Clickable Video tCommerce - Viable Play for Future of Single Screen Connected TV Interaction? Or Dual Screen?

Posted by Richard Kastelein in Writers on May 23, 2011  |  1 Comment More from this author  |    |  Follow Richard Kastelein on: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

I first saw Wiremax about six months ago in it's earlier days - and loved the concept... but like many cutting-edge technologies, it faded off the radar as the second screen or companion app re-shaped how we look at interactive TV via Tablets and Smart Phones. In fact, I wrote about Wiremax in February 2011:

This technology from Wirewax I came across the other day (Hat Tip to Gavin McGarry at MIPTV blog for the link) allows one to add your own tags to objects (and people) in videos, and then add information, images, links, video as well as Flash applications which viewers can interact with.

On top of that you can also get behavioural data enabling you to watch your content through your viewer's eyes and see where people interacted, what they did, where they jumped off. This kind of technology on a touchscreen tablet will certainly take it to the next level... However, one thing that irks me a bit, and which leads me back towards the two screen methodology in terms of interaction on video, is how jarring it is to stop the video all time. Perhaps the future of this technology will be as a companion experience on the secondary screen, leaving the big screen to create continuity and flow.

Or perhaps it's better as a ten foot lean back experience? I am stumped on this one in terms of best how it can play out. I know I love it, but how it comes into the market and how will consumers adopt this kind of experience is another story. 

wireMAX has come a long way in a short time and now, coupled with Korean fashion maestros oki-ni they have created The Game - a “fully-shoppable” fashion video allowing the viewer to click on models and clothing, and then click to buy.

According to PSFK, The video is a collaboration between oki-ni, director Anthony Cook and Ridley Scott's RSA/Black Dog production house; utilising the retail technology pioneered by wireWAX.

Taking this technology to connected TV is not a huge leap - being Flash-based and Samsung opening up their development platform to Flash earlier this year means it's possible from a tech point of view. But ergonomics and UX are another issue. You would need a 'wand' like remote to navigate the video properly - though a work-around could probably be had with old-school analogue remote arrows and shifting from hotspot to hotspot.

This is one option for a branded single screen TV application for sure. And with 140 million connected TV devices coming on the market by 2014, technologies like wireMAX will change the way we behave on the single screen aside from the two-screen experiences the industry is raving about today with companion apps on the tablet, Social TV et al.

What do you think?