Visionradio internet for tv

Internet for your TV

Since Television began, the major milestones of its evolution have been relatively few - from black and white to colour, from mono to stereo, the advent of the remote control and on-screen services such as Teletext and now BBCi.

The ability to interact with the TV has been traditionally limited to information already broadcast, or with Sky, dial up access of limited capability.

The next evolutionary milestone:- Interactive Internet Television

We have all seen the advances in broadband for computer users at work and in the home. Visionradio is pioneering developments in bringing benefits of the internet across to the television.


easy2™ Internet on TV		The easy2™ STB from Netgem

The easy2™ beta system for TV was launched in 2005, and is available to view at http://easy2.tv (opens a new window).
Please note: these screens have been purposed for television and TV browsers, and there may be rendering differences when viewed through a computer browser.

Internet TV Services:

Delivering meaningful services over the internet to the TV requires a different approach. The easy2™ output for television has been repurposed to behave as an "advanced teletext" service. Screens are laid out so as to be straightforward to navigate by remote control, and published to best suit the differences of TV behaviour as distinct from computers.

The services themselves are divided into four main areas, namely entertainment, information, communication and transaction. In May 2006 Visionradio is about to lead a group of partners on trialing the easy2™ services with a local community focus in Andover, Hampshire - under the title "Access Andover".

Access Andover Services include:

Entertainment:

TV viewing of DVD movie trailers
Direct link to TV online store
Going Out - Restaurant, Live Music, Pub & Club guide
Staying In – Music, Video, Humour (pictures, quotes and cartoons)

Local Information:

Live traffic information including camera feeds
Local and national news and weather
“Andover Matters” – headlines from Test Valley Borough
Search the internet – Google on TV

Communication:

Email on TV
Text chat – TV to TV, TV to PC

Marketplace:

Local business and public service listings – eGovernment, opportunities etc.
TV commerce demonstration via the Visionradio online store
TV shopping with Tesco

The trial partners believe that appropriate services delivered in a suitable way will bring benefits offered by the Internet to those who are less at home with technology, as well as deliver added convenience to existing Internet users.

By lowering both the technical and cost barriers, and by drawing on content of relevance to the TV and the local community, the trial seeks to ascertain the usability and popularity of the different services, and to learn on key ares for focusing future development.