Most local morning news programs have a segment on the traffic. This makes sense. These programs often air before people begin their commute to work and can provide valuable information to make a commute easier.
However, it involves sitting through whatever traffic information they report even if it does not apply to your commute. There is also the chance they do not cover the route you take.
As I have mentioned before, digital television makes it possible to deliver customized content to viewers. Traffic reports are a perfect application for this.
When setting up your cable box, it would be possible to enter in the routes that you take on your commute. The traffic report on any news report that supports the feature could explicitly cover the roads pertinent to a viewers commute.
Once television providers and networks begin fully realizing the potential of digital television delivery we will begin seeing a whole spectrum of customized content on television. Customizing content is good for the viewer and thus good for the provider.
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Integrating Social Networks with Television
I would like to preface todays idea with a disclaimer. I am not a fan of social networking. I have never used Twitter and I maintain my Facebook account only out of a sense of obligation. However, I do try to keep track of the trends so that I can understand the online social climate. I am well aware that many people are fans of social networks. I am also aware that for savvy businesses, social networking can prove to be profitable.
If people are talking on social networks about a television show, its essentially free advertising for that show. It's in the interest of television networks to allow fans to talk about their shows. Every delay between a person watching a show and then posting about it online will reduce the number of people actually post. Today's idea is to break down some of the barriers between the television and the 'cloud.'
Imagine a cable box with an extra button on the controller. Pressing this new button would bring up an on-screen keyboard allowing the viewer to enter text. While not the best input method, it could work for short messages (a few sentences long) much like most 'tweets.' A person could easily update their twitter account while watching TV.
If the box was compatible with social networks that support tags, the cable box could automatically label the update with the name of the show being watched. A Facebook button on the remote could automatically update a person's facebook status to let people know what show they are watching. Another button could list the show as an interest on their profile.
This could even allow for a "I'm bored button" in which the TV would change to a random program currently playing that you might like based on other TV shows that you have listed as liking.
Now this is pretty much all doable just using a computer. However, the point is that removing the necessity of a computer will increase the amount of people who will network about any given show.
Integration would not need to simply be with existing systems. There could be a button to allow the viewer to punch in a number of stars. Such a simple act (presumably it could be done with a single button press) would likely see frequent use.
A large drive with technology in the past years is to make social networking more seamless. A focus of many phones is to allow people to network no matter what situation they are in.
TV networks win. If this idea where to come to fruition they would get greater exposure. Cable networks win. If they offered this system its something they could use to negotiate better deals with networks and could also attract new subscribers. Viewers win, at least those that like social networking. The only people who don't 'win' are those who don't care for social networking, but they never have to setup their box for it (entering in their Facebook and Twitter username and passwords for example).
Rather than issuing new cable boxes, this idea could also be realized through an 'add on' box. Most cable boxes that I have seen have a USB port. Presumably I/O information could be sent through this port (perhaps with a firmware update) to allow a 'Social Networking Box' to find out what show is currently being watched. The Social Networking Box could have wifi to connect to the internet and come with a special remote control designed with its unique purpose in mind while still allowing regular TV watching.
The only real problem I could imagine is when there are multiple people in the same family. However, ultimately this is not a real problem. This is not the first time I have suggested having multiple profiles on one device (see my Roku/Netflix suggestion). When taking any social network actions a menu could pop up asking which profile to take the action under. These could even be password protected if the user desired. There could also be profile buttons on the remote. There are any number of other ways this problem could be solved as well. Ultimately a creator of such a device would want to experiment with various techniques of allowing profile selection to find which works best.
If people are talking on social networks about a television show, its essentially free advertising for that show. It's in the interest of television networks to allow fans to talk about their shows. Every delay between a person watching a show and then posting about it online will reduce the number of people actually post. Today's idea is to break down some of the barriers between the television and the 'cloud.'
Imagine a cable box with an extra button on the controller. Pressing this new button would bring up an on-screen keyboard allowing the viewer to enter text. While not the best input method, it could work for short messages (a few sentences long) much like most 'tweets.' A person could easily update their twitter account while watching TV.
If the box was compatible with social networks that support tags, the cable box could automatically label the update with the name of the show being watched. A Facebook button on the remote could automatically update a person's facebook status to let people know what show they are watching. Another button could list the show as an interest on their profile.
