If you haven't seen this video yet, take a look. It is a great example of interactive TV at the gas station pump! Pumpcast News is a segment featured on Jay Leno's Tonight Show that catches people by surprise at the gas pump as they try to ignore the TV blaring away.
In the following video clip, Pumpcast news anchor Jack Rafferty offers free gas if the customer, Will Sims, will sing karaoke. Will sings "Living on a Prayer", by Bon Jovi, with all of his heart and soul. Later, his wife, Monifa, joins in and belts out Sweet Dreams, by the Eurythmics.
I especially liked Will's "living on a free tank of gas" improvisation at about 2:28.
I don't think this segment was staged, but even if it was, the interactive TV is a great concept. It certainly engaged the customers. Who knows? Would you purchase one brand of gas over another if you knew you'd have a random chance to get a free tank of gas and 15 minutes of fame? RELATED Will and Monifa Sims were invited to sing on The Tonight Show:
Traditional remote controls for televisions and home media centers are particularly frustrating to use, in my opinion. There are too many buttons, the buttons are too small, and it is easy to mess it all up. (I've touched on this topic in a number of blog posts, such asUX of ITV: The User Experience and Interactive TV (or Let's Stamp Out Bad Remote Controls)and others, linked at the end of this post.)
There is hope for the future! I'm happy to share a video about a method of remote control that might make interacting with my TV less annoying...and possibly pleasant!
Researchers at the Technical University of Darmstadt have been working on a way for people to control their TV without a remote or hand-held device. I think they are on the right path. The video shows how UI elements, mapped to the hand, can be touched, with accuracy, to interact eyes-free with a large-screen TV. This work won the Best Paper award at EuroITV'12.
Niloofar Dezfuli, Mohammadreza Khalilbeigi, Jochen Huber, Florian Müller, and Max Mühlhäuser. 2012. Leveraging the palm surface as an eyes-free tv remote control. In Proceedings of the 2012 ACM annual conference extended abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems Extended Abstracts (CHI EA '12). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 2483-2488. http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2223656.2223823
There is a lot of things going on in the field of interactive multi-platform media!
The following videos from iTVT's StoryCentric video column are worth taking the time to abosrb. In the videos, Brian Seth Hurst, CEO of The Opportunity Management Company, interviews Gunther Sonnenfeld, SVP of Cultural Innovation and Applied Technology at Omnicom-subsidiary RAPP. The role of data in interactive multi-platform storytelling is the main focus of their discussion.
According to the iTVT website, "StoryCentric focuses on the business, technology and art of interactive storytelling, and highlights new technologies and other industry developments that have the potential to fundamentally change the way we create and interact with stories and narratives--in television and beyond."
RELATED
The following video is from the Canesta3D YouTube channel. It demonstrates the 3D input sensor in action, with four people moving around in a living room. The chip used in the system depicted in the video was the precursor to the current chip, called the "Cobra 320x200".
Below is a demo of gesture interaction using Canesta3D technology to control and select information and content on a large display. In my opinion, this will change the way we interact with our TV's, at least for those of us who hate using bad remotes! Microsoft's acquisition of Canesta is good news, especially if they allow this technology to be used by the masses. I'm pretty sure it has the capability of supporting interaction with HD TV's are internet-ready, and can support GoogleTV, LeanBack, and Vimeo's Couch Mode.
About Canesta (From the Canesta website) "Canesta (www.canesta.com) is the inventor of revolutionary, low cost electronic perception technology and leading provider of single chip CMOS 3-D sensors that fundamentally change the relationship between devices and their users. This capability makes possible true 3-D perception as input to everyday devices, rather than the widely understood 3-D representational technologies as output. Canesta’s 3-D input technology, based upon tiny, CMOS 3-D imaging chips or “sensors”, enables fine-grained, 3-dimensional depth-perception in a wide range of applications. Products based on this capability can then react on sight to the actions or motions of individuals and objects in their field of view, gaining levels of functionality and ease of use that were simply not possible in an era when such devices were blind. Canesta’s focus is on mass market consumer electronics, but many applications exist in other markets as well. Canesta is located in Sunnyvale, CA. The company has filedin excess of fifty patents, 44 of which have been granted so far."
