Intel predicts a bright future for TV
Chip manufacturer Intel has forecast a future where TV is available “everywhere” on multiple devices.
Speaking at Intel’s Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco, Intel chief technology officer Justin Rattner told BBC News that “TV will remain at the centre of our lives and you will be able to watch what you want where you want”.
He added: “We are talking about more than one TV-capable device for every man and woman on the planet. People are going to feel connected to the screen in ways they haven’t in the past.”
Rattner said that Intel wants to be at the forefront of new innovations in TV as devices become more closely integrated with the internet.
The forum also saw Intel unveil a facial recognition system which automatically activates individual viewer content preferences.
Eric Kim, Intel’s digital home group boss, meanwhile, told delegates that there have to be differences between the experience of going online and using internet connected TVs.
“Don’t make my TV act like a PC. This is what we hear consistently from the consumer,” said Kim.
“The key challenge is how to bring the power and richness of the internet but keep it TV simple.”
Recent research from The Conference Board and TNS revealed that nearly one out of four US households watches TV online, up from 20% last year.
Nearly 80% of consumers log on daily for entertainment, the survey found, with entertainment cited as one of the most important internet activities, behind only personal communication and work-related activities.
Closer to home, the E-Media Institute reported in August that digital television in Western Europe has overtaken analogue TV for the first time.
There are now about 83 million households in the region’s 20 countries receiving digital TV signals, out of a total of 166 million TV households.