Understanding Interactive Television Newsletter - April 2004

April 2004

UNDERSTANDING INTERACTIVE TELEVISION (UITV.INFO)
Academic and research resources about interactive television
http://uitv.info/


What's new?

Special issue on video technology and interactive broadcasting from the
Computers and Graphics Journal
http://uitv.info/topics/cagitv/

Special issue on user modeling and personalization for television from =
the
User Modeling and User-Adapted Interaction: The Journal of =
Personalization
Research
http://uitv.info/topics/umuaiptv/



Editorial
http://uitv.info/editorial/

*The Biggest Game in Town*
The development of interactive television was postponed in the 90's, due =
to
the emergence of the Internet. Now, a considerable number of interactive
television features are found into next generation video-games and =
consoles.
Will video-games bring the second death of interactive television? The
impact of video-games is already evident in TV ratings, in which people =
are
found to be turning away from prime-time shows towards video-games.
Video-game developments are fueled by a prosperous gaming industry, =
which is
actually the only part of the digital media industry that is reporting
growth. TV executives are already aware of this trend and are trying to =
sign
deals with video-game brands. Therefore, the battle between the PC and =
the
TV now includes a new player: the video game console. In order to =
survive,
ITV should find novel ways to integrate elements from other mediums =
(such as
the Internet and the video-games).



Articles
http://uitv.info/articles/

*What is Wrong with the Electronic Program Guide*
http://uitv.info/articles/2004/04chorianopoulos/
The contemporary Electronic Program Guide (EPG) is designed to help
consumers choose a television program to watch or to record, but quickly
becomes overwhelming for hundreds of channels. At any given instance the =
EPG
displays only a small fragment of the available broadcast content.
Personalized TV researchers have proposed strategies for automating the
selection of a program by analyzing user preferences and past behavior.
Nevertheless, considering the EPG as the most important element of the =
ITV
usability entails the implicit assumption that the TV channel and =
content
need not change and thus be benefited by the convergence with personal
computers and the Internet. This article, presents findings that =
facilitate
better design for EPGs and provide research directions beyond the EPG.



News
http://uitv.info/news/

Losing Control of Your TV=20
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/wo_garfinkel030304.asp
The latest anti-piracy move will prevent you from making high-quality =
copies
of broadcast TV programs. And the new "broadcast flag" technology =
enables
all manner of other restrictions.

Nielsen Recognizes New Ad Reality
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,62547,00.html
Next year, Neilsen will begin tracking the viewing habits of TV watchers =
who
record their programs on TiVo-like devices for later viewing. It's =
another
sign the old television-viewing model is disappearing.

Philips, Samsung create new API for consumer electronics
http://inquirerinside.com/?article=3D13457
According to the companies, the goal is to create an API standard =
allowing
independent software vendors, system integrators and device vendors to =
make
middleware and application software for systems based on semiconductors.

Digital TV at turning point as converts top 50%
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,1108512,00.html
Success of BBC-backed Freeview puts 2010 deadline to switch off analogue
within reach.

Sky hopes for digital video revolution
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3206722.stm
BSkyB is spending =A320m on a marketing campaign for Sky Plus with the =
slogan
"Create your own TV channel".



Events
http://uitv.info/events/

Computers in Entertainment
http://www.acm.org/pubs/cie.html
Computers in Entertainment covers a wide range of theoretical and =
practical
computer applications in the field of entertainment such as online =
games,
CGI movies, interactive TV, virtual reality, and animatronics. It =
publishes
high-quality papers on the latest development in software, hardware, and
business policies that improve existing mainstream entertainment and =
that
create new genres of entertainment. The magazine welcomes submissions of
articles from scholars and professionals involved in all aspects of
entertainment technology.




Edited by Konstantinos Chorianopoulos
http://uitv.info/about/editors/chorianopoulos/




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