AfterDawn: Tech news

Report: Most Internet-enabled TVs remain unconnected

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Feb 2012 7:06 User comments (9)

Report: Most Internet-enabled TVs remain unconnected According to figures from NPD In-Stat (via TND), most Internet-enabled TVs remain unconnected to the Web.
Instead of using the built-in connectivity of the TV, many consumers are still using set-top boxes or ordering video-on-demand. "People are buying connected TVs, but they are not all using them," added Norm Bogen, vice president for digital entertainment at NPD In-Stat.

For those that do connect their TVs, many of the more "active" features go unused, says the report: "I think that people like some aspects of smart TVs. They don't often use features that require them to be active. Social networking and games - those are pretty lightly used. People type on laptops and mobile devices."

Some other consumers just do not know their new TV has Internet access, or the retailer they purchased from did not explain how to use the features, including connecting.



New devices from Samsung and others hope to make Internet features more prominent, even adding voice and motion control features to make using the sets as easy as possible.

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9 user comments

122.2.2012 19:51

The problem with TV apps, they are not as good as say Xbox Netflix or (I haven't used Roku). I have a Sony device and it's pretty painful to use, in comparison to other devices. Therefor I don't bother.

I have a Media Center, Wii, AppleTV, DirecTV... Last thing I worry about is the apps on my TV.

222.2.2012 21:05

the main reason for this is simple i should be able to use the tv with any streaming service but when i try i have to go to the tv manufactures web site and sign up for some bull free service to enable the features on my tv not fair i should be able to plug and play and use my device not plug and pay

323.2.2012 09:29

I have a samsung tv the apps are pretty rubbish except i player and youtube , there is no web browser on my 3d tv so surfing the net is impossible , dailymotion app is useless it is in french! and my tv is set up correctly! oh you can get twitter and facebook fine if youve got a vast social circle usless if you havent, yet samsung never issue anything really useful so i still surf via a pc online via my tv even though it has internet capabilities , id use the tv if I could surf on it without a pc

423.2.2012 17:41

"In a study from this month, Nielsen found that just 5 percent of households watch only Internet and free antenna-based TV. And Nielsen isn't sure how many of those people never had cable in the first place"
There are millions of us with "connectable" TVs who keep to antennas where 1080i is free. Out here thar be no cable, and satellite is unreliable - and both cost outrageously. Nielsen has no clue because we are "unsurvey-able".
What we watch on our TV is our last bastion of privacy - we're keeping it!
News we get from internet analysis. We hundreds of Blu-rays for entertainment.

524.2.2012 10:03

I agree with Blessedon here. I don't really want to pay the min $50/mo for cable TV. I live about 40 miles away from one of the top 5 cities in the US population-wise...so it's not like I live out in the middle of a US desert or a swamp or something.

I was fine with broadcast TV for local news and programming, but now even that's unusable after the government mandated switch to digital TV. The broadcast range is lower with digital broadcast signals and there was no part of that mandate to build more. TV is sometimes watchable, but 80% of the time it's the audio/visual equivalent of listening to a horrifically scratched CD...so we gave up.

I doubt we're even included in the statistics...much like many of my rural neighbors. Streaming video is a joke in many rural areas where your Internet connection is anywhere between 512k-1.5mbit at best (let's not even talk about trying to stream a single HD movie).

Having a TV that is connected to the net is interesting, but until we roll out better Internet speeds it's useless to me. Faster speeds probably won't even help, either, considering all the data caps that cable providers are enforcing.

624.2.2012 10:37
lavalllj
Inactive

I don't use the internet features because I can't get the internet to connect to my TV.

It doen't make any difference if it's wireless or hardwire.

The media player works great. I have a 2 gig USB harddrive hooked up and no problems but a 3 gig will not work.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 24 Feb 2012 @ 10:42

725.2.2012 12:17

Well next year I may be forced to connect my tv to the web when 4g mobile phones are rolled out in the uk , see bbc on 4g tv inteference to see what I mean!

