The whole second screen apps frenzy is still spreading and more and more people are becoming enticed by the idea of being able to connect to the TV content with the help of other digital devices such as the smartphone and the tablet. This is especially the case since the price of such devices has considerably increased in later years, meaning that the number of people watching TV while still browsing through their phones or tablets is pretty high.
This is the perfect setting for the expansion of the second screen platform, even though there are still some things left to be solved. One major challenge for developers is making sure that the apps they launch are fully dependable. The evolution of the sector cannot depend on services which can only be used under certain circumstances. A lot of aspects must be taken into consideration, like a person having to use it in a noisy room, with children crying, loud music from another room and other difficult environment conditions.
Another issue on the hot plate of second screen apps producers is the need to make these products scalable. The general intention in this regard is to make apps that will allow access to an online platform connected to the live TV one, to a number of people almost equal to the number of TV viewers. This means millions of people logging on the same platform at the same time and expecting updated information and real-time input. The bandwidth must support such a strain.
Even the more basic versions of the second screen apps, the ones that only allow access to show information to TV viewers will need a lot of work. Provided that the information needs to be updated as often as possible, a lot of content is needed for these pages. The investment in keeping viewers updated is understood in terms of amount of information transmitted.
Second screen app developers must also decide on one thing before starting to work on their products: whether they want the more “one-show” oriented approach, or the general TV channel approach. The first is the option most app developers have right now, although with the expansion of the trend, most chances are that more and more people will prefer channel oriented apps that allow them access to various shows instead of just the one.
Second screen apps have a real chance of becoming addictive and extremely popular due to the fact that they make things tangible, not only visible. Fully controllable TV content is the next frontier in home entertainment, the one most see as coming before the virtual reality most of us are so eager to experience. Before being able to grasp something virtually, we can start by deciding on what we see on TV and how to interact with those images.
