Viewers can vote, request, play and .
genuinely interact with the TV more than ever before. Because the Sky decoder has a .
modem connected it also allows the viewer to access specially designed websites through .
the internet.
These websites are not HTML formatted but have been designed to be displayed on TV .
screen. The internet connection allows the viewer to check emails, browse and purchase .
goods from sites.
The recent merger of TV sets with the internet is a form of convergence. The term .
convergence can mean different things to different people. Digital technology can participate .
a merger of the previously separate industries of telecommunications, computers and .
broadcasting/publishing.
The idea that TV sets will converge into home computers has been debated over the last .
decade and has only been executed of late, with the recent inclusion of internet. But will TV .
sets merge into home computers? According to EBU Technical review ( summer 1998 P. .
A Laven ):.
"TV sets will not become home computers.".
Firstly the viewing conditions are very different. When watching a TV set, you are watching .
it from considerable distance, typically 6-10 times the picture height, whereas using the .
computer, you are sat much closer to the screen, typically less than 2 times the picture .
height. This difference means that text and graphics for TV viewing must be larger than the .
ideal size for computer applications. .
Secondly, TV sets are often watched passively, by several people simultaneously, while .
computers are largely only used by the one user to engage in an interactive activity. The .
conclusion of that is that Interactivity and communal viewing do not mix. Convergence is a .
one way process in this case. TV reception can become a standard in computers with TV .
reception, but you will not use your TV set for a "word processor".
Sky digital have only recently released Sky+. This service allows the viewer to records more than one program at a time.
