We are already beginning to see what the future holds for Internet TV. If you miss your favorite television program you can go to the network's website and watch the episode in its entirety that you missed. In fact, many networks are promoting the fact that you can catch up on all the episodes that you may have missed in order to be caught up on popular serial dramas such as Lost and 24. Missing one or two episodes of those programs can leave a viewer confused as to what is happening on the series and can alienate the viewer.
That, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. Technology is changing at warp speed and part of the allure of internet television is that the viewers can decide when they choose to watch the programming. They no longer have to be in front of the television for "Must See TV" as they once did. That is why network executives are trying to come up with ways to make Internet TV an interactive experience for viewers and figure out how they can reap the rewards of such efforts.
Most households outfitted with cable or satellite television services are familiar with video on demand. Users can select from a list of available movies, documentaries and cartoons what they would like to view and the time that they want to watch the program. A fee is added to the service for each program that is selected. The interactive TV model would build upon the popularity of video on demand and enhance the service.
The latest advance in Internet TV is called IPTV or Internet protocol TV, also known as interactive personalized TV. It is attempting to bring television viewing to home watchers in a way that has been personalized just for the viewer. IPTV is taking advantage of mash-up technology so there are various layers of music, graphics, video and text on screen. As a viewer you can select what information you want to be displayed.
For example, there might be scrolling text shown to the viewer as he positions the remote control in a certain way that would be hooked into an entertainment database such as IMDB. The text will give the viewer an actor's name and past movie and television credits. If the viewer was watching sports, he would be able to get access to the player's stats. With another remote control button the viewer could find out what outfit the actor is wearing and order it for himself right from the comfort of his own recliner or sofa. Users will be able to interact through their television the way that they currently do with their computer. This functionality adds a new dimension to voting polls that so many reality television shows use today.
IPTV is currently being tested now to work out the delivery system. The programming will be delivered by network infrastructure such as a broadband device. In order for the product to become a success there will need to be sufficient infrastructure to handle the demands of the users. No one will be happy if the feeds are slow or if the picture pixilated or breaks up during the transmission. The ongoing testing will also be trying to determine the average user interest in such a service. How much would people be willing to pay in order to have interactive television?
Streaming video and live video feeds are becoming more popular, but users currently can only get this type of entertainment from the internet. After watching an episode of the reality show Big Brother, wouldn't it be great to opt - in and buy the live video feeds to continue watching what happens in the house right from your television? The same technology will also make it possible to chat with other viewers of the video feeds. A separate device like a Sidekick that is attached wirelessly to your television would enable the viewer to chat and text each other while watching the streaming videos.
You can get a taste of online TV by putting "online TV" into any search engine. The results will be lists of online TV aggregators. The aggregators gather television programming from all over the world and allow users to watch the programs online. All videos require Windows Media Player or Quick Time real Player to be installed on your computer in order to watch the programs. If you were curious to see what a news programming from Vietnam or Italy looks like, you can watch it from your computer.
Online TV allows you to choose which programs you are interested in from a variety of different ways. You can select programming by country of interest or genre. Genres consist of cartoons, children's shows, games, drama, comedies, humor, news, and adult programming. Big players in online movie programming are Hula. Hula is a joint venture of NBC and News Corp. Full length prime time television shows are available to watch for free as are full length major motion pictures. The site generates revenue by the advertising it runs. It is free to all viewers who live in the United States.
Television networks are embracing the Internet. The CBS network signed an agreement with YouTube to show various clips of their programs on the popular social network site and have reported an increase in network television viewing since the clips have hit YouTube. The network is reaching viewers that they have not been able to reach before.
Television is starting to embrace the model of operation similar to the music industry. A recording artists releases his album and all of the songs are available to the public should they decide to listen to the music whenever they wanted to hear it. Television networks have been operating on the network's programming schedule and not the television viewers schedule. That is about to change with the advances that are being made with IPTV. You won't have to wait a whole week to see the next installment of The Office. The series will be out in there as video on demand is now for viewers to decide to watch whenever they choose.
All of these stages are associated with advancing and developmental stages of the web; Web 1.0, the connection of base information into Web 2.0, the Social web that connects people and information, and Web 3.0 which is associated with major technological and social evolution. In Web 3.0 persons, computers, internet communities and enterprise will use the same protocol that is ahead of programming silos and interact through media, information and intelligent thought to craft NEW ideas on the spot. In essence, the Web is becoming intelligence with human learning capabilities.
The dawn of Web 3.0 will cause the present web content shift. New materials will be presented through the interactions of the social and mechanical process as compared to now where online social community grants relevance through social book marking, viral media and content authorship. Users are made conscious that information is no longer the driving force that leads to searching the internet; rather knowledge is this driving force. So then, how does information and knowledge differ? Knowledge integrates the knowing which was formed in web 2.0 by connecting many intelligent web communities and databases.
Users are no longer interested or looking for a single way of gathering information but the knowledge they can gather on all levels is of most important. This can be done through any online content or the media. A very new type of learning and knowledge absorption emerges from this by the written word, video, audio, photo and social inputs.
The major issue faced in Web 2.0 was the fact that computers, people and webs could not share resources via silo programming. In simpler terms, computers were unable to comprehend spoken words in a video, translate them into a word document and distribute them through social networks instantly. With the emergence of Web 3.0 all of this will be possible as there is a desire for more knowledge-based content sharing.
Content writers, providers and media will need to conscious of the shifts associated with the Web 3.0 standard. They need to have their companies fully prepared for an information web where information becomes new information and knowledge on the spot. In addition they will need to equip themselves the new rising technology that reason about meaning, relevancy, theory and know-how apart from documents, data and programming code in a way that both humans and computers and function with, understand and learn new knowledge from.
If for some reason they fail to reach the improved standard ways of publishing new content then they will also fail their users who are seeking new learning and new value creation.
Both Sarah Staar & Musa Aykac are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Sarah Staar has sinced written about articles on various topics from Advertising Guide, Cars and Information Technology. provides a directory of the best broadband. Sarah Staar's top article generates over 14800 views. to your Favourites.