Interactive television is a video broadcast with a feedback channel, thanks to which the viewer can influence the content of the program. To provide this opportunity, the client must have a digital decoder connected to a satellite dish, telephone or cable channel.
Companies offering interactive TV services do everything to make the user feel the benefits of new technologies that combine the capabilities of digital television and the Internet. Viewers can choose the time to watch the TV show, use a freeze frame, repeat the fragments they like, exclude ads, etc. Some companies process data about the preferences of each client and conclude which products were not of interest to him. As a result, advertising is broadcast to the target group of potential buyers who do not refuse to watch commercials on certain topics.
Users can take part in television shows just like viewers in a television studio. Gamblers indulge in their favorite vice in interactive casinos. Sports fans can place bets on the outcome of matches online.
Educational multimedia programs have become very popular. With the help of interactive television, you can arrange teleconferences, access library archives, databases, etc. When watching any TV show, viewers have the opportunity to request additional information related to its topic.
Interactive video broadcasts require transmission lines with a bandwidth of at least 6 Mbit / s for each client and rather expensive servers. Their price will be determined by the cost of network interfaces and hard drives for storing huge amounts of information. However, the more subscribers are connected, the lower the service price for each of them, since the total costs are distributed to all users. With the development of digital technologies, the cost of equipment will decrease, and, accordingly, interactive television will become available to everyone.
