Web TV – Shall we throw out the remote control?
“The Being Digital revolution, the shift from atoms to bits, is irreversible and unstoppable”.
This was a theory that used to sound like science fiction. It was propagated in that period when the RAI reigned over Italian TV and was always quarrelling with the new, private ‘heretic’ channels of Mediaset. When DOS was the most common operating system and Windows was a pioneer regarded with scepticism.
However, the prophecy of Negroponte (a modern Nostradamus) has now come true!
Current TV - an interactive Web TV channel started by Al Gore in 2005 – has just won a very coveted Emmy Award for best “interactive television services”.
The former democratic presidential candidate has remained true to his ideals by launching a democratic TV channel, a media innovation that encourages ‘two-way conversation’.
This is no small thing!
Current TV offers a revolutionary theory: users can personalize contents and interact with programming, thereby becoming active viewers.
In other words: anyone can upload their own videos, which would then be added to programming through the consensus of other viewers that have watched and voted for them.
Current TV is based on a format called P2P TV with one distinct difference to other channels that predate it – such as Joost and Babelgum - you don’t have to download any software programs.
Right now, these ‘pioneer’ Web TV projects, both Italian managed, are available in ‘beta’ versions and have a limited number of accesses, which are given only by invitation or at the discretion of TV channels.
Current TV has made a decisive entry into an experimental sector with a more immediate solution. We’ll soon see who is the most successful.
What else can we say? Good-bye to fighting over the remote control!
TV of the future will be more personal and personalized. It will be available on-demand and usable from anywhere in the world.
Are we ready for this?
I’m not entirely sure, despite what I’ve written here. However, I’m willing to learn about it.
