Anga Cable show once again highlighted the conundrum of connected TV where Companies are filling the screens with unrelated applications. Unrelated that is to the TV Shows or Advertising. The NDS Facebook app (like all the other Facebook offers everywhere else) took over the entire screen thus negating the TV aspect. These Apps simply convert your TV into a PC Monitor in effect… It will certainly irk the broadcasters and advertisers knowing that their precious content is lowered to “uninteresting” if application distraction is that simple. And then whose Facebook account, Mum, Dads, Kids…The Dogs? Clutter and more Clutter!

I am still of the belief that TV is for Entertainment and PC or Smartphone is for Communication of which Facebook is in my opinion categorised as. Monetising it still remains a mooted point.

There were some nice widget use on many TVs but the overall fragmentation of these offers remains a key inhibitor in many of the attempts at attracting buyers. After all it is TV that is actually for sale and where the CE profits lay.

HbbTV had a smattering of airtime but it is clearly handicapped by its use of old technology in modern day STBs. Why in 2010 would you put a single instance application presentation engine (no better than MHEG5 or DVB-HTML) in a hightech sophisticated fast STB Multimedia environment. Running video is fine from a browser or link but that is an HTTP connection and that is just not rocket science. Interactivity is moving on but not in Connected TV and HbbTV is touting itself as “Web on the TV”….quite simply what the industry has being and should avoid mixing with TV. Clever use of Internet in a TV environment is best served with TV Shows as the enabler to value added services…with advertising having its pride of place. Its business that we are in!

The overall ANGA show was OK but there seems to be a plateau reached in all possible services now from Analogue to 3D and anything in-between…Where next? Perhaps after the hype of widgets and the connected clutter we will see the age old quedtion returning – How do you monetise it and manage to create a positive ROI.