Overview - Interactive Television
Interactive television allows viewers to interact with their television, playing quiz shows, choosing which sports games they want to watch and with the future possibility of choosing alternate endings to films and television programmes.
But entertainment is not the only option, for example, imagine a children's television programme that not only teaches them basic maths, but that allows for interactive testing, thereby revolutionising both television and learning. This is one of the reasons the Government would like to convert everyone to digital TV to allow this kind of interaction, and in the process, sell off the analogue bandwidth (now delayed until 2010 at the earliest). Although becoming more popular now, interactive television has not taken off in the way predicted by some commentators around the time of the dot-com bubble. Shows such as Big Brother and Pop Idol have successfully used interactivity to increase revenue.
Digitisation is what allows this interactivity, allowing more information to transmitted via broadband, cable or satellite. Digital TV has already had an impact on British television, with enhanced digital pictures and effects in nearly every other historical documentary. Digitally enhanced television has allowed for more fantastic visual effects, clearer sound and picture, and a seemingly realistic experience from the comfort of your own home.
But entertainment is not the only option, for example, imagine a children's television programme that not only teaches them basic maths, but that allows for interactive testing, thereby revolutionising both television and learning. This is one of the reasons the Government would like to convert everyone to digital TV to allow this kind of interaction, and in the process, sell off the analogue bandwidth (now delayed until 2010 at the earliest). Although becoming more popular now, interactive television has not taken off in the way predicted by some commentators around the time of the dot-com bubble. Shows such as Big Brother and Pop Idol have successfully used interactivity to increase revenue.
Digitisation is what allows this interactivity, allowing more information to transmitted via broadband, cable or satellite. Digital TV has already had an impact on British television, with enhanced digital pictures and effects in nearly every other historical documentary. Digitally enhanced television has allowed for more fantastic visual effects, clearer sound and picture, and a seemingly realistic experience from the comfort of your own home.