1. Interactive Television What does it mean? & How Interactive is it? Hasan Hadee Theories & Practices of Interactive Media University of Washington November 30, 2004

2. Introduction  Definitions  Technology Services  Technology Hardware  Communications Theories  Conclusion

3. Definitions  Interactive - of, relating to, or being a two-way electronic communication system (as a telephone, cable television, or a computer) that involves a user's orders (as for information or merchandise) or responses (as to a poll) -Merriam-Webster Dictionary  Interactive Multimedia - any computer-delivered electronic system that allows the user to control, combine, and manipulate different types of media, such as text, sound, video, computer graphics, and animation. -Encyclopedia Britannica

4. Definitions cont.  Interactive Television (iTV)  Interactivity should be viewed as a functionality rather than a specific type of service  Allows viewers to interact with television programs by one of two methods :  changing the content which appears on the screen  providing information to the broadcaster through a return path.

5. Technology Services  Internet on the Television TV web browsingTV web browsing TV email (this requires a keyboard)TV email (this requires a keyboard) TV chat services (this requires a keyboard)TV chat services (this requires a keyboard)  TV On-Demand VOD - Video on-demandVOD - Video on-demand PVR's - Personal Video RecordersPVR's - Personal Video Recorders  Broadcast Interactive Content Interactive sportsInteractive sports Game ShowsGame Shows VotingVoting Current affairs pollingCurrent affairs polling Music videos, dating gamesMusic videos, dating games

6. Technology Hardware  Set-Top Boxes are the heart of iTV  Middleware  OpenTV OpenTV  Liberate Liberate  MediaHighway MediaHighway

7. Communications Theories  Berlo’s (S-M-C-R) Communication Model Source - Message -Channel – Receiver NoiseNoise FidelityFidelity  Uses and Gratifications Theory (Blumler & Katz 1974) what people do with mediawhat people do with media

8. Conclusion  iTV & Interactivity? …….who, what, when, where, how, why  Interactive Television?..Yes & No  Interactive Broadcasting?Yes  Interactive Webcasting?Yes  Interactive w/People?No  Interactive Content????? There is great need for standardization very quickly Great Marketing….Bad Clarity!