Web Content Search and Adaptation for IDTV: One Step Forward in the Mediamorphosis Process toward Personal-TV

We are on the threshold of a mediamorphosis that will revolutionize the way we interact with our TV sets. The combination between interactive digital TV (IDTV) and the Web fosters the development of new interactive multimedia services enjoyable even through a TV screen and a remote control. Yet, several design constraints complicate the deployment of this new pattern of services. Prominent unresolved issues involve macro-problems such as collecting information on the Web based on users' preferences and appropriately presenting retrieved Web contents on the TV screen. To this aim, we propose a system able to dynamically convey contents from the Web to IDTV systems. Our system presents solutions both for personalized Web content search and automatic TV-format adaptation of retrieved documents. As we demonstrate through two case study applications, our system merges the best of IDTV and Web domains spinning the TV mediamorphosis toward the creation of the personal-TV concept

Interacting with digital media at home via a second screen

In recent years Interactive Television (iTV) has become a household technology on a global scale. However, iTV is still a new technology in the early stages of its evolution. Our previous research looked at how everyday users of iTV feel about the interactive part of iTV. In a series of studies we investigated how people use iTV services; their likes, dislikes, preferences and opinions. We then developed a second screen-based prototype device in response to these findings and tested it with iTV users in their own homes. This is a work in progress paper that outlines the work carried previously in the area of controlling interactive Television via a second screen. The positive user responses led us to extend the scope of our previous research to look into other related areas such as barriers to digital interactive media and personalisation of digital interactive media at home

Utilizando dispositivos móveis como segunda tela para o suporte de múltiplos usuários na televisão digital interativa

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência da Computação, Florianópolis, 2013.Com a TV Digital, diversas aplicações interativas podem ser desenvolvidas, como exemplo jogos, t-commerce e t-learning. O controle remoto, que será utilizado para interagir com essas aplicações, mostra-se limitado e é questionável se eles são os me-lhores dispositivos para uma interação mais complexa, como navegação em menus e entrada de texto. O objetivo geral do trabalho foi propor uma solução que visa estender a interatividade da TV digital, para ser utiliza juntamente com uma segunda tela e de modo que possa ser utilizada por múltiplos usuários simultaneamente. A segunda tela visa suprir os problemas relacionados ao controle remoto e a interatividade, estendendo a interatividade para um dispositivo móvel. O trabalho foi desenvolvido no contexto do t-learning, pois acredita-se que a segunda tela pode colaborar com o seu crescimento, melhorando a experiência do usuário e mantendo o caráter de entretenimento da televi-são. O trabalho também analisa as diferentes soluções propostas na literatura para inte-ragir com a TV, seja criando um novo artefato ou utilizando dispositivos móveis, assim como também analisa a maturidade das pesquisas do t-learning. Um modelo foi pro-posto para incluir o uso de dispositivos móveis de forma integrada com o Set-Top Box, responsável por receber a interatividade, permitindo o suporte a múltiplos usuários e sincronização de dados. Um protótipo foi desenvolvido utilizando uma avaliação nutri-cional, onde dados pessoais são respondidos nos dispositivos móveis enquanto a TV apresenta dados relevantes no contexto coletivo. Abstract : Many interactive applications can be developed on Digital TV such as games, t-commerce and t-learning. The remote control, which is used to interact with these applications, is limited and it is questionable if it is the best device for a more complex interaction like navigation in menus and text input. The main objective of this work is to propose a solution that aims to extend the interactive digital TV, allowing the use in conjunction with a second screen and allowing multiple users simultaneously. Second screen is intended to address problems related to the remote control and interactivity by extending the interactivity to a mobile device. This work is developed on the t-learning context, it is believed that the second screen can collaborate with their growth, improv-ing the user experience and maintaining the entertainment character of television. This work also analyzes different solutions proposed in the literature to interact with the TV, by creating a new artifact or using mobile devices, as well as analyzing the maturity of t-learning researches. A model is proposed to include the use of mobile devices in an integrated manner with the Set-Top Box, responsible for receiving interactivity, allow-ing support for multiple users and data synchronization. A prototype is presented using a nutritional assessment, where personal data are answered on a mobile device while the TV displays data relevant collective context

