Why Television failed to become smart?

[ajaymailed]

Its a question thats often puzzles me, we see all gadgets around us becoming smarter, be it the phone, digital camera, music players, tablets etc- the features, the controls, the freedom, the capabilities are increasing manifold . When i realized the way we can control entertainment while doing many other things on our computers, i started watching television way less, almost abandoned it. More often than watching regular tv, i connect my pc to it and enjoy the bigger. I always dreamt of a computer-television hybrid where we can control the content we are viewing, record it, search for it, stream it, play games, browse, read and do all these at almost same time. take for example the power of youtube or some video streaming site coupled with information sites like IMDB, TV.com etc. Last the 20 years, Personal Computers, Laptops, Phones, Cameras etc have taken the world by storm, while Television has remained pretty much same with same remote controls.

Despite all the attemps from many Companies, organisations, Television failed to become smarter.

 

[Sam22]

Well, As per me the television are the ones who have got a tremendous hike in terms of demand and features in it. Gone are the days, when we use those high power consuming CRTS and right now, we have the LCDs and LEDs, which are not only good looking in design and have smart features like internet connectivity, video on demand, playing games etc etc. Have you ever guessed that we would be able to do all this with a TV.
There are so much to talk about the same.

 

[ajaymailed]

Well, As per me the television are the ones who have got a tremendous hike in terms of demand and features in it. Gone are the days, when we use those high power consuming CRTS and right now, we have the LCDs and LEDs, which are not only good looking in design and have smart features like internet connectivity, video on demand, playing games etc etc. Have you ever guessed that we would be able to do all this with a TV.
There are so much to talk about the same.

How good & successful are internet & Video on demand on TV? What features it offers considering the strengths of a Home Theater PC.
Display technology is fine but i am talking about content/capabilities of Television.

IMO Sites like Youtube & Netflix should replace all the Channels on Television. Ability to watch whatever we want, whenever want, repeatedly, pause, jump right into the middle of video, search for content , record things, read reviews/opinions, share favorites, comment.

But somehow most people are preferring to just sit & watch TV, use just remote to change channels. No more interaction. no keyboard, no mouse, no touch screen, no search, satisfied enough to watch whatever is on TV, nothing more is expected.

 

[Flash]

I guess, still people see them as 'Idiot boxes'.
With the advent of Desktops, Laptops, Palmtops people felt comfortable with them than seeing their favorite programs in TVs.

Joking apart, I don't see Television much except some news channels + comedy channels.

 

[Hrishi]

I don't watch Television at all. It must have been ages , since I deliberately spent some time on TV.

The reason behind this is high-speed acces to Internet , thats what I beleive.

 

[Flash]

Look what happened to Google Tv and Apple Tv?
Compared to their other services, these TV thingy is like a pebble on the pond!

 

[abhidev]

guys....in Europe the a new breed of TVs is already out...they are called Hbb TV....they are Hybrid Broadband TVs

 

[bubusam13]

Ok Ok... first of all I want cheap internet with 4mbps at least... coz no matter how smart it is... its the internet thats gonna fetch you your favs.

 

[Flash]

Ok Ok... first of all I want cheap internet with 4mbps at least... coz no matter how smart it is... its the internet thats gonna fetch you your favs.

4mbps? Most of the people are craving for mere 2mbps!!

 

[bubusam13]

2mbps is nothing man!! That's the thing. We don't have the base on which all modern Smart eletronics are based on. 2mbps = 2000/8 = 250 KB/s actually (rough assumption since 1MB=1024KB)
4 mbps is even slow, 2mbps is very slow.

 

[ashutosh_jain]

Even 2mpbs is not accessible or affordable to a vast majority of people. It all boils down to pure economics; for those who can afford even the new breed of ultra high definition 4k Tvs and Oled TVs are not beyond the reach; unlike most of us in India.

 

[LGWRSherlock]

Its a question thats often puzzles me, we see all gadgets around us becoming smarter, be it the phone, digital camera, music players, tablets etc- the features, the controls, the freedom, the capabilities are increasing manifold . When i realized the way we can control entertainment while doing many other things on our computers, i started watching television way less, almost abandoned it. More often than watching regular tv, i connect my pc to it and enjoy the bigger. I always dreamt of a computer-television hybrid where we can control the content we are viewing, record it, search for it, stream it, play games, browse, read and do all these at almost same time. take for example the power of youtube or some video streaming site coupled with information sites like IMDB, TV.com etc. Last the 20 years, Personal Computers, Laptops, Phones, Cameras etc have taken the world by storm, while Television has remained pretty much same with same remote controls.

