|
Stewart Nam from San Francisco, California pre-schedules his TV programs by logging onto the TiVO homepage whenever he is on a business trip. This way, when he gets back, he can watch the sporting events and sitcoms that he¡¯d missed during his business trips. Kim, who frequently takes his weekends off, watches the popular soap opera "Lovers of Paris" through the Internet instead of television. Like Kim and Nam, an increasing number of people are getting access to the televised programs through various other means such as Internet or cellular phones.
Control of the television network business is slowly moving on to its viewers. Ubiquitous technology guarantees personal access to any kind of information ¡°whenever and wherever¡± one wants, and has given its viewers an upper hand in this latest power game of network programs.
Era of Personal Media
The development of TiVo technology is considered revolutionary in the international media world. It has created a whole new market of "personal televising service." Tivo is a combination of ¡®Digital Video Recorder,¡¯ which has a built-in computer hard disk, and "Electronic Program Guide," which is a portal networking program. Suppose an ardent fan of "Lovers of Paris" wishes to watch all programs that actor Park Sin-yang has appeared in. One needs only to type in the word "Park Sin-yang" as a keyword, and all kinds of programs from soap operas to movies will be searched out. One can also watch recorded network programs through the cellular phones or PDA¡¯s. NTT DoCoMo of Japan had recently released a new service this October that enables viewers to watch pre-recorded television programs through the cellular phones. Professor Hyun Dae-won of Sogang University explained that, ¡°¡¯Mass Media,¡¯ where a unilateral flow of information between the network company and the viewers exist has come to an end, and a new era of ¡®Personal Media¡¯ where viewers hold complete power over the TV programs, has arrived.¡±
Telecommunication companies develop new broadcasting technology
Yoon Chang-bun, president and CEO of Hanaro Telecom, announced that the company will advance into the broadcasting business as the boundaries between telecommunication and broadcasting collapse. The leading telecommunication company KT is also preparing various items in the broadcasting field such as IPTV, a service that allows the users receive television through phone lines. The advance of telecommunication companies into the broadcasting business is a worldwide phenomenon. The mobile telecommunication giant Nokia is working on its new mobile broadcasting technology DVB-H which seems to be a fusion of broadcasting and Internet. Bill Gates of Microsoft is also encouraging development of technology and services related to broadcasting business expecting the broadcasting market will be the center of the competition.
Participate in TV Quiz Shows
Tenants of the Gyeunggi Yongin Hyundai hometown apartment may compete in a TV quiz show by clicking the answers on their remote controller. TV is no longer a "Stupid Box." The advancement of Ubiquitous computing technology has enabled bilateral communication between the network company and its viewers.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
