Will tv be more like a computer, in the future, as it becomes more interactive?

The typical television experience is undergoing a revolutionary change The age of passive broadcast is over since emerging technologies are now capable of enabling television viewers to select the content that is being beamed into their television sets . The PG Magazine defines interactive television as a system that allows two way communication between a television viewer and a service provider (PGMag .com ) Although the definition is simple it has many far reachi8ng implications

Cable television has been the essential medium for receiving broadcasts throughout the world up until late 1990 .s when

phone based television broadcast and Direct to Home satellite based television broadcast services emerged as competitors to cable companies in the field of television broadcast distribution . The technologies that enabled transmission through phone lines and satellite based receivers also had the potential to carry back signals from the user to the service provider something which the traditional cable lacked . The traditional cable that uses coaxial wires is a simplex system which means that it can carry signals unidirectionally , so the cable did not allow the user to choose the channels that were aired into his living room this meant that the user paid for all the channels even the ones that he did not watch . A significant advantage of interactive television is that it allows the user to select those channels that are watched by him , this feature helps in reducing monthly costs as the user only pays for the selected channels . In most developed countries the traditional cable has had a major overhauling so it is now capable of providing a two way interface via a set top box , the modern cable network also facilitates ADSL signal transmission so cable companies have doubled up as internet service providers and the cable which carries television broadcast also serve as an internet connection

Interactive TV companies launch new services each day in to win more customers presently the interactive TV technology is used to determine the nature of content that is beamed to a user 's television set . One of the most important form of interaction which has been described earlier is the ability to chose the channels that are frequently watched by the user so that the user only pays for the selected channels , the user has the freedom to subscribe and unsubscribe a particular channel at will . This feature provide cost effectiveness and the instant subscribe /unsubscribe option provides flexibility of choice . Some TV shows make use of the interactive TV technology to allow users to participate in the show , this feature has been implemented in the US reality show Big Brother 8 . The show allowed users of interactive technology to participate in competition which allows the users to predict the outcome of the show (Wikipedia

This form of interaction is also employed for collecting user inputs and can be implemented for instant polling . Some interactive TV companies provide video on demand services s which enables a user to select a movie or a programme that...