Diseño y evaluación de usabilidad de una interface multi-entradas en el contexto de la IDTV

En los últimos años y considerando el auge de la televisión digital interactiva (idTV), ha habido un gran interés en el diseño de aplicaciones y servicios para esta plataforma -- El éxito de estas aplicaciones, en gran parte, depende de la facilidad de uso y de la forma en que los usuarios interactúan con éstas -- Por tal razón, se han explorado diferentes interfaces y modos de interacción que permitan mejorar la experiencia del usuario con estas aplicaciones -- En este artículo se plantea una interacción con aplicaciones de idTV utilizando tecnologías emergentes de hardware y software -- Como instrumento para lograr esto, se propone una interface de control multi-entradas, usando diferentes modos de interacción como: botones táctiles, reconocimiento de gestos, reconocimiento de voz y reconocimiento de movimientos -- Estos modos de interacción fueron validados a través de pruebas de usabilidad aplicando un modelo de evaluación quasi-experimental de tres dimensiones, en el que cada dimensión representa respectivamente a: los usuarios, las tareas y las interfaces de control -- Con estas valoraciones cualitativas y cuantitativas se realizó un análisis de las posibles mejoras en la usabilidad de una aplicación determinada de idTV -- Los resultados mostraron pocas diferencias con respecto a la interface de control tradicional para tareas en las cuales el usuario estaba familiarizado, sin embargo, sí se encontraron diferencias significativas en la realización de tareas que involucraban una mayor interacción del usuario, como es el caso de la introducción de texto o la navegación entre menú

Ubiquitous Computing

The aim of this book is to give a treatment of the actively developed domain of Ubiquitous computing. Originally proposed by Mark D. Weiser, the concept of Ubiquitous computing enables a real-time global sensing, context-aware informational retrieval, multi-modal interaction with the user and enhanced visualization capabilities. In effect, Ubiquitous computing environments give extremely new and futuristic abilities to look at and interact with our habitat at any time and from anywhere. In that domain, researchers are confronted with many foundational, technological and engineering issues which were not known before. Detailed cross-disciplinary coverage of these issues is really needed today for further progress and widening of application range. This book collects twelve original works of researchers from eleven countries, which are clustered into four sections: Foundations, Security and Privacy, Integration and Middleware, Practical Applications

