INTERNET HDTV

Apple Just announced the new Streaming Apple TV, commencing the battle for big screen eyeball time. Disclaimer: ( we have the Samsung Internet TV, it rules our Lab at the moment ) Apple offers nothing that we dont already have.

We found this article and CTN said ok to copy - here is that in part from
http://ctndigital.com/ctnd/hdtv/

The next target for consumer attention is:
The Internet Connected HDTV

We already know how to navigate and get this to work, this is not a revolution, it is an unstoppable evolution that will happen in a competitive battle for your living-room entertainment investment. It is a new reason to get the most out of your biggest screen and every mega-corp on the planet wants you to desire their entertainment engagement source.

This could change everything, in a home venue

on the largest screen available

where hours are spent every day

by millions of people

who are internet connected already.

The key here is Already Connected
– the benefit is HDTV CONNECTED – RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX

Closeup of a Samsung TV Remote for Internet Connected TV

with Widgets and APPS, wired and wireless.

The top right button basically says it all… what we have done is get connected, scale to fill the screen, network to global CDN delivery in the millions, and craft a very low-friction navigation outcome that maximizes sticky-time for the best user experience.

A NEW MARKET, DISRUPTIVE OF CLASSIC TREATMENTS and BEHAVIORS.

IT BEGINS WITH CONVERGENCE OF HDTV AND WEB.

There is actually a long list of benefit to user-engagement outcomes that span a variety of affinity behaviors. The first thing to do right, is make the experience a destination-quality outcome that can become sought-after. The initial enablement for HDTV networking is through the existing mechanisms of initial access.

WIDGETS AND APPS
At this time all internet connected HDTV widgets are limited, typically Netflix Vudu and weather, and boring, do not offer any "window shopping" options, in the perfect place for a LOOKBOOK to offer high resolution on-demand detail, Video, and interactive elements.
There is also a new and fresh market for backstory and celebrity content that showcases and promotes major film and TV events. This type of engagement is built to be extended, video enabled and interactive and include fullscreen advertiser placements. Showcase books are something we already do and the HDTV is where it belongs, these and Magalog lookbooks are likely to be the first of what you will see.

DO EVERYTHING RIGHT - BE UNIQUE
Change the Paradigm to magazine pages that deliver video on page turn, no press to play required. ( during use, Pause / Play is allowed ) such that the user engagement is initiated from the first moments of exposure, The screen is in motion, reading for drill-down can be by Column Glide of the up-down arrow keys using font sizes similar to that of a channel guide listing and easily read – leading to drill-down value when it suits the need. Promotion and advertiser benefits are designed into the process of engagement.

This offers a solution for those promotional needs that do not feel right in the hyped QVC false urgency of the moment, or infomercials that have very low credibility, and most importantly, puts the viewing audience in control of content selection. Since the default action is to "turn the page", the user only has to click one button to choose to move forward, keeping the experience as simple as is possible.

EARN AND KEEP YOUR AUDIENCE
With a Remote Control as the interactive tool, the engagement paradigm has fundamentally changed. The viewer may leave the page and turn forward while they stay in your content and do not leave your "channel"… In the BOOK context -- The next page is an arrow click, and CTN does what it takes to deserve more dwell-time and attention capture with each LOOKBOOK page. http://madmenmag.com

KNOW WHO THEY ARE
Tracking via internet tools already used, all are available, and with partnering, subscriber information is matched with time-spent-on-page data to reveal measurable ROI, along with the existing social network tools for posting interest snippets to FACEBOOK and TWITTER, ( already inherent in CTN PageBlend )

Nearly all current bluray players now offer internet connectivity, removing the barrier to entry caused by buyer resistance to HDTV upgrades, and these run from $89 to $199. This device solution has the benefit of optional memory and firmware upgrade enhancement, support unique device subscriber services. Game consoles include these same features.

CONNECTED BUYERS in a Lean-Back context
The "Hit-or-Miss" nature of TV screen time gave rise to saturation advertising … that is now being replaced by On-Demand access offering far better Ad Spend cost performance, in a natural fit.The HD FULL SCREEN treatment furnishes the best of all worlds, available when the user seeks it and actually desires the content and in that context yields a far greater impact Q than any other option available.

This Includes Full Extras DVD streaming as a page turning book with behind the scenes and character backstory, a catalog of desired items, a tour of a destination location, any product that HD detail benefits from such as jewelry items to motorcars to Publications and catalogs.
Downloadable fullscreen books that enhance the entertainment experience and can be further monetized by ad insertions – purchased for HDTV using internet connected solutions should be available soon.

