Entertainment technology and the human-computer interface

Multimedia, communications and entertainment industry giants are investing millions of dollars and developing strategic alliances to take advantage of the predicted future convergence of cable, telephone, computer and entertainment technologies. This convergence of heretofore independent technologies and industries has the potential to combine the switching, routing and delivery capability of telephone and cable television systems with video-on-demand, interactive video and access to networked multimedia games, information services and databases.

Interfaces for this converged technology will encompass video, graphics, voice recognition and wireless remote control. Additional interface elements may include data gloves, virtual reality (VR) glasses, binaural headphones, keyboards, mice and pattern recognition scanners. Some form of intelligent agent may interact with users to accomplish tasks ranging from selecting entertainment to be viewed, heard or recorded, to retrieving and displaying multimedia documents or programs, to supporting communication and interaction among users for collaborative work, game playing or conferencing. The interface may be built into users' television sets or may be a stand-alone multimedia console allowing users to selectively combine and switch among entertainment, information and communications, all of which will be tailored to users' personal requirements.

The impetus for these technological advances comes in large part from the entertainment industry, which means that future computer interfaces may well evolve from designs currently used in entertainment products, in particular computer and video games, cable television devices such as wireless remotes and set-top boxes, and video cassette recorders. It is important, therefore, to examine the current state of entertainment technology and how it may affect future interface designs for converged home multimedia.

Games

Electronic games come in two basic flavors: computer games, which are designed to be played on general-purpose computers, and video games, designed for specialized computers (video game systems) which make use of television sets for video display and sound. The market for video games exceeded $6 billion in 1993 and is expected to grow to over $7 billion in 1994, dwarfing the $350 million per year market for computer games.

The two biggest video game companies, Sega and Nintendo, sell their hardware at just over cost and make their profit from publishing, licensing and selling game software. Computer games, on the other hand, require a larger investment in hardware, but have additional value imparted by the general-purpose microcomputer's ability to perform other, non-entertainment tasks.

Both video and computer games allow users to interact with the software via joystick. Nintendo also sells a glove interface. The area in which video and computer games differ most noticeably is in networked games, such as MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons), in which players interact over distance via keyboard. Online multi-player services, such as the ImagiNation Network, connect remote users to each other and provide a variety of interactive games for a fee.

The border between computer and video games has blurred even further with the announcement by Sega that it plans to develop, in conjunction with Microsoft, a 64-bit game machine called Saturn that will play compact discs, run traditional video games and operate as a set-top cable television box. In addition, Sega has announced plans to utilize low-bandwidth cable frequencies in order to offer the Sega Channel. Subscribers will be able to download and play games and sample abbreviated versions of new products.

As video games, computer games, online games and cable hybrid games evolve and converge, their interfaces will also blend. Joysticks and guns may operate in conjunction with data gloves and wireless remote control devices. Those computer games which currently involve keyboards are likely to migrate to these other input devices. The shift away from the keyboard will be an important one for entertainment systems and may have an impact on the input devices used for home information systems as well.

Television

The video interface device that is most familiar and possibly most problematic for consumers is the programmable, remote control-operated video cassette recorder (VCR). Programming and control of early VCRs were tedious chores performed with a tiny screwdriver without benefit of a remote control device. As consumers complained and competition for sales increased, manufacturers shipped improved designs featuring on-screen programming and, most recently, voice activated programming. It is conceivable that the smart TV of the future will incorporate simple voice commands for navigating the oceans of programming available.

Although the somewhat cliched 500-channel future is still a long way off, cable companies are already poised to bring full service networks into America's living rooms. In several communities across America, companies such as Time Warner, Inc., and TCI have been testing their versions of "smart boxes," set-top cable converter boxes that allow users to play interactive games, use video-on-demand services and shop at home. As the number of possible television channels and interactive services increases, these smart boxes will also begin to incorporate intelligent filters that allow for retrieval and display of images, audio, motion video and text. The current crop of test boxes uses the same types of wireless remote control devices that are available for use today with traditional set-top boxes--what is changing is the way they are used.

With over 200 channels and interactive services to choose from, browsing with the remote control (channel surfing) may become a thing of the past. On-screen guides or "navigators" are being developed by several companies in order to allow users to search for programs and services by title or subject/genre. These on-screen guides may at some point also offer programmable filtering services which will search out and deliver programs and data to users' specifications.

It is difficult to predict whether consumers will really want so many choices coming from their television sets. To the extent that television viewing is essentially a passive activity, it is not likely that interactive services and games will generate much interest. Even if consumers really want 500 channels, are they willing to pay for it? Typically, American consumers are only willing to spend an average maximum amount of $2,000 on entertainment hardware. VCR sales really picked up when average prices fell below $400, and multimedia PCs with CD-ROM drives took off after the prices came down to around $2,000. Consumers may be willing to spend more money on a multi-functional machine that provides entertainment, education and information. Chances are better, however, that consumers will simply lease set-top boxes that give them the option of using the television for passive and cheap viewing.

The Human-Computer Interface

When considering the interaction between users and computers, it is important to look at who will be using the system and what tasks the system will need to support. Any system design that evolves will have to be easy to use for the majority of consumers. If television viewing is essentially a passive activity, will consumers use a host of smart navigational aids, or will we view whatever is available on one of the first three channels we browse? The design gap will also increase with the number of tasks required of the system. If future interface designs evolve primarily from electronic game and cable television technology, then it may be that information and other online services will present tasks which these interfaces will be unable to perform. Information retrieval is not the same as entertainment retrieval, although the two tasks share some elements in common. It may be best to "stick to one's knitting" when designing entertainment interfaces. The interface that provides the best interaction with computer or video games may well be unsuitable for accessing information products or services on-screen. Interfaces which are developed by the entertainment industry will hardly be expected to take information retrieval into consideration, however, and it would be wise for information systems designers to keep abreast of entertainment technology interfaces.

It is also important to beware of the format wars that prevail in the entertainment industry. The most important new multimedia interfaces may not be the best ones, but rather the ones associated with the popular and affordable formats. Similarly, the first widely available smart TV navigator may be extremely unsophisticated, but if people are actually using it to access games and other entertainment services, then we might want to consider designing information systems around its limitations rather than waiting for something better to come along.

Abby A. Goodrum has a degree in radio, television and film and has worked for Cable News Network. She is currently a doctoral student in the interdisciplinary information science Ph.D. program at the University of North Texas.

Copyright American Society for Information Science Oct/Nov 1994
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