Tomorrow it will display Internet content

The generalization of the digital has already allowed the television set to metamorphose to receive DTT and high definition. Tomorrow, it will display Internet content. Not issue yet to reproduce the errors of the past such as the famous Media Center, this expensive concept to Microsoft to display multimedia content from a PC to a TV. "The error was to forget that the use of a computer is personal." This is not the case of the TV, watching family. To read his e-mails or consult the stock market prices, of multiple terminals are much better adapted, starting with the PC or the smartphone. "However, there are well applications within the family sharing", said Luc Saint Elie, responsible for training and communication technologies in Panasonic.

It is in this light that the manufacturer of televisions spent agreements with content publishers to power its online service called Viera Cast and presented at the IFA in Berlin ("Les Echos" of September 10, 2008). For the moment, it is available on its top televisions of range. Objective: to provide exclusive content. "In France, we sign partnerships." With Eurosport, for example, to provide free of charge on our TVs of exclusive sports coverage of this pay chain. "You can also share photos via Google Picasa", said Luc Saint Elie. It is yet to a first step in the transfer of the TV. Another evolution: an interface much more user-friendly, more attractive than the menus of the "boxes" proposed Internet access providers.

Adapt the Flash technology

The first strong sign of this trend, it is the adaptation of Flash technology on the TV screen. Developed by Adobe, this solution allows today to read the majority of videos on the Internet (YouTube, for example). This adaptation to other screens, first TV sets but also mobile phones, should be accelerated through the Open Screen Project. Launched in May 2008 by Adobe, this project brings together manufacturers, mobile operators and service providers and proposes to promote the dissemination of the Flash solution. In April, Adobe stated that the first equipped with televisions should disembark on the market by the second quarter of 2009. The Publisher has signed agreements with chip (Intel, NXP Semiconductors and STMicroelectronics) manufacturers and broadcasters of content (Disney Interactive, Netflix, etc.), which will allow to broadcast live Internet content and HD video to TVs, the "boxes" and the Blu - ray players. "Through the Open Screen Project, we allow everyone to freely deploy our Flash Player", said Sylvain Delteil, responsible for sector media at Adobe. Should appear richer and especially easier to use from a simple remote control interfaces.

On the other hand, need to evolve the content. "Convert YouTube on a large screen is not of interest." "However, the television station will allow a new reading of the Internet, more user-friendly, with interactivity that has nothing to do with what we know today", forward Laurent Michaud, responsible of the digital entertainment at Idate division. And indeed, the development of Flash interested "chain seeking to recover a portion of their audience on the Web", said Laurent Michaud. For example, it is one of the objectives of the agreement signed between TF1 and Facebook a few weeks ago. "One could imagine a"widget"that respond in real time the community of the Star Academy," says Idate expert.

But the final step of this mutation would be the sale of content directly to the Viewer. Flash technology could allow the TV to become a channel of distribution of the video on demand (VOD) as it is already on the Web including Hulu and Amazon. Result, TV manufacturers could become video vendors, directly or through service providers. In the United States, Panasonic has thus signed an agreement in this sense with Amazon. The manufacturer could launch a similar service in France. Meanwhile, Samsung is developing its own VOD platform. Concerns about specialized Web sites, but also DVD distributors. Like the CD, the sale of paperless content will call into question a part of the DVD industry.