Enhanced
TV (ETV, eTV)
- The term
"Enhanced TV" is thought to have been officially introduced by NCI
(which later became Liberate
Technologies) in 1997.
A
more technical way to describe Enhanced TV is:
the mixing (embedding) of various
interactive functions with the television (video) program.
This mixed signal is sent to viewers via standard television
transmission methods (including the VBI)
and/or telephone lines. Viewers with the aid of some
sort of decoder (receiver, set-top
box, tuner card,
etc.) can view and choose to explore
these additional features (elements) embedded in the picture.
Often
to enjoy Enhanced TV,
you can use your TV's enabled set-top box
(or equivalent device) or use a
PC with a TV tuner card.
Various
Interpretations of Enhanced TV
(1) In
"earlier" times it wasn't unusual for a broadcaster to
use the term "Enhanced TV" when only offering additional episodes of a
show via pay per view. As offering additional episodes was not the
standard linear
TV of the day, they were known to have marketed it as "enhanced"
programming. Example.
In the past, even Personal TV
(using DVRs) was at times referred to as "Enhanced TV".
(2) InformiTV, Cablelabs, Sky
Interactive and others tell us that the difference between eTV and Interactive
TV
is that eTV's interactive features are available only during the
scheduled
program. Once the program is over, in theory the interactivity should
no longer
available. "Interactive Television's" interactivity on the other hand
is
available whether
the program is airing or not and may not even be associated with a
specific TV program.
(3)
Another school of thought makes "Interactive Television" synonymous
with "Enhanced TV". To understand this
version of Enhanced TV
better
see "Interactive
Television."
(4)
When a particular program offers additional resources for
viewers to better understand its content, most often via their
computer, Web TV or mobile device. However this
view asserts that Enhanced TV does
not
directly include a return
path (back
channel) for viewers to interact
with others. Thus
chatting
with others who are also watching the show would be impossible, unless
of course another channel for communication was used, such as an
Internet chatroom.
They can however interact with the programming by perhaps accessing
additional information about the show, characters,
sets and/or products/services used. They might also be
able to vote about some aspect of the program as well as enter contests
and more. Example.
(5)
The ETVCookbook
(and various others) considers Enhanced
TV to be any new service that cannot be delivered with
just a regular TV.
(6)
Enhanced TV can mean TV (video) programming that is meant to be viewed
along with another form of media such as a CD or DVD.
(7)
Standards for Enhanced
Television (Interactive Television applications)
that have been developed by CableLabs for cable providers. Related
Cablelabs Site
(8) In the past, due to
negative publicity generated by certain failed Interactive Television
deployments, primarily in the States, certain network
operators offering Interactive TV decided against using the term
"Interactive TV", opting instead to call it the supposedly safer term
"Enhanced TV."
PC-based Enhanced TV - See Web
TV for Windows and 2-screen
Interactive TV.
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 Online
Demonstrations of Enhanced
TV:
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