Tuesday, February 1, 2011

The Phases of Digital convergence technology:



During the Digital Convergence Phase 1, convergence" existed in many consumers' minds, at that time contents were bulky, with delivery delays, flickering texts and cumbersome navigation. Yet with all the applications of convergence - from microwaves, that bank to Internet appliances that do your laundry, lock your doors and turn on your sprinklers - you would think that we had finally reached convergence nirvana with all of our needs fully realized.
Making the case for digital convergence is similar to communicating the need for high-speed Internet access in the late 1990s, when consumers' limited understanding of the benefits of high-speed technology hampered its wide-scale adoption. In the 1990s, consumers bought only the bandwidth they needed to support their Internet usage at the time.
The popularity of television encouraged an experiment with convergence in the mid-1970s in Columbus, Ohio. There, Warner Amex introduced an interactive television service named QUBE. It was a costly failure. People weren't ready to interact with the folks behind the broadcast. The success of the VCR, a passive machine, reinforced that finding. By the late 1980s, the rapid adoption of communication devices such as pager, fax machine and cell phone made us far more willing to interact with devices in general.
In Digital Convergence Phase 2, as we embraced e-mail, streaming media, internet broadcasts, online shopping, instant messaging, internet phone calls (VOIP – Voice over IP) technologies and the latest of all the Media Centers and we discovered what the Internet had to offer, these devices took on one or more functions of the others. Faxes could be sent and received via the computer; radio could be heard via the Internet; and wireless phones could be used to receive text data and browse the internet. People realized that interacting with content could be convenient as well as entertaining. The Internet was now training us to take control.
Beyond the rather generic and multiply defined e-commerce and e-business, typical topics are enterprise-wide opportunities to use technology in enterprise resource planning, supply-chain management, and customer relationship management. Some great books by professors, executives, and consultants have also explored the impact of technology on large organizations. These usually focus on technology-facilitated business and organizational concepts such as human capital, the networked organization

FUTURE
With gaming companies' heads in the right place, the market is ripe for innovation. For gamers, the advantage of connecting gaming consoles to the Internet is the ability to extend the gaming community indefinitely: Gamers can compete against other users across the world. Through instant messaging, they can share game secrets, learn to access levels they couldn't get to on their own and trash-talk with their opponents.
For entertainment buffs, convergence is transforming common devices such as DVDs and TVs into home entertainment centers, with interactive technology enabling manufacturers to set apart their products on competition-laden store shelves. The evolution of features such as digital photo viewing capabilities allow users to view their family photos on their big-screen TVs using their DVD players, and even create personal slide shows. Audio enhancements let consumers connect their MP3s to DVD players or rip songs from CDs.
We're seeing digital convergence redefined in the consumer electronics market today - just as we've seen with the cell phone adding on relevant features such as text messaging, and the automobile now coming equipped with a global positioning system and even TVs for passengers.
At the same time, adding Internet connectivity can make these added features even richer. With Internet-enhanced DVD players, consumers have the ability to access extra Web-embedded content on DVDs. In addition, consumers with interactive TVs and DVDs will be able to watch coming attractions, be among the first people to see new trailers and be invited to sneak previews in their areas.
They will spend time in virtual theaters, watching films with movie fans all over the world, and join online events or chats. It will even be possible to chat with actors, directors and special effects artists during the movie. With the use of a remote control, consumers can download screenplays, buy opening-day tickets to new movies and purchase advanced copies of DVD movies.
As these pieces - simplicity, creative applications and innovative technology - come together, digital convergence will migrate from a Jetson-era notion to a consumer-driven necessity.

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