Television and Computer Convergence: Why It Won't Happen

“Convergence” was a popular buzzword in the high-tech space a few years ago. We don’t hear too much about it these days. Perhaps, the word “cloud” has clouded all other buzzwords. Nevertheless, "convergence" is still a popular word that can mean many things in different fields.

In high-tech, Convergence is a viewpoint that television and computer are going to converge into being one electronic device. With the convergence, television screen and computer monitor would become synonymous. Yes, today we can add an RF tuner to a PC to catch television signals. Almost all new LCD/LED televisions have built-in support for browsing and watching streaming video on sites such as YouTube. Are we at a point where we can declare victory for convergence?

More computational power alone won’t substitute a television for a personal computer. The type experience consumers seek in a television very different. Television is an immovable, static box that sits at a corner of a living room. People expect less interaction and more entertainment. No wonder Samsung, Sony, LG, Philips, or Visio did not include keyboard as a television accessory. If you are designing an application for a television, you may have all the computational power that your application may need, but it will never have a keyboard.

The notion of personal computer is moving away from the concept of a desktop to a hand held device such as a smart phone or a tablet computer. People spend a good amount of time connecting with their friends on social networks and watching a bunch of viral videos shared by their friends. Watching Netflix or YouTube on an iPad is an incredible experience. However, this mode of entertainment is more personal, and has little value in a living room. How awkward it would look if everybody in a family got together in a family room and watched the live stream of the same sport on his or her own personal device!