Martin Spamer's Journal: Interactive Digital Television

Interactive Digital Television using IP over ADSL offers a way to smash the existing broadcasters monopoly, and open the mass public to unique and original programming from independents content producers. The technology built on open standards provides low barriers to entry for independent content producers and offer a number of additional services to make a compelling customer services. This disruptive technology is both cheaper and more capable than Satellite and Cable offerings; it is the future.

Interactive Digital Television.
- True Interactive Television (iTV) can conduct polls and quiz's in real time, it can also break out into on Demand Content at any time.
- True Interactive Electronic Programme Guides (EPG), can search for your preferences amongst the morass of polularist trash. Smart programme notifies can provide hints based on previous logged preferences and behaviour.
- Interactive

Content On Demand.
        Video (Movies/News/Documentaries);
        Audio (Music/Radio);
        text and other media;

Server Side PVR.
- Technical advantages, more flexible and reliable;
- Cost advantages, lower centralised cost;

Interactive Service
- Telemedicine
- Order a Fast Food Delivery (Pizza) using your remote from an Arm Chair.
- Mail Order goods (Video,CD) and services (Insurance,Investments,University Prospectus).

Internet access.
- Open Standards (HTTP, RTSP, MPEG, SMTP, SNMP)
- High speed Broadband connections.

integrated Communications Portal
- Email
- Instance Messages, SMS, IRC etc.
- VOIP
- TAPI

Think this is a pipe dream ? Well you'd be wrong we are doing all these today:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/annualreview/10.shtml
http://www.broadcastpapers.com/data/KingstonCaseStudy01.htm
http://www.mpowerassociates.com/broadhorizons/BH%2520Symposium/keynotes/presentation_ppt/MikeAlexander.ppt&e=912

Interactive documentaries (The Blue Planet,Walking with Dinosaurs) from the BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/annualreview/10.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/humber/connecting/6.shtml
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/696116.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/689887.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/696138.stm

Interactive Advert, technology applies equally to Games and Movies where you choice the plot development.
http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,7558,759378,00.html
http://www.depaultrust.org/tv_ad_links_page.html