Rose tinted vision of the evolution of television
Anthony Rose, who was previously responsible for the launch of iPlayer at the BBC, is now the chief technology officer for Project Canvas, the proposed joint venture between British public service broadcasters and network providers.
At the Shaping the Future of TV event in London organised by Intel, he gave an insight into his vision for the Canvas platform that could be launched some time in 2011 as YouView.
He said: “There is a space between the closed video on-demand platform model and the fully open internet model that actually gives the best consumer experience.
“…TV just works. So why don’t we have video on demand propositions that know the things you like. You flip it on and it plays channel You.”
It is a rhetorical question to which the answer is perhaps because we do not know what we like until we see it. The same might be said for Canvas, which continues to elude definition. So how does Anthony Rose see Canvas?
“Firstly it’s an open platform. It’s best of breed. It uses the latest processors, the latest rendering technologies, the latest adaptive bitrate technologies to bring you the best proposition.”
As one might expect from a technologist, that is a technical description, rather than a compelling consumer proposition. The description of Canvas as an open platform might also surprise some, who have been critical that the partners in the project are determined to control the user interface.
Perhaps the chief technology officer for Canvas will ensure that the platform is more open. The BBC will now be obliged to publish the specification on its website. As he said: “If you create a closed platform only you can provide the innovation, if you make it open, people will come up with things you never imagined.”
He said that many new internet television devices deny the existence of linear television. “Canvas actually leverages linear,” he said. “When you’re watching a programme on a linear channel you’ll be able to get recommendations on demand.”
Read more at informitv.com
© informitv 2010. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission.