The concept of a ‘Televisionary’ is being used to describe television and communications network operators who are developing services that provide consumers with more control over when, where and how they consume video and other multimedia content. [1] The services provided by a Televisionary are the basis for a new consumer experience that has been described as the Individual Television Experience. [2] The concepts of Televisionary, Individual Television Experience and Personalized TV Experience are closely linked. [3]
The Televisionary concept is closely linked to multi-platform service capabilities for television and communications network operators who deliver video content to multiple screens (TV, PC and mobile phone) seamlessly [4][5] including high-definition video. A Televisionary service provider is one that enables consumers to achieve interactivity between the TV, PC and mobile devices, which should be able to talk to each other and have instant, real-time access to the Internet regardless of their location, supporting services such as user-generated content, voice services, SMS, MMS and Instant Messaging. [6][7][8]
The goal of enabling seamless, multi-screen services is considered the ultimate ambition for telecoms and broadband companies offering television services (IPTV) but is something that is still at the proof of concept stage. It will require a complicated technology and service ecosystem but there are realistic expectations that this will evolve from technologies that are available today. [9]
A Televisionary service provider will help transform the TV set from something that is considered a dumb terminal today to the controlling apex of consumer homes and mobile communications and entertainment. [10] A Televisionary service provider enables time-shift television services such as Start-Over TV functionality and the ability to transfer recorded content from one device to another, such as television recordings taken from home and watched on a PC in the work environment. [11]