I posted some videos about Canesta's technologies on the following post. There are two videos that show Canesta's 3D depth camera works on a Hitachi flat-panel display: Interactive Displays 2009 Conference
Today we switched from DISH to Time Warner Cable, and tonight I had to battle with a new remote control, the UR5U-8780L. The experience with this remote led me to search for something better. What a coincidence! In this day and age of touch-screens, I was hoping for something better than....
It is 2010, and with TVs connected to the internet, we'll be interacting with content in ways we could only dream of in the recent past. Interactive TV is here. Do I really have to push a lot of buttons in order to have the best "interactive" experience?
I came across a link to Planet in Action's video demonstration of 3D sound in Google Earth, thanks to a post by Nate Torkington in O'Reilly Radar. WOW!
The company shows that a 3D sound engine works nicely within the Google Earth environment. Planet in Action tweaked the Soundmanager2 library from schillmania.com, resulting in a sound3D javascript object that can be used to program geo-located sounds in Google Earth.
The 3D sound concept, in my opinion, will be useful in creating immersive interactive educational experiences, especially if students have access to newer interactive whiteboards with decent sound systems.
Below is the video from Planet in Action, along with a bit of promotional information: The video is of a port in San Sabastian, Spain. The "sound landscape" is realistic, and a range of sounds, from various spots in the scene, can be heard during the exploration.
"Google Earth is a highly detailed 3D representation of our entire planet. Rather than just looking at it, why not play on it! PlanetInAction.com brings you top quality ideas, applications and concepts that will let you experience your planet in a whole new way." -Planet in Action
Thoughts:
My bet is that this concept will play out very well in the future in family rooms outfitted with large displays and decent surround sound systems.
By the way, Planet in Action's work strikes a chord in me. One of my HCI team travel planning projects that used Google Earth in the demonstration prototype. We focused on cruise travel planning, mostly because I had lots of pictures and video clips from my cruise trips vacations and other travels. I even worked on part of the project while I was ON a cruise ship. (That was before the economic downturn.) Below is a video of a cruise ship model that Planet in Action created for a cruise line, for use in Google Earth:
Celebrity Constellation Virtual Fly-by
SOMEWHAT RELATED
As I mentioned in my previous post, "Video Experiments: Sea Life Medley - Extended version with music", I'm experimenting with some ideas to create interactive educational video clips for future use on higher-resolution interactive whiteboards and other large touch-screen surfaces.
Part of my motivation stems from an immediate need for "touchable" content for the students I work with who have more significant disabilities, including autism- and of course, my colleagues. All of the classrooms in the program have IWBs- mostly brand-new SMARTBoards - - we also have a SMARTTable that is begging for more content.
As I worked with students using my video clips and a new SMARTboard, I noticed that students have a strong desire to touch what they see on the screen. If they could stop the video and further explore item of interest, for example, the jellyfish in the above picture, it would be great.
Imagine putting your hand on the jellyfish, and having the power to explore it as a 3D model! If you are a grad student or researcher who is working on this concept, or something related, please let me know.
Getting back to the 3D landscapes/soundscapes in Google Earth- this is something that I'd like to try at school. I'm wonder if PlanetinAction allows for touch-screen interaction so that students who are at the SMARTBoard can easily explore the 3D-sound enabled scenes in Google Earth.
I'm playing around with my sea life video clips to get ideas for creating interactive educational videos in the future for use on interactive whiteboards and other large touch-screen surfaces.
Here's my YouTube description:
This is a medley of several video clips taken of sea life, mostly living in aquariums. Awesome jellyfish can be viewed from 1:34- 3:45. The music consists of clips from iMovie, and then William Orbit's "Sea Green" and "Surfin". I created this video for students I work with who have more complex disabilities, such as severe autism.
