WORKSHOP PAPERS

Enhancing Social Communication and Belonging by Integrating TV Narrativity and Game-Play (pdf)
Marian F Ursu (Goldsmiths, University of London, UK), Pablo Cesar (CWI, The Netherlands) and Doug Williams (BT, UK)
Abstract: This paper provides a brief overview of the workshop on Enhancing Social Communication and Belonging by Integrating TV Narrativity and Game-Play. Its main objective is to explore new forms of TV-mediated communication between groups of people (such as family and friends) separated by space and/or time that would lead to improving the maintenance and fostering of their social relationships and, ultimately, of their feeling of being together. The investigation considers three perspectives: socio-cognitive – defining facets of the experience(s) of togetherness, when group interaction is mediated by the TV screen; system design – specifying requirements for TV-centric systems that support social interaction; system implementation – analysing enabling technologies.

Experience, Narrative and Interaction in TV-Centred Communication (pdf)
Frank Nack (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Abstract: Based on the view that changes in user expectations and social demographics alter the traditional use of TV, this paper investigates the notion of experience, narrative and interaction in TV-centred communication. We have a look at synchronous and asynchronous consumption of expert as well as user-generated content. We then investigate participatory elements that enhance the feeling of social belonging and togetherness in particular when TV users are separated by time and space.
 

(i)TV Brings People Together? How the Feeling of Togetherness Can Be Built (pdf)
Pauliina Tuomi (Tampere University of Technology, Finland)
Abstract: Interactive television is becoming more and more socialized and it is no longer just a TV. There are numerous ways and technologies to interact with the TV (Parikka 2004; Jensen & Toscan 1999). There are also different viewpoints regarding what is interactive, what the level of interaction is, and furthermore, where today’s television may be located on this dimension. This paper explores the role of iTV’s in building feelings of togetherness between people.
 

Strengthen the TV Experience Beyond the TV (pdf)
Sara Kepplinger, Florian Förster, Judith Igelsböck and Marianna Obrist (University of Salzburg, Austria)
Abstract. The TV experience is no longer restricted to the TV. Other media devices, such as the PC and mobile phones, have become platforms for consuming TV content, which are more and more extended with new features for communication and social networking. A main challenge is still how to provide users the “right” TV experience. It has to be thought about how it is possible to strengthen the TV experience including all these new opportunities. The contribution provided in this paper is based on results derived from user evaluation studies performed with social TV applications. On the basis of two case examples we outline initial assumptions on how to enable a TV experience when other devices like the PC are used beyond but in conjunction with the TV set.
 

Presence and Mediated Interaction: A Means to an End? (pdf)
Lizzy Bleumers, Tim Van Lier and An Jacobs (IBBT-SMIT VUB, Belgium)
Abstract. Promoting a sense of presence is often identified as a prerequisite for mediated interaction. To do so, however, we need a thorough understanding of what presence encompasses and how it can be influenced. The goal of this paper is to elaborate on the different aspects of the sense of presence as identified in the literature, while illustrating whether and how these aspects are promoted in three virtual world cases. We hope to evoke reflection on the link between promoting presence and supporting mediated interaction.
 

From Social TV to Structured Communication Formats (pdf)
Gunnar Harboe and Santosh Basapur (Motorola, USA)
Abstract. We describe research and ideas that could inform the design of social experiences around the TV. This work is primarily based in the field of social television, which we summarize briefly. We focus on the idea of structuring and interpreting freeform communication so that it can be used to trigger system actions, which in turn can provide distinct social experiences. We first analyze social program recommendations from this perspective, then look at a new genre of social video game that blurs text chat and command input.
 

Good to See You – User Responses to a TV-Based Video Telephony Service (pdf)
Will Seager and Hendrik Knoche (University College London, UK)
Abstract. After many years of slow adoption within the market, video telephony is finally becoming accepted, e.g. in its high end version and in the form of video calls piggy-backed through computer-based VoIP services. Within the home, the TV set may serve as a useful additional way to access video-based communications. TV could also make video telephony accessible to people without computers or to people with insufficient computer skills. This paper presents a user study of a TV-based video telephony application. While, on average, more participants preferred the computer as a platform, many showed a strong preference for using video telephony on living-room TVs over computers, particularly those who experienced the application within a home setting. Our data indicate some strengths and weaknesses of living-room TVs as a platform for video telephony, and some requirements for the design of video telephony services aimed at the living room context.
 

