Smart TVs are the latest product being offered to consumers. As a platform designed to bridge the gap between the internet and the living room, it’s widely recognised that this technology is the future of TV. Yet despite the fact Smart TV manufacturers have made online services available, consumers are finding them very difficult to navigate.
The content is there, but it’s not easily accessible.
Manufacturers have been quick to add new features (such as voice control) to Smart TVs, but these gimmicks have done little to improve the situation. These features have not provided users with an effective way to navigate the variety of online services now available, particularly as these new services are far more complicated than navigating linear TV. Voice control alone cannot keep up.
It’s clear from Smart TV usage rates that the current generation of remote controls are not suited for navigation. Ask anyone using a traditional remote to access online content and chances are they turn to a second screen device instead. Being limited to up-down-left-right navigation for Smart TV just doesn’t work, and this problem is only set to grow as consumers demand more from their internet-connected TVs. Viewing online content is only one part of the puzzle and consumers are now looking to browse the internet, access on-demand services and play Smart TV games.
In a world where TV has to compete with PCs, tablets and smartphones, something has to change. To tackle this problem, various manufacturers are investing time and money to develop new technologies that can be embedded within remote controls. There are three main contenders – Direct pointing from Philips (uWand), relative pointing (gyroscope) and touchpad. But which of these technologies is best for the consumer?
To find out, we conducted some research into people’s experiences with these different remote control solutions. Here are the results…
Philips uWand 