Technology pervades every aspect of our lives, and their influence is only growing. And this influence appears to be directly proportional to their ambition. This is perhaps why enterprises are working hard to discover new ways to reach consumers. The latest attempt along the same concerns Facebook. The company recently launched its Portal video device and it now appears that it is planning to expand its scope to television sets.
According to Cheddar, the social networking giant is working hard to come up with a TV camera that would let users deploy their Portal devices to access video chatting capabilities on their television. Reportedly, users will also be able to stream content from Facebook Watch on their television sets.
The device has been code-named Ripley, and if the reports are accurate this will put Facebook in direct contention with companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, and Roku, all of which have been attempting to capture the set-top box domain with their respective add-on devices like Fire TV stick, Chromecast etc.
While details are still scant, it seems that the device will let users convert their TVs into a what would effectively be a large Portal device. Of course, fear of cannibalizing the sales of its Portal devices would be what prevents from making Ripley public. If that reasoning is correct, it could be at least a few months before Facebook launches its TV add-on.
Of course, Facebook will have to ensure that a broader ecosystem is created around its Portal and Ripley devices, before it can hope for a broader adaption. At present, Facebook Watch that allows folks to access videos and Spotify and Pandora, that let people listen to music, are supported. And of course, video calling is always there. Apart from furthering support for apps, Facebook will also have to assuage privacy concerns before it can hope to convince people to turn their TVs into a gigantic eye.
