Hardware Evolved: What’s Next for TV

Tech Giant Patents use of “5D” Interactive Technology (pictured above)

7.24.2012—It seems like the future of television is moving along faster than we anticipated. Or maybe there are people out there who are seeing television’s evolution beyond 2nd-screen interaction. One such example comes with a story by CNET’s Donna Tam, reporting that Apple recently patented “5D” technology it plans to implement in its take-over of all things interactive—including television. 

Questioning how successful implementing such advanced tech in the TV space would be in the near future is reasonable. Smart TVs are a rather new phenomenon and solutions abound. Microsoft’s press conference earlier this year announced Xbox’s integration with a wide range of media, making some to make the statement that Balmer and co. were currently leading in the race to “owning the living room.”

However, with Geekwire reporting that Apple TVs have outsold the Xbox in the last quarter, perhaps we aren’t too far off from seeing TVs take another leap in advancement. 

(Here is a link to info on 5D technology, for those who aren’t familiar with it. Don’t ask us why 4D isn’t getting any love)

The Rumble of the Smart TV Solution

Find Which Smart Solution is Best for You

7.11.2012—Business Insider’s Kevin Smith wrote a great run-down on what smart TV options are out and what they have to offer with consumers of different tastes. It’s a pretty thorough assessment without getting too bogged down in tech-talk. 

While many people have not fully considered bringing a smart TV into their living room, the future is coming and this is a great roadmap to bring your living room into the now.

Game Console + TV + 2nd Screen = The Future

How Consoles are Merging With Devices and Why We Give a Damn

6.4.2012—Every tech journo and gaming news outlet is utterly consumed with today’s E3 video-game conference in Los Angeles. While there are some exciting things in the pipeline (our resident degenerate is especially geeing out over Grand Theft Auto 5), what has captured our attention here at Boxfish is how companies are moving their respective consoles beyond a gaming platform to a household media center. 

Microsoft made the biggest splash today, attempting to “own the living-room” with what Xbox will soon have to offer to users. Introducing its “SmartGlass” technology, tablets and smart-phones will soon be incorporated into all things Xbox, from gaming to program viewing. Likewise, Microsoft is moving to cram as many entertainment/media options into the Xbox as possible. The company’s head of marketing/strategy reportedly summed it up at E3 as he took the stage, “We love entertainment, not just games and movies, but music, television and sports.”

While some are billing Microsoft’s Xbox announcements as raising the bar for media/console integration, Nintendo jumped ahead of their E3 showing tomorrow and hit social media with news of their new Wii U touch-screen gamepad. Mimicking the look of a more traditional game controller than the Wii nun-chuck, the Wii U gamepad will be able to access a web browser and double as a remote control for the TV itself. If this is a sign of things to come, we’re anticipating what Sony will do with the PS3, as well as what Apple and Google have planned for their TV platforms.

With Boxfish’s app on the horizon, the incorporation of the second screen into game consoles will fuse the discovery layer of television with the next generation of consoles and media devices. Being able to search every word spoken on TV in real time, watch the channel that has the content you searched for, play a console game and surf the web all at the tip of your fingers greatly expands the possibilities of what everyone from Boxfish to Nintendo can provide the public. 

As an office full of nerds (albeit cool nerds), we are definitely looking forward to adding our bricks to building the future of media.

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