Significant technological changes are currently guiding the direction of the television industry, including the prevalence of High Definition televisions coupled with either LCD or Plasma screens. Many television manufacturers are attempting to gain a competitive advantage within the industry by adopting new technologies in order to capture market share. Major players within the industry include Sony, Samsung, Sharp, Phillips Magnavox, Panasonic, and Hewlett Packard. As technology continues to evolve, advancements within the industry are enabling considerable changes to consumer trends.
Consumers’ awareness and knowledge of home entertainment systems is increasing and their interests are changing. First, the level of interactivity attained from personal entertainment systems has become an important feature, especially with the rise of the internet. The incorporation of television and the internet has allowed consumers to stream content from the web onto their televisions. Second, consumer trends are moving in the direction of an All-In-One type system, where peripheral devices are included as a part of televisions. And third, the concept of “On Demand” is becoming more popular within the television industry. Consumers are now afforded the ability to view television programs and movies at their convenience, instead of being constrained by the regularly scheduled time slots.
While manufacturers are quickly trying to capitalize on these changes within the industry, HP is doing the best job of incorporating consumer interests. The HP Media Smart TV, released in 2006, allows individuals to integrate television and internet by allowing direct connectivity through wired or wireless connections with a myriad of digital services. In addition, the MediaSmart television, equipped with an LCD screen, broadcasts in HD and projects 3D sound quality.
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With respect to trends, major companies such as Microsoft and Cisco Systems' Linksys home division Linksys agree that consumers are interested in integrating their televisions to the internet. Both companies are currently working towards developing software to improve the quality of internet videos that are streamed onto televisions. (View Source)
Along this note, Apple is also adapting to new trends. The AppleTV, set to be released in later this year, is the company's means of capitalizing on the “on-demand” popularity. Apple would like expand their business model through the AppleTV, as consumers will be able to download television shows and movies in the same iTunes Store format. Apple has gone so far as to say that consumers can think of the iTunes as a replacement for the DVD player. (View Source)
In terms of interoperability, the prevalence of Media Center PC’s has been steadily increasing, as they made up 59% of all PC’s bought in the US through retail outlets. (View Source) Media Centers PCs integrate the best of television and its peripherals with the best of the personal computer. This All In One type system extends the functionality of the basic PC and is meant to be used in the home living room as the center of the entertainment system.
The popularity of the "on-demand" feature has skyrocketed recently as more consumers are looking for convenience in their entertainment systems. In 2006, Comcast received over 1 billion on-demand program view. This figure almost doubled the total on-demand program views in 2005 of 567 million. (View Source)
Creative use of the blog for the project!
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