(See also February 2009 Project Canvas Updates, and Why the Competition Commission Killed Kangaroo)
The BBC is hoping to launch a new project (codenamed ‘Canvas ’) that will bring web-based programming to the TV. Project Canvas is a partnership with BBC, ITV and BT, and will encourage an open-industry standard that will allow “platform-neutral publishing ”; web-based TV will be able to move from the computer to television. Additionally, the BBC is planning to engage with Adobe AIR, which could allow cross-platform downloading.
Project Canvas includes Freeview ( digital terrestrial TV service) and a next-generation set-top-box. It will combine radio, TV, VOD, web/interactive content and catch-up content such as BBC’s iPlayer and ITV’s player. It will be an open platform, accessible to other PSBs and content providers to exploit. Erik Huggers, Director of Future Media and Technology BBC , has been talking about the project since rumor of Project Canvas became a reality at 2008 MIPCOM .
Huggers had the following to say in regards to Project Canvas:
“If today we’re on the N96 and tomorrow we have to be on 30 other different mobile phones do we have to do a separate build for every device, or can we do something more of an open industry standard?…Box manufacturers can add this capability, that adheres to the standard, to the box. You could talk to Philips or Pioneer or Sony, who are adding internet to television sets … to provide a coherent platform in the country … so the internet hits the living room in the right way, rather than in a fragmented way.”
It is an interesting and enticing idea. Consumers are already utilizing TiVo and on demand technology to adjust viewing to their own schedules. It is already in demand that users will be able to have this kind of ability on all of their viewing devices, be them mobiles, TVs, gaming consoles, or others.
“It’s the last bastion - it’s about getting in to the living room with the richness and community features that the web offers with the viewing quality from a larger device. Because it’s an open service, any company could build an app for the platform…”
Everyone at MIPCOM was agreeing that TV is not dead, that content must continue to be of the highest quality, and that the living room is still the place that drives programming. With online content and user generated content constantly growing in both production and consumption this kind of project could yet again revolutionize the way consumers get their content and the ease with which they view it.
In response to how it would affect groups like Joost (click here for our recent article about Joost) or Dailymotion Huggers seemed enthusiastic about the prospect of interplay. “They could publish to it as well, it would give them a clean path in to the living room.” This means that web TV publishing could soon be brought directly to the television—which in and of itself is a paradigmatic change in how people watch TV.
Huggers added that this kind of service is still going to take time to launch. The technology is still being developed and thought through. “There is a lot of technology that needs to come to bear to make this work in an open environment…My best guess is that it is a year to a year and a half away if everything is approved.” To that, the project has yet to get the approval of the BBC trust funders.
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October 25th, 2008 at 9:40 am
I discovered your homepage by coincidence.
Very interesting posts and well written.
I will put your site on my blogroll.
December 4th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
i thought this was a hidden project……
January 21st, 2009 at 1:19 pm
[...] pulled the plug on their IPTV plans, and BT Vision has had slow take-up of its service (perhaps Project Canvas will fare [...]
January 21st, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Fine, but since there is no obligation on BT to provide a working broadband connection, let alone one that can stream Megabits of data in something other than days, it is not something which the BBC should provide without further payment. Until such time as the Government, BT ( the defactor monopoly on broadband supplies outside of the range of cable), ISPs and broadcasters sit down in this country and work out how fast broadband is going to be delivered to ALL, there are other things that the BBC could be getting on with.
January 21st, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Finally something that bridges the gap between the PC and TV. will it include RSS feed content and website content?
January 26th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
[...] What is Project Canvas? [...]
February 4th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
[...] What does the future hold? We hope to see great things emerge from Project Canvas. In addition, the BBC may share its iPlayer technology with multiple broadcasters, a venture called [...]
February 27th, 2009 at 1:51 am
[...] Project Canvas is an open platform for broadcasters, backed by the BBC, BT and ITV. The aim is to bring [...]
March 5th, 2009 at 5:57 am
Hello Guru, what entice you to post an article. This article was extremely interesting, especially since I was searching for thoughts on this subject last night.
March 31st, 2009 at 1:08 pm
[...] to bring those together,” Halton told delegates. See our comprehensive review of Project Canvas here and here, and more on [...]
April 29th, 2009 at 1:21 am
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