Connected TVs: A new frontier for developers

Will Internet-capable TVs be the next frontier for app developers? After all, roughly one in five TVs shipped in the United States last year were capable of being connected to the Internet in various ways, according to DisplaySearch, a market research firm. And shipments of Web-enabled sets are growing at 30 percent a year. You’d think that manufacturers like Samsung and Panasonic would be beating the bushes looking for capable developers.

That’s not happening — yet. The connected TV is still in its infancy. “Many people are blissfully unaware of the capabilities of their connected sets,” says Paul Gray, a senior analyst at DisplaySearch. “The value proposition of watching TV is still … watching TV.”

Right now, connected TV is reminiscent of the Internet of 1995: walled gardens of proprietary content. “Imagine for a moment a world of apps where there are more than 10 platforms to choose from — and where most of these platforms are closed to developers. A world where only a few applications have been developed. A world where no one is using these apps anyway,” recently wrote Ben Hookway, a British entrepreneur and former CEO of Vidiactive, a Web video systems provider.

That’s starting to change. Netflix, Facebook, and Twitter, for example, are available on TV sets made by nearly all of the major manufacturers, and Google TV promises to offer more. Then there’s Apple TV, Apple’s three-year-old set-top box for getting content — but not (yet) apps — via the Internet from Apple and approved providers, as well as over local networks from Macs, PCs, and iOS devices. As that trend continues, “connected TV will have its iPhone moment,” as apps become more than an afterthought when consumers decide to buy a TV. That means opportunity for developers in the not-so-distant future.

What kind of apps should you be thinking about? There are three major categories, Hookway says.

TV-only apps: Apps for the TV screen or set-top box are usually your favorite Web services extended to the TV screen. Examples are Spotify, Flickr, and of course Twitter and Facebook. The apps need to be modified to work with a TV remote as well and with limited text input — easier said than done.

Mobile-only apps: These are mobile or tablet apps that complement the TV but don’t interact with it. Zeebox, for example, is a British service that offers content related to the programming the user is watching. And it’s no surprise that research by Forrester Research and Nielsen cited by Hookway indicates that people who own tablets use them while watching television. In that context, tablets become what the industry calls “companion devices.”

“I’m bullish on companion devices,” says DisplaySearch’s Gray. “TV is a shared experience, but additional content is personal, and you want to get that on a personal device and not necessarily share that with everyone in the room.”

There’s another reason that companion devices are so important in the TV world: A remote control is a terrible input device. “And who wants to sit in front of a TV with a keyboard on their lap?” asks Hookway. Connected TV won’t have its “iPhone moment” until someone invents a much better user interface.

Closed-loop apps: Closed-loop apps allow you to stream content from one device to the TV screen. The simplest example is Apple’s AirPlay wireless streaming technology that allows you to play movies stored on your iPad or iPhone on your TV screen via the Apple TV. (Apple is bringing AirPlay to Macs with the forthcoming OS X Mountain Lion.) iTunes can stream content from a Mac or Windows PC today to a TV over a network connection via an Apple TV as well. Other manufacturers support the Digital Living Room Network Alliance (DLNA) protocol to provide closed-loop viewing, but its implementation so far in TVs, DVD players, computers, and mobile devices is highly inconsistent and often incompatible.

Who’s in charge? There’s no app store for TV. As a developer, you have to work with the manufacturers, who’ll give you the SDK you’ll need to get started. If you’re going to place a bet on a manufacturer, look to Samsung and Sony because of their volume, while Roku and Boxee are the thought leaders in set-top boxes, counsels Hookway.

Google TV is the most open platform, although it’s still in its infancy, “and of course, watch Apple. The next significant step may be the opening up of the current Apple TV product to app development. (It is currently closed.) The announcement many are waiting for, though, is of an actual TV set,” he says — a common subject for Apple rumormongers this year.

In fact, that fractured reality today leads to another prerequisite for TVs iPhone moment: When developers can write to a few major platforms, instead of 10 or more, connected TV apps will take off. We could even see a mirror of the smartphone world, in which two platforms — iOS and Android — are dominant.

In Europe, where connected TV use is much higher than in the United States, people are already watching programming that was designed to be interactive. In the Netherlands, there are game shows with no contestants; everyone is playing at home via an app. If you win, your reward is your name on the screen, DisplaySearch’s Gray says.

I’m not sure how compelling a TV experience that would be, but that’s not the point. Connected TV is evolving, and the winners will be the developers who have the imagination to use their tools to enhance the medium in compelling ways. For now, the market isn’t huge, but in five years it could radically expand the opportunities for developers.

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This article, “Connected TVs: A new frontier for developers,” was originally published by InfoWorld.com. Read more of Bill Snyder’s Tech’s Bottom Line blog and follow the latest technology business developments at InfoWorld.com. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.