This could even allow for a "I'm bored button" in which the TV would change to a random program currently playing that you might like based on other TV shows that you have listed as liking.
Now this is pretty much all doable just using a computer. However, the point is that removing the necessity of a computer will increase the amount of people who will network about any given show.
Integration would not need to simply be with existing systems. There could be a button to allow the viewer to punch in a number of stars. Such a simple act (presumably it could be done with a single button press) would likely see frequent use.
A large drive with technology in the past years is to make social networking more seamless. A focus of many phones is to allow people to network no matter what situation they are in.
TV networks win. If this idea where to come to fruition they would get greater exposure. Cable networks win. If they offered this system its something they could use to negotiate better deals with networks and could also attract new subscribers. Viewers win, at least those that like social networking. The only people who don't 'win' are those who don't care for social networking, but they never have to setup their box for it (entering in their Facebook and Twitter username and passwords for example).
Rather than issuing new cable boxes, this idea could also be realized through an 'add on' box. Most cable boxes that I have seen have a USB port. Presumably I/O information could be sent through this port (perhaps with a firmware update) to allow a 'Social Networking Box' to find out what show is currently being watched. The Social Networking Box could have wifi to connect to the internet and come with a special remote control designed with its unique purpose in mind while still allowing regular TV watching.
The only real problem I could imagine is when there are multiple people in the same family. However, ultimately this is not a real problem. This is not the first time I have suggested having multiple profiles on one device (see my Roku/Netflix suggestion). When taking any social network actions a menu could pop up asking which profile to take the action under. These could even be password protected if the user desired. There could also be profile buttons on the remote. There are any number of other ways this problem could be solved as well. Ultimately a creator of such a device would want to experiment with various techniques of allowing profile selection to find which works best.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Smarter Commercials
I just saw on TV a commercial for AT&T highspeed internet. Basically the commercial was trying to convince me that their service is faster than whatever service I have and that I should make the switch. But here is the thing. I already have my internet from AT&T. In fact they provide my cable as well.
I feel that if I am going to see a commercial or ad, it might as well be pertinent to my life. This is why I don't mind the targeted ads online. Online advertisers have figured out the game. An ad tailored to the viewer is more likely to result in a sale.
With modern digital cable it is more and more possible to customize commercials to the viewers.
It would require cooperation between the cable providers and the television networks. The providers would need to put forward the technology backbone and the networks would need to change they pitch themselves to potential advertisers.
Let's imagine a hypothetical toy retailer. They are looking to expand their advertising. They already have commercials on all the channels specifically targeting kids. They have a choice between two networks. Network A will just try to show their commercial to all viewers and charge accordingly. Network B will only show the commercial to some viewers, but can get away with charging less (because they can show other commercials to other viewers). The catch is that network B will be showing their commercial specifically to families that have a history of watching kid friendly networking.
It would be simple for cable companies to collect viewing histories to help target commercials. Combine this with other traditional ways of collecting information (like browser cookies) and commercials could be shockingly well targeted.
How effective is it to show commercials for feminine hygiene products to a bachelor, or toy commercials to someone without kids? What if you could be confident that commercials for retirement planning would be showed to people in the age range that they would be considering retirement?
That AT&T commercial, rather than trying to sell me their internet, instead could have been a commercial thanking me for using their service. Imagine seeing a commercial along the lines of "Thank you for using XXXX as your cell phone service provider. We are dedicated to giving you the best service at the lowest price possible. As always, if you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact us." No information would even need to be gathered for such a commercial. The cellphone company would just need to cross-reference their customer database with the customers of whichever cable services have these 'smarter commercials' in order to figure out who to target.
There is not much preventing this from becoming a reality. There would likely need to be some additional technical upgrades made to existing cable systems, but I think the increased efficiency in advertising would more than make up for the cost. The biggest concern many people may have is the 'invasion of privacy.' The thing is companies don't need to gather any additional information. Referring back to the opening of this post, presumably AT&T knows I receive my internet through them. Is it an invasion of my privacy if they use this information that they already know to customize a commercial for me? Once again, ultimately, if I am going to be watching a commercial, it might as well be pertinent to my life.
