Hey, my website is on TV!! (By Ritesh Radhakrishnan)
Here is a blog entry from one of my colleagues - Ritesh Radhakrishnan
Where it all started
Over the years that I have spent working on web technologies, every time I get accustomed to a way of doing things, something changes. First it was the advent of DHTML, then JavaScript, AJAX and most recently a host of Rich Internet Application technologies. Most of the time we are caught unprepared and end up spending hours together trying to figure out how to get things to work. But what if we could predict the next big change? Would we be better prepared? Maybe, but do we know what that change is?
The Evolution of the web-site as we know it
The core purpose of the internet has been to deliver information. Websites have always been a means to present information to people who might be interested, wherever they may be. Information about a product, a company, people, places to visit, train timings, government laws, personal information, you name it and there has been a dot com to present it.
But remember, information has always remained the same. But the way it is presented has constantly changed over time. Presentation has changed from simple HTML to rich graphics to DHTML to basic JavaScript to AJAX to Podcasts and Videos. But the information has still remained the same. It is just being presented differently. It is just being presented in a manner which will be simpler for the user to understand and remember, in a manner which will be more appealing and will holds the users’ attention longer.
Let’s take an example. You favorite travel site used to show pages of information about the hotel in text form with information about rooms, location, amenities, restaurants. It used to take couple of clicks and a lot of imagination to get a good idea of how good the hotel is. Then came the rich graphics and dynamic image galleries, which made it simpler to imagine. But what made it really simple to imagine the room you would spend your vacation in is the 360 deg view. The same is the case with websites selling cars.
In short, video has become the most consumable for of information delivery as it mimics the real world closely. And increasing network bandwidth has enabled just that - Video based information delivery.
It ain’t TV anymore
On the other hand, did you notice that even though your TV always showed video in a form that is most consumable by you, it was still called the idiot box? But not anymore. From its humble beginning of showing black and white videos, it has come a long way to LCD and LED TVs which can interface with a host of devices. Enhanced features like picture-in-picture, automatic volume and brightness control etc. have made viewing all the more simpler, safer and comfortable. In addition to it, the service providers have changed and become more dynamic and aggressive. From state owned broadcasting networks, the market share has shifted to private operators. Initially it was the cable operators, and recently the DTH (Direct To Home) providers have started taking over the market with exciting and cool features like Video On Demand , interactive television and pay-as-you-watch features. There are also TVs which can act as a computer and vice-versa. Lastly, IP TV (Internet protocol TV) has generated interest in the market due to the possibilities it brings
But the most interesting development was when DTH providers added widgets which you could add to your viewing screen as you watch your favorite show. These widgets could show weather, time, stocks, and many more.
Basically a TV has always been more user friendly than the computer. It has better screen real-estate, better rendering capabilities, is present in more house-holds than the PCs and looks much better in the living room.
So where is it all going? Video-sites or web-channels?
The point of this BLOG is not to predict if IP TV will win over Internet enabled TVs or DTH providers. Whoever wins, one thing that seems to be emerging is the convergence of the TV and the PC. I believe this was always on the card, but the important point is what it means to us - the next wave in information delivery i.e Video. Imagine this, if you want to know about Infosys, instead of opening a browser window and going to www.infosys.com you will search for a channel named Infosys on your TV using your remote, and change to the Infosys Channel. The channel will have an introductory video followed by an interactive option menu which will play more videos based on what was selected, something similar to a DVD menu. The experience delivered will have a much bigger impact on the end user.
So why should I be worried
Well, what if it is true. What if today’s web-sites become tomorrow’s TV channels. What would it mean to us mere mortals who used to build Portal and content management solutions? Will it throw us out of jobs or will it give us new opportunities?
In my opinion, technologies like portals, content management systems and search will still remain. But they bring new challenges and opportunities. I have tried to capture a few of these:
- User experience design: The User Experience designers of today might have to start thinking like motion picture directors. CSS will be replaced with lighting and colors. Navigation might get replaced with direction.
- Content management : Content will still need to be created and reviewed. But content management systems will need to be able to store large videos. Digital rights management and metadata will become some challenges.
- Search: An optimum means to search videos will have to be found. User should be able to search for a spoken word or a particular area of the video e.g. where Infosys logo appears throughout the video. This will be a big challenge.
- Web Analytics (or should I say Video analytics?): How will we be able to ascertain which part of the video the user watched and what they watched multiple times?
- User preferences: How will the user be able to specify their preferences in terms of what they want to see when they come back? Will a portal still be required? What role will it play?
- Collaboration: Will users be able to collaborate? Will they be able to tag scenes in a videos with their comments?
- Bookmarking: How will users be able to bookmark content?
- Accessibility: How will legal compliance like accessibility be supported?
I do not have the answers to these questions. But if we start thinking about it right now, we might not be caught unawares again.
About the author - Ritesh RadhakrishnanRitesh is a Technical Architect with the Systems Integration Practice of Infosys and his primary area of focus is portals, content management and collaboration. He has extensive experience in architecting complex B2E and B2C portals with a mix of technologies like Content Management, search, Identity & access management, EAI and BPM. His also anchors the SI RIA Center of Excellence.
- Search: An optimum means to search videos will have to be found. User should be able to search for a spoken word or a particular area of the video e.g. where Infosys logo appears throughout the video. This will be a big challenge.
Comments
Thanks Ritesh for a good article. Here the emphasis is on TV becoming intelligent web devices. What about the smart phone's stake in such transformation? Should the enterprise provide same content in client adaptable formats?
Posted by: Balaji Natarajan | August 27, 2009 06:24 AM
Thanks for the feedback. In my opinion , multiple delivery channels like the web, mobile devices, kiosks and the TV will continue to exist as they do today. There is nothing new there. But the point to note is the form of information being delivered i.e Video. Think of reading a online version of the newspaper on your phone vs. watching the news ? Which is easier?
Posted by: Ritesh Radhakrishnan | August 27, 2009 05:30 PM
Focusing on what I took to be the the thrust of Ritesh's article of where do we go when web sites become TV channels I wanted to add some knowledge by mentioning a UK company called Miniweb who have been addressing this very issue for sometime. This isn't meant to be a shameless plug (I no longer work for them) but just really to share info.
Additionally with the advent of hybrid boxes the functionality to deliver IP and Broadcast content together is here today but giving the best customer experience is where the real fun is.
Furthermore I also agree that the web and TV will co-exist for some time as traditionally the web is for personal use while the TV is traditionally a communal affair. One could also argue one has more of proactive research function whereas the other is more passively consumed.
How these will evolve and merge is still to be seen but I'm waiting for my interoperable, voice activated, omni-purpose "base-box" which I use when I am at home and my portable hand-held which I take on the road that allows me to openly share content between the two and all for a fixed price. Now that's what I want as a consumer and what I want to deliver as a professional!
Posted by: Archie Mohindra | September 15, 2009 04:38 PM