In the following video, tech entrepreneur Zach Klein shows his company's official version of Boxee, a set-top box system that provides users a "plug-and-play" opportunity to view Web-based video on their televisions.
Web video and content, viewed on a large-screen HD display, in the comfort of a cozy recliner or sofa, is in line with the "Slow Media" movement, as well as the concept behind Google's "YouTube Leanback" application (see links and info below).
SOMEWHAT RELATED Slow Media Manifesto "The concept “Slow”, as in “Slow Food” and not as in “Slow Down”, is a key for this. Like “Slow Food”, Slow Media are not about fast consumption but about choosing the ingredients mindfully and preparing them in a concentrated manner. Slow Media are welcoming and hospitable. They like to share." Google YouTube Leanback (Google) YouTube Leanback offers effortless viewing (Google) "YouTube Leanback a different way of watching videos on YouTube. Just as its name implies, YouTube Leanback is all about letting you sit back, relax and be entertained. Videos are tailored to autoplay as soon as you get started, in full screen and high definition, so watching YouTube becomes as effortless as watching TV. YouTube Leanback is simple to use, easy to navigate with your keyboard's arrow keys, and is personalized to your unique preferences." YouTube's 'Leanback' Wants to Friend Your Television RemoteEliot Van Burskirk, Wired 7/8//10
The IxDA (Interaction Design Association) forum has an thread about designing for TV interaction. Several IxDA members have shared some resources on this topic. I've just uncovered the links and resources and thought I'd share them in this post, with a detailed follow-up in a week or so, as I'm also researching topics related to 3D TV.
"Interaction Design (IxD) defines the structure and behavior of interactive systems. Interaction Designers strive to create meaningful relationships between people and the products and services that they use, from computers to mobile devices to appliances and beyond. Our practices are evolving with the world; join the conversation." -IxDA
"Google TV brings everything you love about the web to your television"
INTRODUCING GOOGLE TV
Transcript of the Google TV video:
"Back when there were only a few networks, watching TV was pretty simple. You turned on the TV, and if you didn't like what was playing, you changed the channel. But these days, TV can be pretty complicated. Figuring out what you want to watch is hard enough, and that's only the beginning. Once you've chosen a program, you have to figure out when it's playing, and which of hundreds of channels it's on. It's like you have to change your schedule to fit your TV's schedule. In fact, many of us end up watching videos on the web, because it is easier to find things that you want. I mean think about it, more and more of our favorite shows and videos are showing up online these days, and you can get to them really easily, whenever you want, just by typing in what you're looking for."
"The problem is, these smaller screens don't really compare to our home entertainment systems. Which leads us to a pretty big question: If the web is so smart, and our TVs are so fun to watch, why do we have to choose? Why can't they work together?
"Well, now they can. Introducing Google TV. Google TV brings everything you love about the web to your television. Some new TVs will come with it built-in, or you can get a separate box for the TV you already own. Either way, the way it works is very simple. Right on your TV screen, you simply type in what you're looking for...anything you're looking for, and Google TV will find it."
"It's basically an entertainment hub that searches all of your channels, recorded shows, YouTube, and other web sites. If you find something you like, you can add it to your home screen where you will always see your favorite channels, shows, websites, even music playlists and photo albums. That way, you can get to things really quick. And with a full web browser, you get unlimited access to the entire Internet, so you can do stuff like browse photos or update your status. And that's just scratching the surface."
"By opening up your TV to all of the improvements and innovation that the web has to offer, Google TV will make your TV smarter and easier to use. So you'll be able to spend a lot less time finding what you want, and a lot more time watching what you want."
Google TV is a new experience made for television that combines the TV you know and love with the freedom and power of the Internet. Watch an overview video below, sign up for updates, and learn more about how to develop for Google TV.
"Google TV is a new experience for television that combines the TV that you already know with the freedom and power of the Internet. With Google Chrome built in, you can access all of your favorite websites and easily move between television and the web. This opens up your TV from a few hundred channels to millions of channels of entertainment across TV and the web. Your television is also no longer confined to showing just video. With the entire Internet in your living room, your TV becomes more than a TV — it can be a photo slideshow viewer, a gaming console, a music player and much more."
