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INTERACTION DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR INTERACTIVE ...

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2.8.2 Affordances<br />

Media center machines combine the television and the functionalities of the PC<br />

into a one-screen platform. Viewers can watch television as well as have full DVR<br />

control capabilities on a computer. In addition, interactive components are often easier to<br />

navigate with a mouse than with a remote. Media Centers allow users to have access to<br />

all of their media content on one platform. As with DVRs and VOD systems, Media<br />

Centers allow users to have a great deal of control over their viewing experiences. A<br />

more detailed analysis of media centers will be discussed in chapter four in the case study<br />

comparing Web TV to the Microsoft Media Center.<br />

2.8.3 Constraints<br />

Because computer monitors have poorer resolution than television sets do,<br />

television broadcasts on a PC remain relatively poor in quality. The extent of interactivity<br />

is still relatively undefined on this platform; for example, media center systems cannot be<br />

used as a Web browser while in TV mode. Finally, because the system is hosted on a<br />

Windows machine, consumers do experience problems with the unexpectedness of<br />

system crashes.<br />

2.9 MOBILE DEVICES<br />

The use of cellular and wireless devices in interactive television programming has<br />

mostly been limited to voting. The most popular application by far has been FOX’s<br />

American Idol, in which viewers can vote for their favorite contestants. Users can vote by<br />

either dialing a toll-free number or by sending an SMS via their cellular phones. The<br />

contest is, in fact, determined by viewer participation in the show.<br />

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