Internet TV, Hot or Not?

For the past decade, human have been obsessed to make communication tools more portable, and of course smaller. Invention of laptops, cell-phones, tablet PC all within the last 15-20 years has been a great achievement for human communication. People start using their phones to connect to the internet, and the trend shows how modern people no longer watch TV and prefer smartphone and tablet PC as their primary source of information.

But lately, a new trend emerge that many people say as the "Evolution of Television" where TV sets are now connected to the internet as a new platform for people to consume information. How this work is actually the same as all other platform, if you already have a huge user-base it is much easier to let people do what they want inside rather than figuring out what to give to them. Now user can download widgets made by third party information provider to install on their TV set, be it news, weather, videos, music, social networking sites, etc.

I see two contradictive trends where people are starting to leave TV for smartphone and tablet PC, and the internet-connected TV as a new way for consuming information.

It kind of look like a setback when people are coming back to sit in front of their TV and consuming information, just like in the old days only with new kind of real-time information and interactivity that makes it less boring and one-way. But still, I think these two trends is a zero-sum game because no one watch TV because they have no control on what's displayed on TV. Internet is a disruptive technology that give the power to the user, one thing that TV failed to do.

Now big electronic manufacturer like Samsung, Sony and LG already have their internet TV product line launched for public consumption using broadband internet access to connect to the internet. And so far the response is quite good although not as amazing as tablet PC.

Are these manufacturer betting at the wrong trend? Probably.

I personally think that the current internet TV is a dead-end, it's going to be really hard to make internet TV attractive for consumer compared to all the benefits provided by tablet PC and smartphone. TV is enjoyable, especially after work relax time but won't regain consumer attraction until someone disrupt the market by giving more power to them, making it less "one-way".

Internet-connected TV still have fighting chance? Let us know your thoughts and opinion on the comment section.