Interactive Television

The Living Room Revolution

Jordan Millard
Jon Guerber
ECE 477, Spring 2006
Introduction
What is iTV?
Current and Future Applications
History of Interactivity
iTV Delivery and Hardware Resources
iTV Protocols
Issues, Problems, and Solutions
The Future of iTV
What is Interactive Television (iTV)
We are all used to normal Non-Interactive TV
iTV is an addition to the Current Television
Setup
Allows for 2-way communication between the
broadcaster and the customer
Users can actively participate in TV programming
Makes television more enjoyable and productive
iTV Applications
Displaying Customized Information
Facts about Characters on a Drama
Custom News for the Busy
Programming
Guides
Sports
Information
iTV Applications Cont.
Video On Demand
Voting and Quizzes
American Idol
Game Shows
Education
Interactive Meetings
Custom Camera Angles
TV Gaming
iTV Applications Cont.
Shopping
Real Time
Auctions
3d Shopping
Buying what you see in Programming
Gambling
Business and Marketing
Demographic Data Collection
Targeted Advertising
Interactive Ads
History of Interactivity
Many Different Non-Technology Based
Forms of Interactive media
First Major iTV Provider: QUBE (1977-1984)
Offered Interactive Games Shows, Polls,
Educational Programming
Teletext (1979-Present)
Allowed text to be displayed over images
History of Interactivity Cont.
Today iTV is popular throughout Europe and
Asia, starting up in America
40% of Western European Households have iTV
Test runs of iTV are happening in select cities
Major Companies like Microsoft and CNN
are involved
iTV
Distribution
Similar to
Conventional TV
with Interactive
software attached
Requires a middle
person
Software sent over
internet and
combined with
Video in a Set-Top
Box
iTV HardWare -- The Set Top Box
This is where the video and data content come
together and for iTV
Named because it is often a physical box on top
of a TV set
Jobs of the Set-Top Box
Acts as a Network Interface
Decodes digital Streams of Audio and Video
Due to the fact that most iTV is digital, most often
Compressed with MPEG-2 or 4
Provides a buffer
Allows for Network inconsistencies
Synchronizes Audio, Video and Data

iTV Network Protocol Structure
Physical Display
Application Layer (Java based Apps like MHP)
Transport Layer
Network Layer
Data Link Layer
Physical Layer
Similar to Normal
Televisions and
Computers
iTV Sent Over the Network

Broadcaster Receiver (Set-Top Box)
Internet Connection is added
for remote interactivity
iTV Sent Over the Network
Reminder: iTV is normally transmitted
similarly to digital television but with
additional data
This diagram represents how iTV is
transmitted with MPEG-2
Many iTV distribution now uses MPEG-4
More efficient but more complicated
iTV Networking The Transport Layer
Transport Layer Defines how iTV is sent
Method 1:
Send Video and Audio over MPEG Stream
Send Data over the internet
Receiver must receive information
from both sources and synchronize
Not often used anymore

iTV Networking The Transport Layer
Method 2:
Send all Information over Same MPEG Transport
Stream
Broadcasts sent in Elementary Streams of Video,
Audio and Data
Video, Audio and Data must
be linked in Application
Used Most often
iTV Networking Application Layer
Defines how interactive applications sent in
iTV will be processed and displayed

Many different types of execution
environments are being used
Important to use the same standards for all iTV
distribution
By Far the Most Common and widely accepted
platform for execution is the Java based DVB-MHP
iTV Protocols DVB-MHP
DVB-MHP Stands for the Digital Video
Broadcasting Multimedia Home Platform
Defines how iTV data received in a set-Top box will
be processed and displayed
Developed in the 1990s as a way to streamline all
the ways of transmitting iTV to different types of
hardware
Now used in Europe and derivatives are being
created for the United States
iTV Protocols DVB-MHP
Goal of MHP is to combine digital
broadcasting standards with internet
standards
Open Software
Runs with HTML or Java applications
Most Commonly is run on top of Java Virtual
Machine
Disliked due to long and cumbersome
nature of standard
About 1448 pages long
iTV Protocols DVB-MHP
MHP is based on the idea of Multiple Planes
iTV applications
are displayed on
separate panes
as conventional
video
iTV Issues: Security
iTV allows for more user interaction which
also means potential for security threats
Possible Security Problems could arise due to:
Access to Copyrighted Information
The use of iTV for Shopping and Banking
The privacy of TV choices Made by the Consumer
Immature people who have fun hacking into iTV
systems and disrupting the normal operation
iTV Issues: Security Solutions
Encryption
Translating sensitive information into a non-
understandable message re-translating
Make it readable again with the use of an
encryption key
Digital Signatures
Used to authenticate that the user receiving
information is indeed the correct user
iTV Issues: Security Solutions Cont.
Unauthorized Viewing Protection
Current Set-Top Boxes will scramble programming
that user has not paid for
Copyright Protection
Modern Set-top boxes equipped with the ability to
read a copyright protection bit sent with iTV data
Will prevent the recording of copyrighted material
like movies, but allow for the recording of free TV,
even with VCRs
iTV Issues: Production
Often production can be labor intensive due
to creation of programming on top of Video
Could require longer time to get program on the air
Middleman who incorporates software with video
must be flexible and creative
Live iTV broadcasts are more difficult but
not impossible
iTV Issues: Technological Challenges
Currently Many systems run into problems
and failures of iTV systems not seen in
Conventional TV
Failures in the internet come into play
TV providers need to find a way to maintain and
repair systems economically

Switching from Conventional TV systems to
iTV requires massive overhead and is
initially more complex for the user
iTV Issues: Societal Challenges
American Television is Designed for a lazy
person
Often people in North America arent looking for
more interactivity in TV
Many feel the complexities of iTV production
may lend itself to more co-operation among
Cable Operators and producers
Lowers competition among companies, could lower
potential quality
iTV Issues: Societal Challenges
User voting could impact television production
Newscasts can generate stories based on interest
polls
Reporters can be fired based on how viewer polls
rate them in comparison to others
Real time iTV polls can be relayed to politicians as
they speak, showing them what people liked and
allowing them to change their speech topics on the
fly
The Future of iTV
European market is young but well
established

Many trial areas are being started in the US
Just a matter of time before demand rises for iTV
knowledge about iTV spreads

Asian iTV Market is Growing fast

Potential Worldwide Market of 70 Million
How do I get iTV?
Many companies like Dish Network offer
limited iTV like VoD and allow for live program
pausing

Wait until interest in generated in US

Move to Europe
Questions ?