Yes phones are smart and the mobile spectrum is exploding but it was the TV that grabbed the most attention at the year's CES Las Vegas. What does this mean for Internet Broadcasting? Everything!
For many the initial launch of GoogleTV in October 2010, came and went with without much attention. That is unless you were in the industry at which point it was a significant event. Both in it's launch and more poignantly in it's lack of success. Content providers dropped like flies leaving the new platform with little more than a grandiose hardware interface for YouTube. Then Logitech a major partner along with Sony announced it was abandoning their support for the Logitech Revue, the device running GoogleTV. What would come next? Google known to drop initiatives that failed to catch (Wave, Buzz etc.) was holding the cards close to the vest. The company again under the helm of co-founder Larry Page, was focused on getting "social". Google+ was making noise and attempting to lure users from Facebook to the concept of "Circles". Android OS was passing Apples's iOS as the leading phone platform. Chrome browser in 2011 edged into the # 2 slot and of course Google maintained it's supremacy as the search engine, "just google it". So industry watchers have kept a close eye on GoogleTV to see what might transpire. According to GoogleTV product manager Rishi Chandra, "Android is going to be a successful operating system on TV's"
Last year the fad was 3-D TVs. Really more of a gimmick than a technical leap forward. Who knows, 3-D may play a significant role at some point but not before we merge the TV and the computer. It is this convergence that was the underlying message as manufacturers rolled out their latest.
Samsung made a serious impression with the newest OLED models.
LG wins best of CES with the a 55" model 55EM9600
Sony lead the way by introducing the OLED prototype in 2009, this year it was Crystal LED
While the obvious attention is on what we see from these new sets, reading between the lines and noting this announcement, where LG will feature GoogleTV in new products, it is the year that TV's GET SMART. Topping it all off was Google's announcement at CES, Next version of GoogleTV releases in 2012.
What this means for all those wishing to become their own media broadcast companies, is the technology has come full circle. From streaming to desktops to HTML5 based applications that play video on 7" phone screens and the larger tablets, we have come back to the in home "couch potato" experience, the passive TV viewing experience. With new sets embedded with computer chips, the TV will have the ability to seamlessly switch between BluRay, Cable and Internet channels. This is not the exclusive domain of GoogleTV by any means, Apple is said to be launching a new TV, it may not be this year but they will not be left behind in this new gold rush. Microsoft is desperately trying to be relevant, it will all depend on the success of Windows 8. Then there is Facebook. Would you put anything past these guys?
All in all, this is the year to stake your claim in the billion channel universe. How many viewers do you need to make your channel successful? Not many. So long as you have content that an audience is interested in and cannot find elsewhere, you are all set. The domain of the giant broadcasting corporation still rules the roost, but where they cannot compete is in local media, amateur sports and entertainment and even home town news. The time is now, get your camera, computer and start shooting!
