. To indulge in any one of those 90 special interests, a consumer will typically read one or more of the 18,500 magazines. Incredibly, many magazines listed in the Bacon's directory are now being released as iPad apps. See for example the recently released Wired magazine app shown below.

Wired magazine released as an iPad app.

The reader reads the pages of the Wired iPad app as if it were a regular magazine. However, many of the articles include text and photos that are linked to associated video. Touching a linked photo instantly plays the associated video on the iPad screen or on the TV screen. This is a perfect program guide!

Video is selected by touching linked text and figures in the Wired iPad app.

The Perfect Music Radio Station

2011-11-14T13:11:00.000-08:00

The evolutionary transformation of the media industry by the Internet is perfectly exemplified by Pandora. To understand Pandora's attraction, one must be reminded of what makes traditional music radio so compelling. Like traditional television, traditional radio is a sit-back experience. We tune to our favorite station and forget about it. The music just plays in the background with each new title a complete surprise.

This is the exact opposite of downloading music from iTunes. With iTunes, we first need to know what to download, then we need to download it, and then we need to decide what to actually play. Sure, we can randomize and auto-play but how big is our library going to be if we need to pay $0.99 for each downloaded song?

Pandora gives us the best of both worlds and more. We get to define a radio station that includes a seemingly infinite collection of music that we like. We then get to train the radio station to be even more tailored to our taste. We can skip a song we don't like or we can tell Pandora to give us more songs like the current song. After a while Pandora realy gets to know us so it occasionally gambles on playing an out-of-the-box song that it thinks we will like -- helping us discover beautiful music that we did not even know existed.

All this works very well on the computer and on mobile apps. But, what if we want to listen to Pandora on our home audio system? Here again, the two-screen users interface makes Pandora even better!

Selecting a TV screen on the Pandora app plays music through the home's AV system.

You simply start the Pandora app. Select a TV by using the Screen Select button on the touchscreen. Select the radio station and your favorite music will play through your TV speakers or through your surround-sound home stereo system (if your TV is connected to an AV amplifier).

Mobile Apps Enable Direct Cloud to TV Broadcasting

2011-11-08T16:12:00.000-08:00

Mobile apps enable TV studios such as CNN and cable TV operators such as Comcast to embrace the Internet and stream TV programs "over the top" (OTT), directly to TV screens.

Smartphone app allows broadcasting from the CNN cloud directly to a viewer's TV.

The example (CNN) app shown above allows the TV viewer to search for TV programs by using a smartphone screen and to watch selected TV programs either on the smartphone screen or on the TV screen. The TV viewer simply (1) starts the CNN app, (2) selects the iPhone touchscreen or the TV screen, and (3) chooses a TV program from the search results. The chosen TV program immediately plays on the previously selected screen (4).

Two-Screens Enable TV-Everywhere

2011-11-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

The two-screen TV user-interface can display a Screen Select button on the mobile device's touchscreen. The Screen Select button enables viewers to watch video on the screen of their choice — including the smartphone screen or the screen of any connected TV in the viewer’s home. Viewers can even switch screens in the middle of a video. For example, a viewer can transfer a video from the living room TV to the bedroom TV in the middle of a movie.

The Screen Select button pull-down menu shows all available screens.

By always displaying the user interface on the mobile device, it is possible and easy to play TV programs on any screen in the house while maintaining the familiarity and consistency of a single user interface.

The Two-Screen TV User-Interface

2011-11-06T23:24:00.000-08:00

When a TV screen is used for playing video, a smartphone or tablet touchscreen can be used as combination TV remote and program guide. Locating the user-interface in the user's hands rather than on a distant TV screen dramatically simplifies tasks such as typing of search queries, scrolling through long lists of video search results and making TV program selections.

With two screens, the user-interface is always on the touchscreen, never on the TV screen.

The example (YouTube) app shown above allows the viewer to search for video by using the smartphone screen and to watch the selected video on the TV screen. The viewer simply (1) searches for a video by using the keyboard on the smartphone touchscreen; (2) chooses a video from the search results; and (3) the chosen video immediately plays on the TV screen.

How the Internet Will Change Television

2011-11-06T13:38:00.000-08:00

Traditional television viewing is up, not down, so for TV viewers, changes facilitated by the Internet will be evolutionary rather than revolutionary. TV viewers will continue to expect video rather than web pages or menus on their TV screens. For the TV industry however, changes will be revolutionary. How will the Internet change television?

The Internet will make television viewing less expensive and more enjoyable.

TV service will be less expensive because TV broadcasting will no longer require a proprietary cable or satelite network and a proprietary set-top box. By using the Internet, TV broadcasters will be able to stream video from the cloud directly to a viewer's TV. Television viewing will be more enjoyable thanks to an unlimited selection of TV programs, social networking, and a simpler user-interface.

A simple user-interface will be critical. Try to imagine searching through millions of video choices by using the traditional TV remote and the traditional menu system displayed on the TV screen. This is difficult even with today's video on demand services such as Netflix.

Mobile device used as a combination TV remote and interactive program guide.

The solution will involve using a mobile device as a combination TV remote and program guide. The user-interface will always be displayed on the touchscreen of the mobile device. The TV screen will display only the video. The advantage of this two-screen approach is that tasks such as typing of search quires, scrolling through long lists of video search results and making TV program selections are much simpler when the user-interface is in the viewer's hand rather than on a distant TV screen.