A TV that can watch you

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A new type of Internet connected television is coming out soon, with built in software and hardware to enable feedback between users, TV content and the internet.

In a very real way, this TV will be able to watch you , with websites able to instantly adapt to TV broadcasts and online ads able to respond to the content on screen.

This type of intelligent behaviour is made by FLINGO, a San Francisco based startup. It is being called Sync Apps, with the first TV set already being produced by one of the five big television brands in the US. The initial set will sell for less than $500, although in time, there is likely to be a number of hardware options available.

“Any mobile app or Web page being used in front of your TV can ask our servers what is on right now,” says David Harrison, co-founder and CTO of Flingo. “For example, you could go to Google or IMDB and the page would already know what’s on the screen. Retailers like Amazon or Walmart might want to show you things to buy related to a show, like DVDs, or what people are wearing in it.”

While this technology will come in useful for many users, this kind of integration will also be very valuable for advertisers, who will be able to directly target their audience in a way never possible before. Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook will also be able to use the service to connect to online streams and other relevant content.

Flingo has made a public API available for developers, with the scope of applications made available over the next few months likely to have a huge impact on the uptake of this technology. There are also a number of privacy issues brought up by Sync Apps, although users have to buy certain TVs and opt-in to the service when the TV is first switched on.

Ashwin Navin, Flingo’s CEO and co-founder, obviously expects people to opt in, saying “People are doing the work to search for information to go with their viewing. We’ll have all that information right there.”

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