Imagine your watching a show, then the channel changes suddenly. However this time it wasnt your partner or the kids. Your TV just knew you wanted to watch something else.

Ashley Highfield, UK Managing Director of Microsoft, said that ‘smart’ television would be “naturally intuitive” and be able to recognise facial expressions and body movements.

This could mean they will be able to gauge moods and choose appropriate programmes, taking into account past viewing preferences.

Mr Highfield told the Daily Telegraph: “Within 5 to 10 years, it is inevitably that television will be controlled much more naturally. It will be more intuitive, like the Xbox, following body movement and facial recognition like project natal.”

Project Natal, Microsoft’s controller-free, motion-sensing gaming system for the Xbox 360, caused a stir when it was unveiled at the E3 games show in Los Angeles in June. It uses a camera, depth-sensor and microphones to track the natural movement of a player and replicate it on-screen.

Part of the project includes Milo, an ‘avatar’ little boy who, to ‘lives’ inside your computer. You talk to him as you would a normal person, and he interacts with you in return, picking up everything from your movement to the emotion in your tone of voice. He will remember your face and greet you by name as you walk in to the room.

“TV will increasingly go that way,” said Mr Highfield. “This is certainly the last generation that will have a remote control”.

He said that in the same way all mobile phones are touch screen, all PCs will become touch screen within two years.

Although Microsoft has yet to officially announce a launch date for Project Natal, the company’s chief executive, Steve Ballmer, said that a new Xbox 360 with “a natural interface” would be launched in 2010.

Mr Highfield, who is vice president of consumer and online services at Microsoft, is also the former BBC executive who launched the BBC iPlayer, the 7 day ‘catch up’ service.

Mr Highfield, speaking as part of a panel discussion at the Government’s digital creative industry conference C&binet, also said the BBC should look at charging for its iPlayer catchup service.

The former director of BBC future media and technology, said: “I think the iPlayer was a catalyst to get to get a lot more content [made available on-demand] in the UK.”

“All boats rise on that, commercial or not,” he said.

“A reasonable question to ask now is about ‘windowing’,” he said. “Is seven days free right or should it be shortened [and should the BBC] get rid of hold back periods [so commercial companies can more quickly exploit online TV revenues from content]?”

Marc Watson, the chief executive of BT Vision, added: “I believe the BBC should be allowed to charge for the iPlayer. It should be possible going forward.”

Source – Telegraph.co.uk

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