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Understanding Interactive Television >
articles > Interactive Television Applications
Interactive Television Applications
By Julia Livaditi
Before understanding the design principles of digital TV systems, we have to examine why and how television is used. This will help determine whether the applications being planned and produced for digital television adhere to fundamental needs and use patterns of the TV audience.
The interactive applications that have been identified through a literature review are: Electronic Program Guide (EPG), Near Video On Demand (NVOD), interactive shows, personalized advertising, interactive advertising, interactive news and weather, interactive sports, stock market, shopping, banking and messaging.
The applications to be examined aim at satisfying one or more of the basic needs of media consumption: Entertainment, information, transactions and personal communications. The key applications that are being planned and deployed for digital television are presented and categorized below:
Entertainment
- Video-games: Video-games have been a thriving market and most players in the industry, such as Sony and Microsoft are expanding their businesses to digital TV.
- Interactive shows: Interactive shows applications offer real time interaction with TV shows, enabling viewers to participate in Quiz shows, place bets on live sports events, predict or vote the winner in a contest.
- Interactive sports: On digital TV, sports can be viewed along with enhanced interactive content such as statistics, history, predictions, scores, etc. Viewers can select which kind of information they are interested in, as well as select different camera angles from which to view the game.
- Near Video on Demand (NVOD): With NVOD, the viewers will have the opportunity to use video and audio programs on demand.
Information
- Interactive news and weather: News and weather applications on digital TV enable users to view reports for selected areas, as well as reports tailored to their specific needs.
- Electronic Program Guide (EPG): The EPG serves as navigation and exploration tool, which enables the viewers to locate the programs that are of interest to them and choose to record, watch, or make further inquires regarding these programs.
- Personalized advertising: In this application, information about the audience's viewing habits and preferences is analyzed in order to build demographic, market segment and psychographic profiles, allowing customizable and personalized ads.
- Interactive Advertising: Interactive advertising refers to advertisements with enhanced content that will give viewers the opportunity to make requests on products, purchase them or register to receive informational or promotional material.
Personal Communication
- Messaging: In an digital TV environment, viewers will be able to send messages to each other for the purpose in order to gossip, talk about their own interpretations on programs or communicate directly with the programs' characters.
Transacations
- Shopping: This application allows users to browse through a selection of products, providing them with further details on product features, feedback on prices, local retailers, the option to receive coupons or information packages and finally the ability to make a purchase.
- Banking: Banking applications on digital TV present users with the possibility to manage their bank account. They can view the state of their account, transfer money between accounts and pay their bills.
- Stock Market: Stock market applications already exist on television. Digital TV applications will allow viewers to see stock market updates adjusted to their personal portfolio and provide them with the ability to manage their portfolios.
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