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The day is soon approaching when the major electronic devices in our lives will become integrated. Our phones are already MP3 players, our digital cameras are already phones, and our phones are becoming more and more like laptops. The TV set seems to be the last man out in this trend, like the wimpy kid who gets picked last for the dodge ball team (no offense meant, I was that wimpy kid). In our heart of hearts, we all expected to be surfing the internet on our TVs by now, and it’s disappointing that it hasn’t come to fruition. However, some folks are working on providing internet video through our TVs, and the challenges they face are immense. With the high cost of service and hardware, the lack of quality content, the slow download speeds, and the complications of setup, there are definitely hurdles that these companies are going to have to jump.

Apple TV is a serious contender in this market, and some industry experts expect their business to grow significantly in 2008. Their relatively small box would be fairly easy to find room for in your entertainment center, but the 40GB version retails for $299.00, which is a bit much for the pleasure of watching YouTube on a widescreen. In addition to other internet video sites, Apple TV can access your iTunes library and display your downloads on your TV. The device works with a wireless connection, so it wouldn’t be practical if your home connection isn’t wireless.

Sony also released a device called “BRAVIA Internet Video Link”, which will be integrated into most of its new television sets to allow them access to free internet video content from providers such as AOL, Yahoo!, Grouper, and of course, Sony BMG and Sony Pictures. The BRAVIA link will access your broadband Ethernet connection, so it won’t be a problem for non-wireless subscribers. There’s also no extra fee for the service, though how long that will be true is another question. One is immediately suspicious that ISPs or cable companies (which are mostly the same these days) will find a way to charge you extra for downloading and watching videos on your TV. After all, as a Canadian man found out recently, providers always seem to find exceptions to the term “unlimited”.

There is another concern for companies looking to bring web video to the living room. Those Marshall McLuhan scholars may recall the mantra, “The medium is the message,” and while television is the medium of passivity, the internet is the medium of creativity, at least when it comes to user-generated video content. People do not contribute to their favorite TV shows, but they do increasingly contribute to the content we view on the web. People watch TV when they want to absorb, not create, and it’s unclear as to whether these two desires can be balanced.

So the question is: does anyone really want to watch YouTube on their TV? Do they want to flip on their TV and actively search for shows or do they want to consume whatever FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS has planned for the evening? Forrester Research indicates that 80% of responders would not pay for an internet video TV device at any price (Wall Street Journal article). The makers of these adaptive devices may find that there simply isn’t a market for their product.

Another challenge they face is the rise of web-enabled cell phones. It seems that we’re watching internet video on increasingly smaller screens rather than on our increasingly humongous television sets. Web-enabled phones have seen huge growth this year, and their ability to entertain us seems endless. Who wouldn’t want to check out last night’s episode of The Office during the morning commuter rail ride?

Internet video TV devices may be barking up the wrong tree, but it’s not entirely a lost cause. The industry needs to do some serious thinking about their target market, and they need to make the devices less obtrusive and more affordable. Whether or not web video is brought to our TV screens, the idea of consolidating electronic devices will live on, and eventually our TVs will be able to join the rest of the proverbial dodge ball team.

Thursday, December 20th, 2007 Both comments and pings are currently closed.

By Haley January Eckels