The Evolution of the Internet In Your TV

The concept of bringing the internet to the TV has come a long way in terms of functionality and design. Remember when everyone went crazy over TV widgets in 2008? TV widgets were introduced as early as 2006 through Verizon FIOS. Limited in so many ways with basic weather and traffic info, even photos and music were only accessible from a PC, not the internet.  Fast forward to today and you have access to more information in the cloud than you could ever imagine seeing in your TV Guide.

The Past: The Rise of Widgets

By 2008, Intel and Yahoo would announce their partnership at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) to provide a broader array of widgets for the TV experience. They introduced the Widget Channel, powered by Yahoo’s Widget Engine (previously Konfabulator)  and running on Intel’s CE3100 processor. The widgets were design using Javascript, XML, HTML, and Flash.

Most of what I just wrote, I discovered through Google. What I remember most about the initial interest in widgets on the TV was that they would get in the way of what I was watching. Not only that, but the amount of information I could access from these widgets would be limited. I wanted the full internet experience and not through the interface of a widget.

The Future: Apps Replacing Widgets

Fast forward to 2011 and Intel is again at the forefront of the internet TV intersection. This time, with Google, Sony, and Logitech at their side. That’s a powerhouse team and so far, I’d say they’re off to a good start. Google has introduced Google TV, a new type of framework for internet television. Instead of widgets there are apps and a full browser experience.

Netflix, Pandora, Twitter, Vimeo, and Google Chrome are taking over my TV. I still have my full TV experience and I have access to more than just what I’m paying for. Going beyond the apps, I feel this interface is perfect for delivering just the right kind of information from the web to my TV. I’m talking more about media, than text.

The Point

What about the content that is free for me to access anywhere and anytime? How do you access those creators and they’re products? How do I find projects like INFLUENCERS latest in-depth discussion with marketing guru Steve Stoute. Watching media has become a thing of both pleasure and work for a lot of people. While media companies like Viacom block Google TV devices from accessing their content, they continue to create a path for new sources of information to rise. After all, isn’t that what this is all about: delivering new information?