TV set-top boxes are not as simple as most consumers think. They are small computers, and are capable of doing a lot of tasks other than switching channels.
Pairing a set-top box with a remote keyboard and software written to run on them, users can surf the web, play games, play music, retrieve dedicated information and much more.
Just like designing software for a regular PC, there are challenges facing TV set-top box software developers.
First of all, users will be viewing the application on a TV at a distance much farther than from a PC monitor, which means that graphics, fonts, designs have to be big. The implication is the amount of information that can be displayed on a TV will be reduced much more.
Set-top box user Interface navigations are also not easy. Technical savvy people might allow a remote keyboard in a living |
room, but for many people, it's simply not eye-pleasing to have one in a living room. A mouse is also not plausible when people are sitting in a couch; and that makes remote controls the ultimate tool for navigation. Hence, the lay out of the buttons and menus have to put remote control navigation into consideration.
The use of colors can also be tricky. Depending on the model of the set-top boxes, not many of them (as of 2005) can display more than 256 colors, and the RGB values for a 256-palette of each set-top box model might well be incompatible, making color discrepancy as we port graphics from one to another. Some color combinations simply don't work display -wisel on a TV screen, however they could pose to be no problem on a PC monitor.
©2001 SNAP2 Corp.
Tools Used: Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Debablizer. |
