Downloaded from orbit.dtu.dk on: Sep 24, 2021 Converging Information and Communication Systems The Case of Television and Computers Øst, Alexander Publication date: 2003 Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link back to DTU Orbit Citation (APA): Øst, A. (2003). Converging Information and Communication Systems: The Case of Television and Computers. Technical University of Denmark. CTI Ph.D series No. 5 General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Ph.D. Thesis CTI Ph.D. Series. No. 6 Converging Information and Communication Systems - The Case of Television and Computers Doctoral thesis Alexander Gorm Oest Center for Tele-Information Technical University of Denmark Supervisor: Director, Professor Knud Erik Skouby Funding: DTU grant by the Society, Planning and Technology Ph.D. programme1. Kgs. Lyngby April 2003 1 During the project, this programme has been closed, and the project is now under the Electronics and Communications Ph.D. programme. Preface When I started this Ph.D. project in early 1998, the convergence of electronic information and communication was regarded as a fairly narrow and easily defined research area. During the project, the area has grown tremendously – partly because the ongoing development has made convergence increasingly topical, partly as my studies into the matter broadened my insight and suggested a multitude of perspectives and focus areas. Because of the ongoing development, the situation has changed from back when I started. New phenomena have emerged, and ideas, which back in 1998 seemed like science fiction, have become reality. This has made the project a demanding task to undertake. It has been necessary to be constantly aware of new developments in order to keep the research on par with – and hopefully to some extent ahead of - the real world. While at moments quite demanding, it has been a tremendous experience to actually be in the middle of the process subject to investigation. This circumstance has – in combination with the technical emphasis of this work – made it a pleasurable necessity to achieve insight and hands-on experience in the contemporary workings of the converging sectors of television and computer/networking. I would like to express my thanks to my supervisor, Professor Knud Erik Skouby, Director of CTI for guiding me securely through the lengthy process of the accomplishment of this project, and for providing a rich and inspiring academic and physical framework for my research. The latter is very much due to the employees at CTI and Siemens, Milano – where I had an external research stay - who deserve my gratitude for having been such stimulating and helpful colleagues. April 2003 Alexander Gorm Oest 1. Introduction________________________________________________ 1 1.1. Promises of Convergence ______________________________________3 1.1.1. Interoperability ________________________________________________ 3 1.1.2. Quality _______________________________________________________ 4 1.1.3. Interactivity ___________________________________________________ 5 1.2. Future development___________________________________________6 1.3. Approach ___________________________________________________7 1.4. Purpose _____________________________________________________7 1.4.1. Development paths _____________________________________________ 8 1.4.2. Descriptive modelling ___________________________________________ 8 1.4.3. Defining______________________________________________________ 9 1.4.4. Identification _________________________________________________ 11 1.4.5. Solutions ____________________________________________________ 11 1.4.6. Contribution to existing research__________________________________ 12 1.5. Focus and Demarcations______________________________________12 1.5.1. Appliances ___________________________________________________ 13 1.5.2. Standards and inherent characteristics______________________________ 13 1.5.3. Tech push____________________________________________________ 15 1.5.4. Flexibility ___________________________________________________ 15 1.5.5. Technology, economy and the surrounding environment _______________ 15 1.5.6. Cases _______________________________________________________ 16 1.5.7. Time and History______________________________________________ 16 1.5.8. Computer/networking and Television ______________________________ 17 1.5.9. Private use ___________________________________________________ 17 1.5.10. Fixed network infocom _________________________________________ 18 1.5.11. Geographic focus______________________________________________ 18 1.6. The structure of the project ___________________________________19 1.7. Assumptions and background _________________________________20 2. Academic Background ______________________________________ 23 2.1. Three main perspectives ______________________________________23 2.1.1. The technical perspective _______________________________________ 24 2.1.2. The media or mass communication perspective ______________________ 24 2.1.3. The techno-economic perspective _________________________________ 25 2.2. Related Research Communities ________________________________26 2.2.1. ITC_________________________________________________________ 26 2.2.2. EAP ________________________________________________________ 31 2.2.3. Vanderbilt University's eLab _____________________________________ 31 2.2.4. Further relevant research communities, individuals and publications ______ 32 2.2.5. Projects under the European Commission___________________________ 34 2.3. This PhD-project’s relation to the surrounding world______________38 3. Research problem __________________________________________ 39 3.1. Conceptual questions_________________________________________43 3.1.1. Information and communication characteristics ______________________ 44 3.1.2. Areas _______________________________________________________ 45 3.2. Research questions __________________________________________46 3.2.1. Broad research questions ________________________________________ 46 3.2.2. The Promise of Interoperability ___________________________________ 48 3.2.3. The promise of Quality _________________________________________ 49 3.2.4. The Promise of Interactivity _____________________________________ 49 3.2.5. Summary of research questions ___________________________________ 50 4. Research Design ___________________________________________53 4.1. Method ____________________________________________________53 4.2. Research Questions in Relation to Empirical Studies ______________53 4.2.1. Conceptual Questions and the Associated Study ______________________ 54 4.2.2. Research Questions and Empirical Studies __________________________ 55 4.2.3. Summary: Relations between questions and empirics __________________ 58 5. Theory ___________________________________________________61 5.1. Economics of Standardisation _________________________________62 5.1.1. The relevance of a standards perspective____________________________ 63 5.1.2. Standards as goods_____________________________________________ 64 5.1.3. Feedback and Externalities ______________________________________ 65 5.1.4. Tipping______________________________________________________ 68 5.1.5. Path Dependence and Lock-in ____________________________________ 69 5.1.6. Installed Base_________________________________________________ 72 5.1.7. Systems Competition ___________________________________________ 73 5.1.8. Hardware-software Systems and Communication Networks_____________ 73 5.1.9. Complementary Assets _________________________________________ 78 5.1.10. Strategic issues in standardisation _________________________________ 79 5.1.11. Summary of Economics of Standardisation__________________________ 86 5.2. Economics of Innovation______________________________________88 5.2.1. Systems and Sectors____________________________________________ 88 5.2.2. Reverse Salients_______________________________________________ 91 5.3. Media, Information and Communication theories _________________91 5.3.1. The OSI model________________________________________________ 92 5.3.2. Communication Theory _________________________________________ 94 5.3.3. Media Theories _______________________________________________ 95 5.4. Summary of Theory Chapter __________________________________98 5.4.1. Application of theory ___________________________________________ 98 6. Information and Communication Taxonomy____________________101 6.1. Steps in the process _________________________________________101 6.1.1. Components of the taxonomy ___________________________________ 101 6.2. Information and Communication Phenomena in the Taxonomy ____102 vi 6.3. Dimensions of Phenomena ___________________________________111 6.3.2. Interrelations between dimensions________________________________