I feel that if I am going to see a commercial or ad, it might as well be pertinent to my life. This is why I don't mind the targeted ads online. Online advertisers have figured out the game. An ad tailored to the viewer is more likely to result in a sale.
With modern digital cable it is more and more possible to customize commercials to the viewers.
It would require cooperation between the cable providers and the television networks. The providers would need to put forward the technology backbone and the networks would need to change they pitch themselves to potential advertisers.
Let's imagine a hypothetical toy retailer. They are looking to expand their advertising. They already have commercials on all the channels specifically targeting kids. They have a choice between two networks. Network A will just try to show their commercial to all viewers and charge accordingly. Network B will only show the commercial to some viewers, but can get away with charging less (because they can show other commercials to other viewers). The catch is that network B will be showing their commercial specifically to families that have a history of watching kid friendly networking.
It would be simple for cable companies to collect viewing histories to help target commercials. Combine this with other traditional ways of collecting information (like browser cookies) and commercials could be shockingly well targeted.
How effective is it to show commercials for feminine hygiene products to a bachelor, or toy commercials to someone without kids? What if you could be confident that commercials for retirement planning would be showed to people in the age range that they would be considering retirement?
That AT&T commercial, rather than trying to sell me their internet, instead could have been a commercial thanking me for using their service. Imagine seeing a commercial along the lines of "Thank you for using XXXX as your cell phone service provider. We are dedicated to giving you the best service at the lowest price possible. As always, if you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact us." No information would even need to be gathered for such a commercial. The cellphone company would just need to cross-reference their customer database with the customers of whichever cable services have these 'smarter commercials' in order to figure out who to target.
There is not much preventing this from becoming a reality. There would likely need to be some additional technical upgrades made to existing cable systems, but I think the increased efficiency in advertising would more than make up for the cost. The biggest concern many people may have is the 'invasion of privacy.' The thing is companies don't need to gather any additional information. Referring back to the opening of this post, presumably AT&T knows I receive my internet through them. Is it an invasion of my privacy if they use this information that they already know to customize a commercial for me? Once again, ultimately, if I am going to be watching a commercial, it might as well be pertinent to my life.
Monday, August 2, 2010
'Three Things' - An Educational TV Show
There is a game that tends to be used as an icebreaker when a bunch of people meet one another for the first time. Each person says three things about themselves. However, only two of the things are true. Everyone else needs to guess which one the person made up.
This game could be converted into a TV game show fairly easily.
The average person tends to have a large number of preconceived notions about science that are simply false. Sometimes it happens because a news outlet reports misinformation, or at least unverified information. Other time people fall victim to illusions because of Hollywood. Other times, its simply because the universe doesn't always work in an immediately intuitively obvious way.
The show would be a game show with prizes. Each question would give them 3 options. Sometimes the options would just be facts. Other times they would be clips from a TV or print news source. All the choices would discuss some scientific principle. It could range from statements as simple as 'There is no peer-reviewed experimental evidence linking mercury to Autism' to something like 'tests have shown astrology to be no more accurate than random guessing.' News and print clips would of course be longer.
One of these statements would be incorrect. For news clips, rather than faking a clip, they would take archived footage of a news channel reporting non-science as science. The contestant would need to correctly choose the false statement.
After the answer was revealed, the show would spend a minute explaining why each true fact is true and spend time 'debunking' the false science.
In between questions the show could explain what the difference between pseudoscience and science are, what it means to be peer-reviewed, why 'certification' doesn't mean the same thing as 'credible' and other issues that the viewers may not necessarily know.
I envision such a show as a combination of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' and 'Myth Busters.' Such a show could easily be educational and entertaining. To introduce drama you could include many of the 'lifelines' from Millionaire (probably not the 50/50 lifeline unless you added a 4th true statement). You could also include one lifeline where the contestant is given additional information related to a choice of their choosing that is guaranteed to be factual.
This same format could easily be applied to topics beyond science as well. It could also easily translate into a computer game.
As long as the show was well directed, I could see it being a smash hit.
This game could be converted into a TV game show fairly easily.
