Shift in screens, not technologies

DVB WORLD – BERLIN. The integration of television with the internet is likely to lead to people having different screens, rather than different technologies, according to Njål Borch, senior researcher with the Northern Research Institute in Tromsø. “Do not believe that all content will go over the internet, broadcasting is very efficient,” Borch told delegates “For many users change will come slowly or not at all. Different services will be accessed in different ways and for some the habit of watching live content will be kept.” Borch said it was a challenge to make a standard that was flexible enough to handle the diverse requirements of the internet without it becoming weak and inconsistent. He added that the creation of broadcast standard were particularly problematic when the most popular elements were user generated content. Younger audiences were increasingly relying on file sharing websites that were constantly evolving as their operators saw themselves in competition with each other.