TV media browsing demand to rise

A US consumer study into High Definition TV purchase drivers carried out by Oregan Networks, an Internet TV software company and Micronas, a supplier of TV application-specific IC system solutions, has revealed that the ability to access the Internet from the comfort of the living room in parallel or in addition to watching regular TV programming, is making its way into the purchasing criteria of today’s tech-savvy consumers who plan to purchase a TV within the next two  years.

The research measured the importance of Internet and home media browsing, placing emphasis on key features and the difference between the incumbent PC based Internet usage and the emerging TV-based usage scenarios. In addition, the study addressed the social and behavioral aspects of interacting with network-connected TVs.

71% of all respondents would prefer a default media browser to be installed, although they would like the option to be able to change it. Additionally, if their next TV did not come with a pre-installed media browser, 29% of respondents said that they “definitely would” download one, while a further 45% would be likely to download one. 69% of respondents would pay something to download a digital media browser to their next television, if this was supported. 87% of respondents would select a TV with a media browser because it would offer them more entertainment choices.

One of the key findings of the research is related to the differentiation between what is seen as desirable use cases and appropriate websites for TV based Internet. User managed video and multimedia sites, including YouTube and Hulu, delivered in a full screen mode, as well as pay per view Hollywood blockbuster services, such as Netflix and CinemaNow, are perceived as adding most value to the regular TV feature set, as well as enabling families to spend more social time together. 85% agreed that a TV media browser would offer a “better audiovisual experience for watching web video” compared to a PC, while the same proportion agreed that it would provide a “more customized and personalized entertainment experience”.

For all user segments, the ability to access Video on Demand services without the need for a PC or any other equipment was considered to be the most valuable feature of a TV media browser.

The second most valuable feature was considered to be the ability to search the home network for media and content stored on other devices. Ability to access user-generated content such as YouTube videos was ranked third on average overall.

51% of all respondents would prefer to watch movies for free with advertising. Of the remaining 49%, half would only pay to watch movies if they were still in theatres.

“Couples with No Kids” are most likely to want to pay for advertising-free video, however 36% of this group would only pay for movies that are still in theatres, or “day and date” releases.

The study also investigated key concerns with browsing Internet media on TV. The largest proportion of comments was related to the perceived ability to download or stream media at a sufficiently high speed to provide an acceptable quality of audiovisual experience. Several comments mentioned the frustrating experience which users have related to the latency and buffering of web videos on their PC.

17% of respondents had concerns about how easy the UI of the browser would be including the complexity it would introduce into their TV watching experience, while 12% had concerns about the TV being more expensive to fix if it were to break.

Only 6% of respondents were concerned how much the television would cost to buy. Most of these comments came from the “Student” user group.

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