Emerging technologies for interactive TV

Advances in web services and open network interfaces enable development of new user-oriented applications in different areas of digital life. Among them, digital entertainment is one of fastest growing networked application domains. Technologies like CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) and HTTP streaming opened the way for new models of TV and video consumption over the Internet. Thanks to emergence of new networking technologies and cooperation paradigms the distinction between traditional TV and the Web is slowly blurring, creating new category of TV entertainment which is more interactive, delivered over multiple screens and inviting users to participate and collaborate. This paper presents research on selected social and interactive TV services, focusing on innovations related with incorporation of network interfaces and web protocols. Two use-case scenarios are investigated: one of them explores telco 2.0 interfaces for interactive videos, and the other allows users for social exchanges while watching live sports events. The evaluation results by qualitative user study are presented for the second use-case. A technical architecture is introduced, focused on seamless integration into a typical WebTV platform of telco operator. As important contribution of the paper, some new emerging network protocols and features (like telco 2.0, WebRTC, WebSockets, HTML5 video) are evaluated as potential enabling technologies for future social and interactive TV.