Interaction on digital tv : electronic government study and proposal

Orientador: Maria Cecilia Calani BaranauskasDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de ComputaçãoResumo: A TV digital interativa pode ser considerada uma ferramenta com potencial para contribuir na inclusão digital. Dentro de alguns anos, essa tecnologia estará disponível em grande parte dos domicílios brasileiros, incluindo aqueles que não possuem acesso a outros tipos de Tecnologia de Informação e Comunicação. Além disso, a TV já é um dispositivo conhecido por grande parte da população, o que pode facilitar a transposição de barreiras relacionadas à alfabetização digital. Para oferecer aplicações interativas na TV digital que façam sentido para a população brasileira, é necessário conhecer esses usuários prospectivos e entender como eles poderão interagir com essa nova mídia. Além disso, é preciso despertar o interesse dessa população em experimentar a interação na TV, até que essa tecnologia se torne parte do dia-a-dia dessas pessoas. Nesse contexto, este trabalho faz uma análise do cenário brasileiro para a oferta de interatividade na TV com o objetivo de identificar as principais questões que um designer de aplicações interativas encontra ao projetar uma interface de usuário para toda a população, incluindo usuários inexperientes e com baixa alfabetização digital. Artefatos da Semiótica Organizacional são aplicados na condução dessa análise. Conceber uma aplicação de governo eletrônico com o intuito de abranger a maior parte da sociedade implica em analisar a acessibilidade dessa mídia. Esse tema é estudado, mais uma vez fazendo uso da Semiótica Organizacional, para se chegar a recomendações de acessibilidade que possam ser aplicadas à interface de aplicações em TV interativa. Com base nesses estudos, é proposto um protótipo de aplicação de governo eletrônico na TV. Essa aplicação, chamada ciT-goV, representa um canal de comunicação entre o cidadão e a prefeitura de sua cidade. Sua interface de usuário foi concebida de forma a ser auto-explicativa, auxiliando a interação de usuários na sua primeira experiência com a TV interativa. A validação desse protótipo por grupos de usuários confirmou o interesse potencial da população nesse tipo de aplicação. Também foram avaliadas as decisões de design tomadas na sua concepção, respondendo algumas das questões levantadas no início do trabalho e apontando direções para futuras pesquisasAbstract: The interactive digital TV can be considered a potential tool to cope with digital divide. In some years, this technology will be available to most of Brazilians households, including those without access to other Information and Communications Technologies. Furthermore, as TV is already a familiar device for most part of the population, this may overcome a digital literacy barrier. To offer interactive applications on digital TV that make sense to the Brazilian people, it is necessary to identify the prospective users and to understand how they would interact with this new media. Moreover, it is necessary to attract people¿s interest to try interaction on TV, until this technology become part of their daily life. In this context, this work analyses the Brazilian scenario to offer interactivity on TV aiming at identifying the main questions an application designer faces to design a user interface to the whole population, including non-expert and low digital literacy users. Organizational Semiotics artifacts are applied to conduct this analysis. Conceiving an electronic government application to reach most part of the society implies analyzis of this media accessibility. This topic is studied, once again using Organizational Semiotics artifacts, to determine accessibility recommendations that may be applied to applications interfaces of interactive TV. Based on these studies, a prototype of an electronic government application on TV prototype is proposed. This application, named ciT-goV, stands for a communication channel between the citizen and the municipal administration. Its user interface was conceived to be self-explanatory, helping users during their first experience with interactive TV. The validation of this prototype validation by groups of users confirmed the potential population¿s interest on this kind of application. Design decisions on conception were also validated, answering some questions identified in the beginning of this work and pointing out some directions for future researchesMestradoMestre em Ciência da Computaçã

Non-Intrusive User Interfaces for Interactive Digital Television Experiences

International audienceThis paper presents a model and architecture for non-intrusive user interfaces in the interactive digital TV domain. The model is based on two concepts: non-monolithic rendering for content consumption and actions descriptions for user interaction. In the first case, subsets of the multimedia content can be delivered to different rendering components (e.g., video to the TV screen and extra information to a handheld device). In the second case, we differentiate between actions, handlers, and activators. An action is the description of the user intentions, a handler implements that action, and an activator is the user interface of the action. Because we define actions instead of user interfaces, the implementation of the activators can take multiple forms: conventional user interfaces (using gestures or speech) and intelligent interfaces, in which the actions are derived from a set of parameters (e.g., number of people in the room or distance to the TV)

TechNews digests: Autumn 2004

TechNews is a technology, news and analysis service aimed at anyone in the education sector keen to stay informed about technology developments, trends and issues. TechNews focuses on emerging technologies and other technology news. TechNews service : digests september 2004 till May 2010 Analysis pieces and News combined publish every 2 to 3 month

Visual Targeted Advertisement System Based on User Profiling and Content Consumption for Mobile Broadcasting Television

Content personalisation is one of the main aims of the mobile media delivery business models, as a new way to improve the user’s experience. In broadcasting networks, the content is sent “one to many”, so a complete personalisation where the user may select any content is not possible. But using the mobile bidirectional return channel (e.g. UMTS connection) visual targeted advertising can be performed in a simple way: by off-line storing the advertisement for selectively replacing the normal broadcasted advertisement. In fact, these concepts provide powerful methods to increase the value of the service, mainly in mobile environments. In this article we present a novel intelligent content personalisation system for targeted advertising over mobile broadcasting networks and terminals, based on user profiling and clustering, as a new solution where the use of content personalisation represents the competitive advantage over traditional advertising