Video mediated social interaction between groups: System requirements and technology challenges

  • Authors:

  • Doug Williams;Marian F. Ursu;Joshan Meenowa;Pablo Cesar;Ian Kegel;Karl Bergström

  • Affiliations:

  • BT, Adastral Park, IPSWICH, IP5 3RE, UK;Department of Computing Goldsmiths, University of London, London SE14 6NW, UK;BT, Adastral Park, IPSWICH, IP5 3RE, UK;CWI: Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica, Kruislaan 413, Amsterdam 1098 SJ, The Netherlands;BT, Adastral Park, IPSWICH, IP5 3RE, UK;The Interactive Institute, Box 1197, SE-164 26 Kista, Sweden

  • Venue:
  • Telematics and Informatics
  • Year:
  • 2011

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.00

Visualization

Abstract

This paper discusses results from research related to the use of television as a device that supports social interaction between close-knit groups in settings that include more than two locations, each location being potentially equipped with more than one camera. The paper introduces the notion of a framing experience, as a specific scenario or situation within which social communication takes place. It reports on the evaluation of some of the key attributes of social communication through semi-structured interviews, with 16 families across four European countries. The inferences drawn from this study are reduced to four system capabilities including the ability to support: excitement, engagement and entertainment; high quality, reliable audiovisual communications; flexibility and adaptability sufficient to support the unpredictable and reactive nature of human interaction and discourse. These system requirements are, in turn, reduced to a number of technology challenges which if solved will help enable effective social communications between groups, mediated by the television. These technology challenges include: high quality reliable audio visual communication; interaction orchestration, multimedia interpretation and multimedia composition. Finally the paper reflects on the impact the use of framing experiences, such as those described here, could have on strategy and policy for service providers and regulators.