14 DAY TRIAL // Having technology that is able to recognize you and adapt to your needs has been mostly a pipe dream until now, but it won't be long before previous decades' Sci-Fi ideas become reality.
TV broadcasts isn't the technology field we'd have expected Intel to aim for next, but that's precisely what the Santa Clara, California-based company is getting involved in.
Reports are coming in about cable firms, satellite providers and a smart TV platform from Intel that will step on all of their toes.
The company's goal is to create set-top boxes or TVs that detect viewers’ age group and gender. Based on that information, advertisements are sorted into those most likely to be of interest to them.
In order to achieve this, more than just a new chip is needed. Thus, Intel plans to launch an entire video service by the end of the year (2012).
In addition to targeted advertising, Intel will be betting on cheap content and products that have already been sold.
By that, we mean all those laptops that possess face recognition technology, as well as TVs and monitors with similar functionality.
That said, the Intel Media Service would not outright recognize the person staring at the TV. Instead, it will determine the parameters mentioned above (age, gender) and will even dynamically adjust.
At present, content owners sell broad packages of shows and movies to satellite and cable providers. Intel wants to start something more complex, one that would warm providers to the idea of unbundling their offers.
The main argument brought to the table is that the ad system will be much more interactive, enough to make everything more profitable. Executives aren't convinced though.
It shouldn't take Intel too long in presenting the processor set to power its smart TV prototypes. WiDi is a given asset (Wireless Display, for streaming between a notebook/desktop and an HDTV), but everything else is still a mystery.