The average person tends to have a large number of preconceived notions about science that are simply false. Sometimes it happens because a news outlet reports misinformation, or at least unverified information. Other time people fall victim to illusions because of Hollywood. Other times, its simply because the universe doesn't always work in an immediately intuitively obvious way.
The show would be a game show with prizes. Each question would give them 3 options. Sometimes the options would just be facts. Other times they would be clips from a TV or print news source. All the choices would discuss some scientific principle. It could range from statements as simple as 'There is no peer-reviewed experimental evidence linking mercury to Autism' to something like 'tests have shown astrology to be no more accurate than random guessing.' News and print clips would of course be longer.
One of these statements would be incorrect. For news clips, rather than faking a clip, they would take archived footage of a news channel reporting non-science as science. The contestant would need to correctly choose the false statement.
After the answer was revealed, the show would spend a minute explaining why each true fact is true and spend time 'debunking' the false science.
In between questions the show could explain what the difference between pseudoscience and science are, what it means to be peer-reviewed, why 'certification' doesn't mean the same thing as 'credible' and other issues that the viewers may not necessarily know.
I envision such a show as a combination of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' and 'Myth Busters.' Such a show could easily be educational and entertaining. To introduce drama you could include many of the 'lifelines' from Millionaire (probably not the 50/50 lifeline unless you added a 4th true statement). You could also include one lifeline where the contestant is given additional information related to a choice of their choosing that is guaranteed to be factual.
This same format could easily be applied to topics beyond science as well. It could also easily translate into a computer game.
As long as the show was well directed, I could see it being a smash hit.
Monday, July 19, 2010
DVR Profiles
My family has a digital 'cable' service that includes a Digital Video Recorder.
The problem though, is that the recorder has a limited capacity. When the DVR becomes filled it begins to delete old stuff automatically to make room for new items.
Of course this can cause strife in the family if it is felt that certain family members have recorded a large amount of things that they are not watching.
A solution to this could be to allow for recording profiles. Each profile would be for one member of the family and would be given a percentage of the DVR's hard drive.
This way one person would be unable to take up the whole DVR. It would also discourage the 'recording but then not watching' that even I am guilty of.
The only real issue is how to select which profile something would be recorded under. Ultimately this would likely need new buttons on the remote to not be cumbersome.
The problem though, is that the recorder has a limited capacity. When the DVR becomes filled it begins to delete old stuff automatically to make room for new items.
Of course this can cause strife in the family if it is felt that certain family members have recorded a large amount of things that they are not watching.
A solution to this could be to allow for recording profiles. Each profile would be for one member of the family and would be given a percentage of the DVR's hard drive.
This way one person would be unable to take up the whole DVR. It would also discourage the 'recording but then not watching' that even I am guilty of.
The only real issue is how to select which profile something would be recorded under. Ultimately this would likely need new buttons on the remote to not be cumbersome.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
American Politician
So to celebrate this 4th of July, this post is regarding the time honored American tradition of voting.
One issue many people claim to have with our government is the difficulty that third party candidates face in getting recognition.
My proposal is for a TV show in the same vein as American Idol. The idea would not be for the show to replace voting, but rather to increase awareness.
The show would start with 30 some odd third party presidential candidates. The first episode would be designed to let the viewers know a bit about each candidate as a person. The next one would give a brief overview of their political stances. After that each following episode would focus on a particular issue and the candidates would make their views known.
There would be no first party candidates on the show. Furthermore to prevent people from rallying behind party names, the contestant party affiliations would not be revealed until a few episodes in. Granted people could just look them up online, but most viewers wont.
After each episode people would vote by texting their favorite candidate. As the show went, a candidate would be eliminated each week Near the end when only a few candidates remained they could engage in head to head debate.
Viewers would also be able to vote on which issues they would want to see on the show.
Now there are issues with this. I'm not necessarily sure that this is the way I would want my president selected, but thats not the goal. The voting mechanism could also end up having the voting being manipulated, but once again, that is why it would not be official.
Contestants would agree not to do outside campaigning while the show was running. As a nice twist the network that is hosting the show could contribute commercial time to the campaign of the winning contestant.
It might not have any impact on politics in America. In fact such a show could further contribute to the sensationalizing of politics. However, it just might have a positive impact and maybe could make some network money.
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