Despite all the attemps from many Companies, organisations, Television failed to become smarter.

Cost. And not just the cost of a decently fast internet connection, but the cost of all the components. Think about how much a laptop would cost. Take away the price of the screen, and add in the price of a large panel. You're essentially going to add anywhere from 20,000 INR to 50,000 INR, depending on how "smart" you want your TV to be. That is a lot of extra cost for a TV. Another thing to keep in mind is that you will generally use a TV for much longer than you would use a standard computer simply because a computer will not be able to keep up with the extremely rapid pace of technological progression. Combining a TV and computer together would simply mean that you will have to replace your already extremely expensive TV/computer hybrid every 4-5 years at a minimum in order to use the latest applications and such.

Something that I would like to see, however, is an option to "dock" your smart phone into your TV, much like Asus Padfone only with your TV. After docking your smart phone to your TV, you'll get access to every option on your phone, and control everything via wireless keyboard and mouse. Now, I understand that some phones can connect with a TV via an HDMI link, but what I'm talking about is full integration with iOS or Android, and perhaps some extra options specifically for when you dock your phone. THAT, I think, would be amazing to see.

LG WRman Sherlock, out!

 

[anirbandd]

i thought tvs had already become smart!! samsung's series 8.. check them out. they have the remote controlled pointing technology which substitutes a mouse. even panasonic has this. then samsung has a real time 2d-3d conversion.

btw, even a 2mbps connection is enough for SD res net video content. but yes, go for online HD content, and we need >4mbps connection. i have a 2mbps connection, but with night unlimited...

and sony has some system of seamless integration of xperia phones with bravia. saw it in the ad. and you can link bt keyboard n mouse with the ps3 and use them to navigate the web....


but the thing is INTERNET. without the www, nothing will work. and given the state of net in india, it'll take pretty long for such gadgets to show-off their smartness.

 

[LGWRSherlock]

i thought tvs had already become smart!! samsung's series 8.. check them out. they have the remote controlled pointing technology which substitutes a mouse. even panasonic has this. then samsung has a real time 2d-3d conversion.

btw, even a 2mbps connection is enough for SD res net video content. but yes, go for online HD content, and we need >4mbps connection. i have a 2mbps connection, but with night unlimited...

and sony has some system of seamless integration of xperia phones with bravia. saw it in the ad. and you can link bt keyboard n mouse with the ps3 and use them to navigate the web....


but the thing is INTERNET. without the www, nothing will work. and given the state of net in india, it'll take pretty long for such gadgets to show-off their smartness.

It's true that Smart TVs are available today, where you can access the internet and stream videos. But at this point, it is still very restrictive compared to a PC or a smart phone. There are just so many more applications and possibilities with a PC. I don't think we'll see a similar amount of freedom on a TV for a long time. For now, you will have to be satisfied with an HTPC or wirelessly control a desktop PC connected to a TV for such freedom. However, I will argue that LG's Smart TV applications and content is growing larger and larger. I daresay the TV app and content market for LG is one of the best.

LG WRman Sherlock, out!

 

[gopi_vbboy]

So internet is the future it seems.

 

[anirbandd]

It's true that Smart TVs are available today, where you can access the internet and stream videos. But at this point, it is still very restrictive compared to a PC or a smart phone. There are just so many more applications and possibilities with a PC. I don't think we'll see a similar amount of freedom on a TV for a long time. For now, you will have to be satisfied with an HTPC or wirelessly control a desktop PC connected to a TV for such freedom. However, I will argue that LG's Smart TV applications and content is growing larger and larger. I daresay the TV app and content market for LG is one of the best.

LG WRman Sherlock, out!

i am not updated about the tv cos, apps and such things. so cant argue about that. but yes, tvs are much less "smart" compared to PCs. but then it would be illogical to compare a TV and PC. and HTPCs are are a low cost way out to smarten non-smart tvs. i'd rather buy a non-smart tv and couple it with a HTPC. the end product would much more smart than a Smart TV.

So internet is the future it seems.

yep. connectivity is the thing of the future.

 

[LGWRSherlock]

i am not updated about the tv cos, apps and such things. so cant argue about that. but yes, tvs are much less "smart" compared to PCs. but then it would be illogical to compare a TV and PC. and HTPCs are are a low cost way out to smarten non-smart tvs. i'd rather buy a non-smart tv and couple it with a HTPC. the end product would much more smart than a Smart TV.



yep. connectivity is the thing of the future.

Personally I've come to the conclusion that the internet is pretty much my life now. Past, present, and future. Long live the interwebz!

LG WRman Sherlock, out!