SOMEWHAT RELATED I wonder what the user interface will be for navigating around Google TV. This just might be the opportunity for a next-gen universal remote control to emerge. I hope so, because I've had usability issues with the current state of my remote controls and my DVR + HDTV viewing experiences.
FYI: A few of my previous posts related to remote controls, web-browsing on HD TV's, and so on:
When I return to graduate school (hopefully I'll have the means to attend full-time), I want to flesh out my ideas for a "interactive multi-dimensional multi-media multi-user timeline" for use on interactive multi-touch/gesture tables and displays. Although I've limited my work to a prototype of a template, I know that this concept won't work unless the application can incorporate an efficient means of handling large volumes of data, as well as data in various formats.
I want this template to be useful to people in a variety of contexts, such as students studying world history and humanities, education administrators looking at educational data over time, producers and viewers of interactive documentary programs (think interactive TV), the health industry, urban planners, the military, serious games, etc.
One of my stumbling blocks is how all of the data would be stored and analysed. What I learned a few years ago in my computer classes simply won't work.
So now what?! I think that Roger Magoulas, the director of research at O'Reilly, has some good things to say about the critical problem of handling what he calls "Big Data". Here are a few videos that I think are worth watching.
The Future of Work
Part One
Next Device (SmartPhones, netbooks, creation & consumption factors - supporting usability in multiple contexts)
You Tube Series: O'Reilly Media
Big Data: Technologies & Techniques for Large-Scale Data (Emphasis on experimental approach) Part I
Part II (Discusses new forms of databases and the user of parallel processors to handle Big Data)
Part III Key Technology Dimensions
Part IV, Focus on hardware- Solid state disks, new data structure called "triadic continuum" which handles real-time data and ongoing probability estimates of data.
I would be happy to hear from anyone who is working on a project similar to the one I'm working on as a "hobby".
RELATED
Triadic Continuum "Phaneron, KStore, Knowledge store, or simply K, is a dynamic data model that is based on the cognitive theory of C. S. Peirce. Phaneron efficiently organizes data into a unique, compact, interconnected, and fully-related data model. Phaneron is constructed using the Triadic Continuum."
For those of you who like visual representations of geeky-techy concepts, here a few visuals and related descriptions of KStore fundamentals from the Triadic Continuum website:
"The KStore data model is constructed using the basic triad. For example, the event sequence 'cat' would be recorded as shown in 'a sequence' below. A new level of nodes is created above a lower level of nodes as a result of the triadic process. In this case the lower level of nodes contains a node for each character of the alpha-numeric character set and the new nodes reference the lower level nodes to record the sequence 'cat'. Each sequence is initialize with a reference to a BOT (beginning of thought) and terminated with an EOT (end of thought) reference."
"The data set above was used to create the K structure below with the lowest level that contains the alpha-numeric character set, the second level is created to record sequences that represent the field variables. Then a third level is created using the field variables of the second level to record the record sequences. Records recorded in this K structure reuse the field variable nodes so that these field variable sequences never have to be recorded more than once. This is just one of the attributes of a K structure that makes it very efficient." -Triadic-conintuum.com
Personal Note: Due to the economic downturn and its impact on my family (two kids in college), I returned to work full time in mid 2008. I have a very busy day job as a school psychologist, working at two high schools as well as a program for students with multiple, severe disabilities, including autism. This has limited my ability to work on my project.
Wasn't there a moment about ten years ago when we thought the next wave of the Internet would arrive on our televisions?
A new wave is on the horizon, now that more homes have large flat-panel HDTVs!
