Translating the Television Experience to New Media Formats

Leuven.
And we're in the final session of EuroITV 2009 already, which starts with Emmanuel Tsekleves. He begins by noting the range of media, platforms, and devices now available in the home, which increases usage potentials, but also complexity. The TV remains predominantly situated in a shared social space - such as the living room - and is reasonably simple to use. It offers a high-quality audiovisual experience, and still remains the common denominator of entertainment and information access in the home.

But the emergence of other media in the home is changing this, and Emmanuel's team tested the impact of such changes by examining how the introduction of an experimental new convergent media device would change users' practices. This teased out information on the core experience of television, the role of TV as a shared resource, and its role in multitasking, multimedia experiences.

TV continues to be associated with relaxation, safety, comfort, and familiarity; this is especially true for older adults who have grown up with this as the dominant media technology. The TV is frequently contrasted with the PC, which requires a much more active role of the user, and has higher interaction costs (in terms of time and effort) for the individual.

TV is also seen as a shared resource; it is seen as encouraging social interaction among the members of a household during the viewing experience. Again, this contrasts strongly with the more solitary use of the PC, and its placement away from the central social spaces in the household. (This also indicates that there is a space in the household for a shared Internet access device which has not been filled successfully.)

Finally, the TV is also a key component in multiplatform, multitasking uses - many household members would phone and watch TV at the same time, or use a PC and watch TV at the same time, for example.

On this basis, the team developed an experimental artefact which used a touch-screen remote keyboard to control a laptop and TV. The remote allowed access to an interactive TV guide, provided profiles for multiple users, but also allowed access to users' photos and video clips which could be projected onto the laptop or main TV screen. This enabled digital media content viewing in a shared social context - for example of favourite YouTube videos or online photos.

Users also requested direct access to their music libraries, and quick checks of Facebook and other popular social media sites as additional features in this system. This may also open a pathway for new pay-as-you-go applications.

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