What is interactive TV?

The BusinessWeek cover story for November 19 is titled “I want my iTV.” Cliff Edwards explains what iTV is and why we won’t be getting it soon.

What is iTV?

TV is all about instant gratification.
The Net is about me having control.
Put the two together, and the result should be personalized TV, or iTV, which lets me watch what I want, when I want it.
All the technology that would allow us to have iTV is place: fast broadband connections, personal media recorders, instant Web-searching software, high-definition sets.

So why can’t I press a button or two and see root for the next top chef, pull up a YouTube clip, listen to Web radio, have a box pop up on my screen telling me who’s phoning my home, or watch a vacation-themed slide show before forwarding it on to bore my friends on Facebook – all while sitting in front of the set in my living room?

What is holding up the transition to iTV?

Any company with a little piece of control in the way things work today is unwilling to jeopardize its power and revenues until it becomes clear how the new model will pay.

“You’ve got device manufacturers, content providers, service providers, networks, software makers, security providers all trying to sort out how big their piece of the pie should be.” (Kip Compton – Cisco)

To read the whole article, please follow the link below:
http://www.businessweek.com/bios/Cliff_Edwards.htm