My TV room always has a Mac portable sitting on the coffee table for my girls to use as they watch the box.  In fact, I’m using it to write this post now whilst laughing at the exploits of the weirdoes on Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me. It is my own hybrid Bellyvision experience.  This dual device experience could offer the solution to the conundrum of personalisation on a community television.

 

Imagine all my personal interactions being displayed on my own remote control whilst the family watch the communal broadcast on the large screen in the corner of the room.  If the two are in sync, then I can see a Rotten Tomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com) review on the Bond film we are watching, see what programmes all my Facebook friends are enjoying, vote throughout Alexandra Burke’s Xfactor performance, view an extended telescoped advert about the BMW I saw at the break, purchase a copy of the book that the One Show has just reviewed and buy a ticket to the latest Cohen Brothers movie which received rave reviews from Jonathan Ross.

 

My personal remote would grow to know me by tracking my consumptions habits and recommend all sorts interactive and commerce possibilities as I watch the broadcasted content.  I could watch a preview of programmes available on other channels and bully the rest of the family to turn over if it looks more interesting.

 

This will not work for everyone but there are already some companies trying to create this hybrid experience.  It may not excite us oldies but for the multi-tasking, multi-device younger generations it is merely an extension of their current habits.  It does not require the broadcaster to modify their standard programming and would work with any and all televisions.  It could be prototyped on a standard Windows laptop, leverage all the great websites by federating their applications, communicate through WiFi or GPRS and start to tease out what works and what doesn’t.  The solution could then morph onto a bespoked remote which is retailed through high street stores.  However, with the growing popularity of Netbooks with built-in mobile broadband then all it needs is a small USB controlled IR unit and away you go.  Alternatively, an iPhone or similar smart phone with a number of downloaded applications would also do.

 

I took part in a debate some three years ago on whether devices would converged in to one all-signing, all-dancing mega-device.  I came away with the conclusion that the one device we would always have with us is our own personal data store.  Yes is would be a phone, and an audio player, and a portable video player but we would also dock it into other devices – PC, stereo, TV – to unlock and transport owned content and then personalise the entertainment experience.  In this world, that portable device is also our personal remote control.

 

Well the over-weight, middle-aged, wine snob won the £1,000 on tonight’s Come Dine With Me and I’m on the C4 website reviewing the recipe for his seafood Paella. Wouldn’t it be good if I could just hit a button and have the ingredients delivered to my door?!!  Hmmm..