Content area
Abstract
"Five years from now," says Nate Williams, Motorola Mobility's senior director, head of product marketing for the Converged Experiences group, "you're going to see a dramatic increase in the number of connected devices. The number is about five in the average home now - tablet, gaming console, PC - and it's going to 15 to 20. You're going to have a home with more technology, and hopefully it will be managed in a way that's a lot more efficient."
In the home, it's "multiscreen" (televisions, iPads, laptops) with different shows in different rooms, much of it on demand. Some cable companies tantalize with an iPad app offering a small sample of live TV programming (no major networks) over a wireless home network. Comcast's AnyPlay, powered by Motorola's TeleVation technology, takes the next step: in-home access to the full cable lineup.
Full text
It's amazing how smoothly technology of the far-off future works.
Internet-connected refrigerators suggest recipes based on the fridge's contents; a mobile phone activates a touch screen-controlled washer-dryer; and a single button tucks a house into bed at night, turning down the lights, adjusting the heat and activating the security system. What a life, circa 2025.
Wake up! All that technology is here in 2012, with all its present-day imperfections. Yet today is a window onto tomorrow, so let's go completely Futurama today on home entertainment.
Motorola Mobility's latest Media Engagement Barometer, a study of video viewing habits of 9,000 consumers in 16 markets around the world, hints at where we're headed. The online survey, released in late December, showed a shift toward "social TV" - discussing or recommending shows via social media - watching television on multiple devices at home or in the mobile world and a deepening reliance on cloud services for music and video.
"Five years from now," says Nate Williams, Motorola Mobility's senior director, head of product marketing for the Converged Experiences group, "you're going to see a dramatic increase in the number of connected devices. The number is about five in the average home now - tablet, gaming console, PC - and it's going to 15 to 20. You're going to have a home with more technology, and hopefully it will be managed in a way that's a lot more efficient."
Some possible scenarios:
TELEVISION VIEWING
In the home, it's "multiscreen" (televisions, iPads, laptops) with different shows in different rooms, much of it on demand. Some cable companies tantalize with an iPad app offering a small sample of live TV programming (no major networks) over a wireless home network. Comcast's AnyPlay, powered by Motorola's TeleVation technology, takes the next step: in-home access to the full cable lineup.
The new TV viewing experience: Watch the HDTV, but tweet the best lines, likes/dislikes or post links to Facebook from a tablet or mobile device. This year's Super Bowl, which Twitter says reached 12,233 tweets per second by the end of game (and 15 million total), the Grammys (5 million) and the Oscar ceremonies (2 million) were small hits. What consumers really want: programming available beyond the home, on any device - including mobile phones. (In the future, that's more likely a Windows Phone than an iPhone.) It's up to the content providers, the networks and Hollywood.
"The technology," says Williams, "is there."
What consumers are curious about, though maybe not desiring: Apple's talk-to-me television, which will bring voice control to HDTV.
TV PROGRAMMING
The network-cable system collapses. Most original programming emerges from beyond the studio system. Already, Google has injected $100 million for original programming on its video colossus, YouTube. Netflix is recruiting former HBO executive Colin Callender to produce original content. Hulu recently showed its first original series, "Battleground."
Comcast assured it won't be left out of the content scramble by purchasing NBC and forming a streaming service, Steampix, then considering a partnership with Netflix. (Prediction: Netflix will be sold.)
THE SET-TOP BOX
Watch for boxes with greater computing power and Internet connectivity as cable companies fight back against streaming services and gaming consoles.
No-disc, high-end video games from a cable box or from online services like OnLive? Yes.
Of course, there's a cable alternative. With increased broadband speeds likely, a consumer might receive all programming over the Internet. Google is in already. Verizon and Vudu, the streaming service owned by Wal-Mart, are potential providers.
MUSIC AND GAMING
Say goodbye to the disc and outright ownership of music, movies and video games. It's all moving to the cloud. Why pay $120 for eight CDs or 120 singles from the iTunes store when you can listen to thousands of songs, anywhere, from a service like Spotify for the same (annual) price?
Photo (color); Caption: Comcast's AnyPlay, which uses Motorola's TeleVation technology, allows access to different cable channels at the same time on different types of screens.
(Copyright 2012 by The Daily Press)