Cross-device media: a review of second screening and multi-device television

Abstract

Television viewers interacting with second screens has become a common sight in the modern living room. Such activities are a mixture of related, semi-related, and non-related browsing of content. This growing trend is revolutionising the way that broadcasters think about their content. Through the envisioned connected home, driven by end-to-end IP connected networks, television content creators and app developers are now considering the design space for multi-device, interactive experiences. In this review paper, we consider the pre-digital beginnings of such scenarios, and progress to discuss how the introduction of mobile devices has affected the TV viewing experience. We discuss dual-screen usage over a variety of contexts in the connected home, with a focus on 'designed' dual-screen experiences such as companion applications. We conclude with reflections on the future of this area so that app developers, broadcasters, and academics may push further the space and improve future dual-and multi-screen experiences.

Cross-Device Taxonomy

“…This work directly incorporates and extends earlier taxonomies of multidevice research. Our taxonomy spans across the research areas of distributed user interfaces [76,86], second-screen and multi-device research [229], and mobile multi-device ecosystems [111]. We build upon other related taxonomies (all with their own specialised focus): for example, covering the scale of multi-display systems [330], display switching for multi-displays [275], interaction techniques for spontaneous device association [62], or characteristics of devices' ownership, access, and distance [292].…”

A Model-Driven Cross-Platform App Development Process for Heterogeneous Device Classes

“…2) Logistics apps: Order picking in warehouses is an activity that is mainly coordinated using information systems. Operating hands-free using augmented reality (AR) devices instead of traditional scanners significantly improves the productivity of employees and first commercial products for the logistics industry already exist 5 . Similarly, technicians can benefit from up-to-date information both before and during repair works.…”

“…This might occur sequentially when a user switches to a different device depending on the usage context or user preferences, e.g., using an app with smart glasses while walking and switching to the in-vehicle app when boarding a car. Alternatively, a concurrent usage of multiple devices for the same task is possible, for instance in second screening scenarios in which one device provides additional information or input/output capabilities [5]. In both cases, fast and reliable synchronization of content is essential.…”

Streaming, Multi-Screens and YouTube

“…YouTube [11], BBC iPlayer [34], Netflix [32]); investigated live streaming (e.g. on Twitch [64], in China [40], and viewers' motivations for supporting streamers [73]); managing children's screen time [29]; discovered reasons for users multitasking their media [30,31]; understood binge-watching [14]; the design of second screen apps [18,24,44]; and "predictive preloading" of video for work commutes [33]. Regrettably in terms of sustainability, this prior work has not yet considered the energy used indirectly from watching related activity, and may even add to the problem (e.g.…”

“…Within HCI, media-multitasking is looked upon as a positive user experience [18,24,44]. With our participants, this multitasking means that streamed content is not always fully utilised (or "consumed") and inherently makes watching more data demanding.…”