With interactive TV programming and the buzz about anywhere, anytime TV on our mobile devices, it just seems right to have a chance to snuggle up with loved ones around the family room HDTV and experience some happy web-sharing moments, as depicted in the cozy picture below from the WebTaps website:
So how do you interact with the giant web? According to information on the website, you can use your wireless mouse, your TV remote control, or choose from one of the following devices, available for purchase from the WebTaps Accessories Store:
There is too much to summarize, so here is a copy of the press release, from Steaming Media:
WebTaps Releases HDTV Web Browser
WebTaps announces the availability of the first HDTV web browser with integrated intelligent virtual keyboard and screen scaling technology
Rockville, Maryland (December 17, 2009) -
WebTaps, a developer of web browsing software for HDTVs and touch screen PCs, today announced the availability of the WebTaps HDTV Web Browser. The browser is designed to be used from across the room in a TV viewing environment to augment or replace the content otherwise available on the HDTV. WebTaps offers the only HDTV web browser that automatically scales web content to the full size of the HDTV screen and includes a truly intelligent virtual keyboard. The patent-pending intelligent virtual keyboard knows when and where to appear on-screen so that text can be easily entered while watching from across the room.
"WebTaps has finally brought the full internet, including access to every website, to the biggest and best screen in the home - the HDTV," said Scott Lincke, CEO of WebTaps. "WebTaps enables people to sit back and comfortably access great sites like Hulu.com, Facebook, YouTube, and Google. They can easily find content and sit back to watch together with their friends and family instead of staring at a laptop screen. WebTaps really transforms how people can use their HDTV by bringing an infinite supply of content, unlimited by their cable company or over-the-air TV signal."
To get started, users of PC-connected HDTVs download the free software installer from www.WebTaps.com. No user signup is required. The user simply selects their country and language and the software is ready to use. A localized content guide is presented, showing great content sites. Alternately, users can enter any web address or search any of the leading search engines.
WebTaps plans to distribute its products through retailers and PC OEMs in 2010. "We are pleased by the reaction to our products," said Scott Lincke. "Web browsing on HDTVs saves people money spent on premium services and they tell us that it gives them even more functionality than their DVR since they don't have to think ahead about what they want to record. Suddenly anything available on the web can be watched on their big screen TV."
WebTaps HDTV Web Browser product evaluation kits are available for qualified press personnel. In addition, WebTaps will have representatives available to answer further questions at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, 2010. Please contact WebTaps at pr@WebTaps.com for more information.
###
About WebTaps Inc.
WebTaps Inc. develops technology and products that enable web browsing on HDTVs and touch-screen PCs. The company offers its solutions for sale directly to consumers and for licensing to PC OEMs and service providers. WebTaps standard version is available as a free download. Additionally a premium version is available with or without a WebTaps wireless remote control. Further information about WebTaps and the WebTaps HDTV Web Browser can be found at www.WebTaps.com.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
WEBTAPS INC. Editorial Contact: Scott Lincke (202) 713-5620 pr@WebTaps.com
A recent post by Tracy Swedlow, an owner/author at Interactive TV Today, highlights how it has been used to shoot video of hockey as well as music experiences in her article: Immersive Media Powers 360 Degree Interactive Video for CBC/Radio Canada and MTV Networks (12/8/09) Tracy also mentions that the recent MTV-U Woodie Awards performances were filmed in 360 degree video by Immersive Media, and can be viewed on-line.
It is worth taking a look at the videos, even if you aren't interested in the performers!
At any point in the 360 video, you can pan around to see that moment as it happened, from every direction. You can look at the excited audience, the video art backdrop, the lights bouncing off the drum-set, parts of the ceiling or the floor of the stage. Each time you view the video, you can have a different experience.
Below are a couple of screen shots of the performances, with links to the MTV-U Woodie Awards website, where you can watch the videos. The first screen shot shows is a picture of the lay-out. Viewers can choose their point-of-view by clicking and dragging on the video as it is in motion, or by moving the point-of-view selection box in the panel below the video.
Note: I stopped the video to look around the 360 panorama as a still picture, but when clicked to view the rest of the performance, the music kept playing, but the video did not continue. This is probably a kink that needs to be worked out. Panning around the video during the action was not a problem.
