First Observations From the 2011 Passing Parade - Simon Applebaum - MediaBizBloggers

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New year underway, and already no lack of developments in the TV world to observe and opine about. Let’s dive in, shall we?

■The recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas wasn’t the coming-out fest Google TV wanted. The match to light the Vegas fireworks was ready to go, with the news that Samsung, Vizio, LG, Sharp and Toshiba had Google TV set models ready for exhibition. But near the last minute, Google asked LG, Sharp and Toshiba to hold back their showcase, and Samsung and Vizio to subdue their offerings, giving more time for a software upgrade and, you might believe, the green light for those 100,000-plus Android application developers to adapt their current mobile services to the TV screen, while creating new, headlong-to-TV content. A self-inflicted setback, and one with a short life span because...

■The recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was the coming-out party for interactive TV. Every TV set maker demonstrated interactive features, plenty of them, for sets now or soon for sale. Samsung and Vizio expanded their application stores, while other vendors launched them. Even more exciting, Cisco’s “Videoscape” venture createa the framework for any set-top box in a cable or satellite customer’s home to be souped-up in seconds to display Web, interactive and video telephony services, and an LG adapter retains the capability to make non-LG sets ITV-friendly. Call these examples of Internet, interactive or smart TV, but under any name, growing belief that the American public will embrace the ability to use as well as watch TV. And when Google TV gets its software bugs handled, they’ll be among this movement’s leaders.

■Home feature management via TVs and remote controls, another on-again/off-again vision of industry officials, is back on again, thanks to Verizon’s upcoming Fios TV trial among New Jersey homes. Over the next few weeks, these homes will get the ability to monitor and manage their appliances, air conditioning, energy supply and more using TV screen icons and the clicker. Verizon may spread this service across Fios’ universe of more than three million households by summer, assuming no trial slip-ups. Watch this closely.

■Before you conclude that 3D is a one-year and done enterprise, based on the set sales funk of last year, remember that high-definition was in the same state not so long ago. Then came the content and technology that customers found valuable, and now you have more than half the nation’s TV households able to view almost every network they like in a HD format, as well as original channels HD off the bat. With that in mind, get off the conclusion jumping pad and let’s see what transpires when ESPN 3D goes 24/7 next month, followed by the premiere of 3 Net from Discovery Communications, Sony and Imax before the end of March. Let’s settle down and take the view, shall we?

■Just as CBS did eight years ago, History Channel axed the premiere of a controversial scripted miniseries on a former U.S. president. Thanks to public and private histronics from family members or loyalists, The Kennedys will not be on the network this eight-hour miniseries was made for. Showtime ultimately picked up The Reagans in 2003, and as of this writing, may come through again for The Kennedys. What’s disturbing about all this is that the protests were based not on the finished project, but a first draft. How about seeing the series first before denying the public’s ability to judge its worthiness for themselves? Love to see TNT, USA Network or AMC step up and give this series a chance at the widest possible crowd.

Until the next time, stay well and stay tuned!

Simon Applebaum is host/producer of Tomorrow Will Be Televised, the Internet radio program covering the TV scene. The program runs live Mondays and Fridays at 3 p.m. Eastern time, noon Pacific time, on BlogTalk Radio. Episodes also are available on podcast via ITunes.com and other Web sites arranged by Sonibyte. Have a question or reaction? Send it to simonapple04@yahoo.com.

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