Sharing Enriched Interactive Experiences with the iNEM4U Software Framework (pdf)
Cristian Hesselman (Novay, The Netherlands) and Keir Shepherd (HP Labs, UK)
Abstract. The project iNEM4U (Interactive Networked Experiences in Multimedia for You) is developing an open distributed software framework that allows users and service providers to seamlessly combine interactive multimedia content and services from different types of networks (the Internet, in-home, mobile, and IPTV networks) into one shared experience. In this paper, we provide a brief overview of the project and discuss the TV-centric application we are using to enhance people’s social media experiences, in particular to increase the feeling of connectedness for groups of people, such as families and friends.
 

What's in the box? The building blocks of a TV-centred social communication system (pdf)
Ian Kegel (BT, UK)
Abstract. Advances in the state of the art in many different technical fields, ranging from high-speed networks to multimedia coding, mean that the time is now right for the development of practical, reusable systems which support rich social interaction through the television. However, the multidisciplinary nature of TV-mediated communication requires the integration of technologies and standards which have previously been treated in isolation. At the point where digital entertainment meets social networking and high-definition videoconferencing, new applications will emerge to differentiate a new generation of high-speed broadband networks. This presentation will review the most important building blocks of such applications and describe today's state of the art implementations.
It will then propose how they can be combined within a practical testbed, as is being developed by the TA2 project.
 

ANSWER: Documentation, Formal Conceptualisation and Annotation of New Media (pdf)
Angelos Yannopoulos, Yannis Christodoulou, Stefanos Koutsoutos, Katia Savrami, Theodora Varvarigou and Vassilis Alexandrou (University of Athens, Greece)
Abstract. Within the scope of ANSWER, an EC-supported research project, a new artistic notation system, called DirectorNotation, is being developed for describing media content, much like notes are used to document a music composition. Our current research focuses on developing “notation-enabled” offline authoring tools, but interactive applications are an anticipated extension. Here, we summarise the key aspects of DirectorNotation and the ANSWER project, from the point of view of a multimedia-technology audience interested in content-based manipulation of media.
 

A Multimedia Content Semantics Extraction Framework for Enhanced Social Interaction (pdf)
Giuseppe Passino, Tomas Piatrik, Ioannis Patras and Ebroul Izquierdo (Queen Mary, University of London, UK)
Abstract. In this paper, a system for improved social interaction via the Internet or interactive TV is proposed. The aim is to provide a small group of closely connected users with a rich social experience, sharing intimate moments of life and emotions, taking full advantage of the existent Internet technology and broadcasting practices. Starting from a single use-case, a feasibility study for a social interaction is illustrated. The proposed architecture for social interaction is based on techniques for automated extraction of semantics from streamed content. In particular, technical feasibility and real-time processing issues are considered. Semantic information is used in the multimedia editing and composition phase, enabling the system to offer an experience that goes beyond the classical face-to-face video-conference. The efficient and rich presentation of the content is driven by technology for semantic segmentation, object detection and automated extraction of interesting regions in the scene. Furthermore, a face detection module is used to guarantee a constant visual presence of the parties. Finally, a summary of the session is automatically generated for future uses or on-line-browsing during the conversation.
 

A Collective Director for Highly Interactive Viewing of Live Sports Events (pdf)
Zhenchen Wang, Stefan Poslad and Alan Pearmain (Queen Mary, University of London, UK)
Abstract. New forms of personalised and interactive viewing experiences are being developed that enable spectators to act as directors of their own customised live sports videos. Scalability concerns for such systems dictate that group-based streaming rather than individual streaming can be realized in practice. In this positional paper, the application of the group personalisation model to enable social groups of possibly distributed individuals to collectively direct and share a common viewing experience of a live sports event is proposed. The design of this platform, developed as part of the as part of the My-e-Director 2012 project, is described and a discussion of a prototype system is given.

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