FALL and Holiday Season 2010
Every HDTV maker is refreshing their lines with Internet TV. By November Net Connected TV will be Standard. In these bluetooth remotes, everything we need is more than already there. Visio launched The Internet TV and APP store in January 2010. Right now all Internet TV Makers are actively seeking engaging content for the VPN ( virtual private network ) of the Internet connection they offer. In some cases HDTV makers are actively funding developers to gain content-driven traction to draw audience to the APP stores that are all Brand-Centric "Walled Garden" implementations at this time.

Something for everyone .. with QWERTY KEYS – such remotes offer search and form filling options, SHOP and buy processes. For the bookshelf below the Bookends act as slider left right for category selection horizontal scrolling

Select and hit "OK" is the DVD navigation paradigm and pretty much eliminates the learning curve problem of how to navigate. Page-turn HD magazines with video and shopping links will be one of the next good reasons to want all this.

CTN BOOKSHELF

click to view

BLUETOOTH REMOTE CONTROLLERS are devices you may already own. These systems allow for any bluetooth touchscreen to download an APP that acts as a remote. iPod Touch, iPad, iPhone, Any Android Phone, Logitech, and will easily reach out to Panasonic VIERA, Sony BRAVIA, VISIO, SAMSUNG and more. DLNA – Anynet support network-aware connectivity to home networks at the router and wireless access point is growing also.

For HDTV there is a void of quality designed-for-HD content – provisioning a fresh visual source to find there is a wide open opportunity for entry and emergence of fresh new paradigms, already launch enabled and promotable in widgets and apps that at this time are rather lame and do not meet expectations. That is about to change. Compelling, HDTV exclusive APP delivered wide-angle of reach and content will rule this space as… the next attention-getting content battleground for media will happen in the living-room… you already own the internet connection… control it with a click and prefer that experience to the non-interactive behaviors of cable tv.

EVERY HDTV AND INTERNET TV SOLUTION HAS ITS OWN PORTAL
All these islands of access to the web are special cases, subscriber managed in some way and roped off from the real web. Most On-screen App Stores are category-based, Pandora Twitter Facebook and Netflix, with some gallery and YouTube in the mix. None of it has a Home Theater look and feel, or any unique outcomes to look forward to. Whomever creates the most desired HDTV NET PORTAL wins, and currently that is a wasteland of whatever the HDTV makers can get, which isnt much… yet. Anything substantive will stand out in such a situation as we have now.


ENABLEMENT MATTERS – THE OPPORTUNITY IS NOW.
The solution has to be easy and immediate, very visually attractive, impose no huge "Search Load" to find. The problems facing HDTV makers is they have very little in the way of compelling content reasons to go there and use that INTERNET BUTTON for it.

RISE ABOVE THE MUNDANE
It is important to provide multiple compelling reasons to visit interactive content on a home HDTV that must compete with laptop and desktop user experiences. Youtube is NOT a destination. Vudu Hulu and Netflix are about the best of all you can get right now. We Need more.

BEING ON THE CURVE
To be on the adoption curve at the hockey-stick inflection point where exponential growth begins, you have to be ready, and connect the dots of supply/demand nodes for every point in the path that leads to the customer touch-point. This means design for digital screen, visuals for todays standards of recognized excellence, and showmanship that keeps them there once you have them.

Internet Portal Access built into TV with wireless "n" is the primary path to ubiquity, Blu-ray players and DVR boxes will also do this, and emerging iTV, BOXEE, Google TV REVUE systems will be 99 bucks and sit in every Wallmart and BestBuy right next to the HDTVs that fill entire walls. Many will be totally wireless "n" and configure themselves for immediate use with a single OK button push. That is done and happening now.

This alternative solution means replacing the existing HDTV is not required, just a one-time cost to extend the value of a broadband connection into the living-room. many people are doing this for themselves already, forging the increased adoption rate, blogging the experience, and its very much positive. All this is happening faster than we would have predicted.

By 2011 the critical mass of user-base for HD enabled Net connected content will be like a super-massive black hole that brings the quality content into its orbit. The initial marketspace to date has been acting as a natural filter for higher-end preferences, and as is aways the case, it will expand to include larger and more diverse audiences. The difference will be that there will be almost too many ways to get Net-Connected content to an HD screen, a situation never before present in the entertainment spectrum. This makes for a very competitive landscape based on what is actually available for content and exclusive value added.

We believe highly interactive HD quality content in the living-room will be one of the better and more sought-after validations of Internet TV, and entry to this space is already enabled in our PageBlend System.

The cross-section of device platforms supporting Flash 10.1 is going to grow dramatically in the very near future. PageBlend is already capable of supporting these new device implementations.
When the ability to see internet-based entertainment includes basic local news and On-Demand specific offerings ( Sports perhaps? ) then the conversion away from 100+ per month fees commanded by Cable will seem foolishly expensive.
We are acting on this now.