The large group of non-computer literate users who will want to surf the Internet via Interactive TV (ITV) shall need user-friendly tools. An interface adapted to meet the needs of ordinary people is on the way.

"ITV brings about a completely new situation for the consumer market," says Peter Nilsson, Managing Director of the Fabricon company. "In the future ITV will be a dominant factor, much more than home PCs, in respect of entertainment, E-trade and banking. The success of the Internet as a channel for the ITV medium depends on how well the communication between people and technology works."

"The usual remote control is not good enough for surfing the Internet via ITV. Hence a new user-adapted interface must be devised for communicating with the set-top box or a digital TV."

Navigation around the Internet via ITV is very different from surfing with a computer. Sejin of Korea has developed a simple system whereby "service providers" can design their own interfaces for users. Set Top Box manufacturers and "service providers" are said to be able to use Sejin products as a platform in order to create optimal communication between people and equipment, based on a choice of currently available technology and hardware.

"We are striving to develop interfaces that reflect the needs of the average user and not to let the technology control the communication between person and equipment. The success of ITV is highly dependent on the way these interfaces are perceived by users," explains Peter Nilsson.

Fabricon represents Sejin, one of the world's largest manufacturers of wire-less keyboards. The company started early to develop interfaces along the lines of future communication. Via a specific IR protocol for wire-less communication with the Set Top Box or TV, and a wide range of keyboards and various pointing devices, Sejin is profiling itself in the field of user-friendly interfaces.

Captions:
1. Surfing on the Internet using a wire-less keyboard will become as natural as using the remote control, forecasts the Fabricon company.
2. According to a recent survey by Sifo, a Swedish market research company, playing games and music are the favourite Swedish occupations on the Internet. The importance of wire-less keyboards for communication with interactive TV is expected to increase.

For more information, please contact:
Peter Nilsson, Managing Director
Fabricon AB
Västra Kyrkogatan 9
SE-262 32 Ängelholm, Sweden
Tel: +46 (0)431-835 90
Fax: +46 (0)431-836 90
E-mail: peter.fabricon@fabricon.se