Developing for interactive services in digital TV

This paper describes the development process of interactive services for digital TV. As the term 'interactive services' is only recently introduced, it proposes a definition and description. This include all interactive applications on a digital integrated receiver decoder: electronic program guide, impulse-pay-per-view, home shopping, home banking, betting, information services etc. It describes the functionality and defects of the first generation of digital set-top-boxes now available, and proposes new standards for next generation set-top boxes. The paper also highlights the problems that the first group of interactive service developers will encounter in the design and development process. As interactive services for digital TV will be a complete new concept into the living room, it is very hard to predict the consumers behaviour to such application. It is therefore unlikely that 'crisp and clear' user requirements will be drawn up for the development team. It might therefore be necessary to apply an 'unconventional' project methodology, such as rapid application development or fast prototyping. What this means for the parties involved, and how much can be learned from the early developments in the PC-multimedia industry are discussed.