At this year’s IFA in Berlin the Science and Technology Forum (TWF) in Hall 5.3 will show the next generation of digital media. Over twenty universities, research facilities and project associations will be showing the future direction of the next generation of media technology.
The TWF will present the broad direction that digital media will be taking by highlighting not only new forms of distribution and technical solutions, but by presenting some very practical examples of utilising media in the future. Tomorrow’s television (using IPTV) will provide personalised and specifically targeted advertising and can combine this with an electronic shopping cart that invites viewers to make purchases via remote control. It will also enable users to personalise the news they receive. This TWF highlight known as iNews shows that the information layout automatically adapts to the device display, so that this medium is capable of working in all kinds of environments.
At the TWF, TV telephony will demonstrate how IPTV can combine media purchasing with voice and video communications. A window on the TV screen informs the viewer of a (video) call, who can then decide whether to accept it and interrupt a programme for the duration of the conversation with an automatic pause function. IPTV is also capable of combining separate types of broadcasting. Thus the TWF will show how programmes broadcast via terrestrial digital TV can be interactively enhanced with additional information from an internet server.
The TWF project called poTiVity is a solution specifically developed for mobile TV, where on-screen objects can be moved to access the next interactive information level – simply nudging them is enough.Besides IPTV, user-generated content ranks among the most fascinating innovations that new media technology has to offer, the most prominent example being the successful internet portal YouTube. The TWF will present meinberlin.de to demonstrate how home media productions can be combined with editorially generated content. Using meinberlin.de, independent users can generate their own magazines for their local street, district or town.
All these new opportunities for using media content will result in a leap in the number of audio/video files on hard drives or other digital storage media. To keep everything well organised, in the future intelligent archiving systems will make sure that order is maintained. The TWF will demonstrate several examples: tools for analysing and classifying content will make searching for files and subjects childsplay.
Finally, the TWF will introduce a whole array of spectacular innovations enabling mobile access to media and information, among them portable satellite TV sets. DVB-SH broadcasting will give one of its first public demonstrations in Europe in Hall 5.3. A Korean research institute will present a fascinating innovation based on the mobile TV standard DMB. Scientists will demonstrate 3D viewing, elaborate visual effects and online gaming solutions – all on the small screens of mobile phones and pocket computers.
