The American Film Institute is presenting the interactive prototypes produced through its Enhanced TV workshop and is announcing plans for a Digital Content Lab.
The broadcast-capable prototypes showcase how advancing technologies can change the television experience. They are being shown at an event at the AFI campus in Hollywood.
The eight shows demonstrating their enhanced TV prototypes are: Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (Bravo), Hijack (MTV), Dora the Explorer (Nickelodeon), The L Word (Showtime), Dinosaur Highway (Science Channel), Living for the Weekend (Scripps), American Experience (WGBH/PBS) and TV411 (Adult Literacy Media Alliance/PBS).
The AFI workshop brings together television producers and design and technology advisors or mentors over a six month period to prototype interactive applications with the ultimate objective of delivering an enhanced broadcast programme
After seven years, the AFI is also changing the model for the workshop. Beginning in 2005, the programme will be incorporated into a broader effort to be known as the AFI Digital Content Lab.
Nick DeMartino of the AFI explained, “With the creation of the Digital Content Lab, AFI looks forward to expanding our work in the field, and through this, accelerating the pace of change in these burgeoning new areas of creative endeavour.”