iPad Helping to Launch a "Two-Screen Revolution"

I have been using "two-screen technology" frequently since I acquired my iPad. In my particular case, this use-case could be called "independent two-screen technology." When I am watching, say, a Netflix movie on my television, I will frequently search for more details about the film (e.g., reviews) on the web using my tablet device. However, the two-screen revolution involves a more integrated approach and was described in a recent article (see: Is the iPad Launching the Two-Screen Revolution?):

iPad owners are starting to see more and more apps that encourage the use of the device in conjunction with other screens. I’m not talking about remote desktop apps that allow the iPad to act as a mirror of other machines; I specifically mean apps that allow the iPad to act as a supplemental screen for another, providing separate information that adds to the overall experience. Apple is paving the way for true, two-screen viewing in a way that no company has been able to do before now. And it’s a change that could benefit traditional content providers just as much, if not more than new players on the scene. Movie studios, cable companies, and gaming hardware manufacturers should all be looking at the iPad not as competition, but as a new route to customer engagement.Content providers that are taking the hint are seeing benefits....[One example of integrated two-screen technology is the new VH1 Co-Star iPad app.] The app acts as a companion for VH1 programming, offering content-specific info and trivia, as well as curated social streams from Twitter and Facebook. It’s an app that aims to capitalize on the fact that social network interaction during broadcasts is becoming more and more common. It’s a great way to encourage engagement, which, when successful, can turn casual channel surfers into dedicated repeat viewers. It can also be a great avenue for making money from targeted ads since it gives networks a great idea of what viewers are watching what content. A second-display experience makes even more sense when it comes to televised sports programming, where a supplemental screen can provide the kind of statistical info and league scores and highlights without interrupting the main action. A third way that iPads show promise as second-screen devices is as control surfaces for complex applications. Adobe  recently showed off its Photoshop touch apps, and the company is releasing a public SDK so other developers can come up with equally innovative ways to use the small screen as a control or enhancement device for what’s going on a much larger computer screen. There’s great potential for similar implementations for other media manipulation applications (like DJ and film editing software), as well as for supplementary computer control surfaces in general.

The two-screen revolution may reshape news broadcasting as much as sports coverage in my opinion. It's now commonly understood and acknowledged that social media like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are scooping cable and news channels for real-time coverage of breaking news. This is particularly true for political upheavals in the Middle East where the mainstream media are showing video clips that they merely download from the social media. This is because reporters are barred from entry into the countries in foment.

I anticipate that two-screen news viewing will become much more common. Many of our cable news outlets like CNN will move from the reporting of breaking news to more of its analysis. The real-time breaking news and eye-witness descriptions of events will be transmitted to viewers via the second screen (i.e., the iPad) in the form of "filtered" tweets and face book posts. What you will view on your TV monitor will be an analysis of this streaming breaking news by experts. I say "filtered" here because the volume of Tweets and Facebook posts will be too great to absorb. Algorithms will be required to highlight what are perceived to me the most reliable information sources. This will be accomplished on the basis of geolocation as well as text analysis of the critical mass of reports (see: Red Baloons, DARPA, and Social Networking Sites; Geolocation -- A New Solution Emerging from Twitter for the TMI Problem).

Comments

[Cable industry]

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Cable industry

[The PACS Designer]

Dr. Bruce,

Thanks for alerting us to this new concept of two screen Apple technology. I'll be adding this app to TPD's List of iPhone/iPad apps for the next update.

TPD! (The PACS Designer on HIStalk)

[Urology Bucks County]

I agree, I think within the next 2 years you will be seeing devices like the Ipad, Android and IPhone do more tasks and help increase productivity. The "Two Screen Revolution" is just the beginning.