Web-TV integration remotely possible
But for attendees at the Jupiter Consumer Online Forum here Monday, it was a metaphor for whether television, with the aid of the Internet, would be transformed from something consumers watch into something they actively participate in.
The topic came up repeatedly during speeches and discussions here, as executives debated how best to merge the two mediums -- leaning back, passive television watching, and leaning forward, interactive Internet viewing.
Most agreed that while consumers would welcome the opportunity to gain greater depth and information in television, it would work best if it was presented in a model that was not that different from what consumers are used to.
Remote interaction
Essentially, anything that requires more work than a remote control won't cut it, said Tom Jermoluk, CEO of @Home Network Inc. (Nasdaq: ATHM).
"You have to design the interface with [television] in mind," he said, pointing out that you can't simply display a Web site on a television and hope viewers will begin typing away.
That's not to say that executives didn't see a future for presenting interactive media through television. On the contrary, there were dozens of presentations on how to do just that.
For instance, John Hollar, executive vice president of PBS Learning Ventures, demonstrated an Interactive CD that had been developed as a companion to a documentary about Frank Lloyd Wright. The CD was broadcast in selected cities so that viewers with digital television could go beyond the information presented in the program to learn about the architect.
That program is the first of several planned by PBS.
"The way it will play out will be a spectrum of options," said Jeremy Verba, president of E! Online. "You can do one-button [navigation] without leaving the remote control. But do I think people will do a lot of typing at their TVs? No."
Other show highlights:
PrivaSeek will announce Tuesday a new program that allows consumers to manage their personal data online. The PersonaXpress allows a consumer to determine what data companies are collecting about them and lets them manage that data with companies that have agreed to PrivaSeek's privacy policies.
For instance, a user could agree that a company is allowed to use her e-mail address to notify her about upcoming sales, but could not give that address to other companies. The software would also allow a consumer to automatically give information to a company that is allowed to see it, so that it doesn't have to be re-entered.
Snap Technologies Inc. has signed a deal with U.S. New & World Report to promote its online college application service through U.S. News' education site. The CollegeEdge service allows a student to fill out an application online, ask for more information from a school and register his or her personal data for college recruiters to examine.
Atom Corp. announced plans to license and distribute short films and animation through the Internet and other media. The startup has already signed deals with HBO, the GO Network, Sundance Channel and Warner Brothers.
ZineZOne.com, a CMGI (Nasdaq: CMGI) company, launched a new Web site that will develop personalized Web pages for "trailblazers" -- early adopters of technology and entertainment.
The company will produce its own editorial content and will pull data from the Web into a database from which consumers can grab information, using tools that help them filter out items of interest.