Pre-conference Programme

Wednesday, March 30: Optional Tutorials
From 9.00: Registration at VR Media Lab, Aalborg University

10.00 – 12.00: Morning tutorials (1 & 2)
12.00-13.00: Lunch Break
13.00 – 16.00: Afternoon tutorials (3 & 4)
16.00 – 18.00: Welcome Reception at VR Media Lab, Aalborg University

Morning tutorials (1 & 2):

Tutorial 1:
Wednesday, March 30, 10.00 – 12.00

"New developments in technologies and terminals related to interactive TV in a European and Japanese perspective."

The tutorial is lead by Aske Dam

Local storage devices like DVD Recorders and PDR/PVR/DVR boxes will be in more than 10% of all American and Japanese homes, later this year. Mobile phones come with 256MB of storage, and wired and wireless networks connect terminals in homes and elsewhere.
Digital devices communicate with each other, opening up for new cross-platform services, and 3G mobile phones in Japan will receive digital terrestrial broadcasting in 2006.
This creates an environment for all kind of interactive services, and content creators are now busy catching up with the technological developments.
Broadcasters are cooperating with hardware manufacturers to make a set of basic requirements for a European standard for local storage (and interactive services).

Tutorial 2:
Wednesday, March 30, 10.00 – 12.00

“Playability, Likeability, Usability, Sociability – new experimental methods for exploring the content and applications in interactive TV” is a workshop in Human Experience Lab PLUS.

This tutorial is offered by researchers from InDiMedia, Department of Communication, Aalborg University, Denmark. The tutorial is lead by Lars Holmgaard Christensen, PhD student, and Tove Arndt Rasmussen, Assistent professor.
 
Conceptualizing broadcast news with cross media services.

In line with the overall theme of the conference we will work with concepts and design matters from a user perspective. Usability studies have been the traditional route for testing viewer/user navigation in interfaces and programme applications. The workshop will expand the concept of usability and work with user involvement, experience and the new PLUS concepts: Playability, Likeability and Sociability.

The workshop case will be a local 24 hours news broadcast channel and the workshop participants will be working with cross media and especially SMS services related to news and live debate. Focus will be on how to create user involvement in programmes and involvement in the local community in general terms. The influence of user-generated content will also be discussed in relation to the flow of traditional news programmes and questions of agenda setting and gate keeping.

Afternoon tutorials (3 & 4):

Tutorial 3:
Wednesday, March 30, 13.00-16.00

"A case study on a converging media house"
NORDJYSKE Medier

This workshop will be presented by NORDJYSKE Medier (NORDJYSKE Medier is a local media house).

Over the last years the organization of the media house has changed to meet the challenges of a multimedia reality. The organization accommodates newspapers, weekly papers, magazines, TV, radio, Internet and mobile services and distributes through delivery boys, satellite, fiber cable, radio transmitter towers and telephone. As part of the media integration a series of new media is created, among others one of Europe’s 24-hours TV news channels (24Nordjyske). NORDJYSKE Medier is one of the world’s most converging media organizations. The organization employs 250 editing employees. All editorial offices consist of multimedia groups.

During this workshop NORDJYSKE Medier will present the organization, the experiences, and the expectations to the organization’s ability to cope with the digital media future, not least the 238 years old media house’s view on itself in relation to interaction and TV. As part of the workshop experiences from BID-TV (the user-centred interactive digital TV project run in collaboration with InDiMedia, Aalborg University) will be drawn upon. During the workshop a visit to the media house is included. The excursion will offer the possibilities of viewing the media integration in praxis, speak with employees, and view the interaction of different media releases.

Tutorial 4:
Wednesday, March 30, 13.00-16.00

“Usability and Experience Design for Interactive Television”
The workshop is offered by Søren H. Sørensen, president and CEO, ITE (Interactive Television Entertainment).

Experience design presents a shift from analyzing usability to studying user experiences. The goal of such experience design research is in discerning the necessary elements and methods in producing experience-rich media products, services and environments – such as games and programme concepts for interactive television. There is a notable shift from information retrieval and usability issues to sensations, experiences, synchronous communication and so-called game-play. For example, a game has to be challenging enough to be entertaining and fun, whereas by usability standards, e.g. the interface of a web should be as intuitive as possible.

ITE is the largest and most successful interactive television-programming supplier in the world, with headquarter in Copenhagen and products in more than 30 countries worldwide. Since its foundation in 1988 ITE has been the pioneer of interactive television entertainment - developing, producing and delivering interactive concepts, e.g. the interactive television show “Hugo the TV Troll”