TechMediaTalk

As Broadband Video Grows, Television is not Standing Still

Posted on | January 12, 2009

Just when we think that broadband video is delivering the fare that makes traditional television viewing passé, there appear signs that there may be more to come when it comes to plain old television service (maybe this is a new use of the mostly defunct telephone related acronym POTS).  The current Consumer Electronics Show recently concluded in Las Vegas had a fair share of things that made for some excitement around television.

Over the past couple of years the thrust of broadband video has been on quality.  In mid 2007 Adobe announced H.264 for Flash with the stated purpose of serving up HD content in Flash.  That was the starting gun for HD on the Internet, and since then the notion that web video will match traditional TV quality and web video viewing will eclipse traditional TV has been rampant among some circles.

While the developments in broadband video are indeed encouraging, and I have been a proponent of it since well before it became mainstream news, I have also been proposing that the two will not only coexist for some time to come, but also establish a highly symbiotic relationship. I write about this in an upcoming article in Streaming Media magazine, so more on this later. Recent data from Nielsen also suggests that while Internet video usage is dramatically rising, television viewing is also on the rise.  Nielsen’s new TV/Internet Convergence Panel survey also reveals that the highest Internet users are also the heaviest TV viewers, and 31% of time users are surfing the Net they are also watching television.

Therefore, news on the front of traditional television is relevant to me as a participant in the broadband video trends, and should be to those in the broadband video industry.  In this regard, a glimpse of what is to come for traditional television is indeed encouraging.  

3D Television (3DTV)

What I am referring to here is 3D television (3DTV) that most of the major television manufacturers were demonstrating at CES 2009.  Now let me clarify that 3DTV is not a new idea.  It has been talked of and demonstrated for some time now.  However, this year TV manufacturers claim it is ready to ship later this year and while the display technologies are ready for prime-time, content providers are also actively engaged in the discussion.  According to one vendor, major CE companies have agreed to a BluRay 3D authoring system that is now being evaluated by studios.  The overall picture is a little more complicated however.  While 3DTV requires 3D authoring and broadcasting, 3D implementations for broadcast are also different from 3D implementations for BluRay DVD’s for example.  Lastly, most of the 3D systems still require the pesky glasses to view 3D.  This last requirement may well be a hurdle for mass adoption of 3D television.

Gaming - 3D Early Adopters?

There are other markets where 3D may have lower adoption hurdles, namely video gaming.  There are a few factors that favor gaming as the lead horse for 3D deployments.  For one, gamers are more aggressive adopters of new technologies.  Game development is also more cutting edge than television programming insofar as new technology adoption goes.  Paraphernalia, accessories, and peripherals are also part of gaming accoutrements, so what does a pair of Men in Black glasses matter?

All said, this means a few things for 3D.  One it creates a market for 3D displays thereby allowing such displays to ship and deploy in homes.  In the world of consumer electronics, volume is everything.  Early gamer adoption also eases in consumer adoption of required glasses.

In any event, experiencing 3DTV is more remarkable than going from SD to HD, at least based on those that I have talked with (I tend to agree).  The CE industry needs the next TV platform given the volume and price pressures facing the industry.   I can see the BluRay industry joining the bandwagon in force and the broadcast industry not far behind.  Sky in the UK is already trialing 3DTV, and according to this post some television broadcasts in Japan are already in 3D.

What does this mean for Internet video?  

For one, it creates a new threshold for Internet video to achieve - an exciting one at that.  Given that the pace of Internet video is much faster than broadcast or CE, it is not inconceivable that 3D for Internet video paces 3DTV.  We will no doubt see movement on this front for Internet video relatively soon, whether from established formats like Flash and Silverlight, or other innovative startups.  Just when we thought the table was set, the game may change.     

What do you think? Join the discussion below.

 

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Category: 3D, Broadband, Devices, Gaming, HD, Online TV, Projections, Satellite, Technology

Comments

One Response to “As Broadband Video Grows, Television is not Standing Still”

  1. Leaning and Linearity in Video and Other Trends : TechMediaTalk
    March 4th, 2009 @ 6:45 am

    [...] television still has a few tricks it can pull up its sleeve, as I report here.  At the same time, Internet video has the potential to transform decades of video viewing [...]

Leave a Reply