825.2.2012 23:34

I always had difficulty when I was trying to boot my computer onto my TV... it never felt quite right. I had the wireless mouse and keyboard and sat on my couch and tried to make it work. But either the distance was not right or the resolution or there was always something just off. I prefer to use my desktop at my desk and I suppose I just prefer not to watch TV.

I think the biggest problem is that the motivation is to provide interactivity to non-interactive content. When I watch TV, I sit there and watch.. I don't try to tell the characters what to do or tell Nat Geo what to report on, I let the station (the one which I happen to tune into) tell me what I need to know. And with a movie - that's like two hours with no interaction.

And I agree with

Quote:
I have a Media Center, Wii, AppleTV, DirecTV... Last thing I worry about is the apps on my TV.
Furthuremore, I feel some benefit not having my devices all built together: if one piece fails, the entire system might as well be junk. Also each manufacturer currently develops a different OS for it's TV and then each service must develop an app specialized for that OS... it's hard to keep up.

I think if the TVs focus more on productivity, and start to arrive with compatible OSes (like Android) and good hardware including a Keyboard and pointer, they will be much more successful. They should come with a common set of features, like a web browser, text editing software, a calculator, simple every-computer-should-have things (like Firefox/HTML5/Javascript can provide), and ability to print. Also, being a TV, they should come loaded with Video Editing and Capturing functionality, and the ability to make slideshows from pictures and for presentations.

These App ready TVs seem to be designed with entertainment Apps only, I think that is the main problem.

927.2.2012 20:06

For me the problem comes down to how slow it is for each individual app to load. I have a top of the line Panasonic Viera and Netflix takes forever. I thought it would be cool to have a TV with this stuff in it so I wouldnt have to waste electricity by turning on the xbox anymore but even the interface sucks compared to the 360s. I am willing to bet that it is just a memory issue though. That being insufficient RAM.

Originally posted by jjstiff:
I always had difficulty when I was trying to boot my computer onto my TV... it never felt quite right. I had the wireless mouse and keyboard and sat on my couch and tried to make it work. But either the distance was not right or the resolution or there was always something just off. I prefer to use my desktop at my desk and I suppose I just prefer not to watch TV.

I think the biggest problem is that the motivation is to provide interactivity to non-interactive content. When I watch TV, I sit there and watch.. I don't try to tell the characters what to do or tell Nat Geo what to report on, I let the station (the one which I happen to tune into) tell me what I need to know. And with a movie - that's like two hours with no interaction.

And I agree with
Quote:
I have a Media Center, Wii, AppleTV, DirecTV... Last thing I worry about is the apps on my TV.
Furthuremore, I feel some benefit not having my devices all built together: if one piece fails, the entire system might as well be junk. Also each manufacturer currently develops a different OS for it's TV and then each service must develop an app specialized for that OS... it's hard to keep up.

I think if the TVs focus more on productivity, and start to arrive with compatible OSes (like Android) and good hardware including a Keyboard and pointer, they will be much more successful. They should come with a common set of features, like a web browser, text editing software, a calculator, simple every-computer-should-have things (like Firefox/HTML5/Javascript can provide), and ability to print. Also, being a TV, they should come loaded with Video Editing and Capturing functionality, and the ability to make slideshows from pictures and for presentations.

These App ready TVs seem to be designed with entertainment Apps only, I think that is the main problem.

Although I agree with your part of the statement:

"I think if the TVs focus more on productivity, and start to arrive with compatible OSes (like Android) and good hardware including a Keyboard and pointer, they will be much more successful. They should come with a common set of features, like a web browser, text editing software, a calculator, simple every-computer-should-have things (like Firefox/HTML5/Javascript can provide), and ability to print. Also, being a TV, they should come loaded with Video Editing and Capturing functionality, and the ability to make slideshows from pictures and for presentations."

I have to say that what you're suggesting would cost a hell of alot.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 27 Feb 2012 @ 8:43

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