Future of Home Entertainment
We are already in the middle of technological transformation when it comes to home entertainment. Television is not just about Cable or satellite. Video Streaming services like Netflix and Hulu are becoming a standard for on-demand movies, while Television shows have gone social, thanks to tablets, smartphones and the likes. This is where Microsoft is aiming to pitch in and provide you all the entertainment you want, with the people you care about.
Microsoft believes that they have the right tools to achieve this. Kinect is already equipped with voice recognition in addition to being controller-free. And now, with improvements in the way televisions are integrated with internet, more and more content are being made available online – be it the games or movies. This is where Bing comes in. You will be able to search for the content right from your television without having to use your remote! We already got a taste of Kinect’s social integration when Avatar Kinect was announced earlier this year. Now, you will be able to hang out with friends, watch tv with them, no matter where they are residing.
Key Challenges
In the video, Marc Whitten keeps iterating how they plan to make the whole experience seamless. He stresses upon the importance of making the technology move out of your way. For me, this is key challenge. How much ever I love Kinect, it isn’t seamless. Voice recognition isn’t flawless and navigation is serial (and not parallel), which means I need to carry out multiple steps (or gestures) to carry out one activity. This is a major turn-off for many people like me. If at all Microsoft manages to find a way to provide seamless experience, we have some exciting time in the near future!
