Comcast EBIF Find TV Now
TV recommendations. “What’s on TV?” has always been a vexing question and finding a way to get content or programs that the viewer would want to see the Holy Grail. This exploration, as design lead for Comcast/Xfinity, transforms the channel info bar into a low format search tool. It also assumes a certain amount of ‘intelligence’ by using the viewers own viewing habit’s as a basis for the recommendations.
This work is also built upon thinking that came out of tru-2-way TV or EBIF, a technology that would allow two way communication between the viewers set-top box and the server, even on low end set-tops. While at Comcast/TV Works I was the design lead, working with engineering in this breakthrough technology. Historically TV has been a push technology with all of the communication coming down the pipe into the viewers living room. The current foray into social television is enabled by breakthroughs in this technology and the EBIF standard (Enhanced Binary Interchange Format) is still one part of the solution. –2008
