One thing disappointing to date has been the amount of true internet and TV interaction. Sure, we have things like the Sony Connect, SlingBox and Media Center which offer various ways to import and view the signal and there are PVRs which allow us to timeshift the programming. However to date, the creativity in actually bridging mouseclicks and programming has been at best underwhelming and worst clumsy and unreliable. Hold the remotes, because at least somebody out there is feeling this emptiness too.

Already thinking here comes another Google ad idea? Think again. Oddly, the company responsible isn’t exactly well known for its innovative prowess: Microsoft.

Now, Microsoft is hoping to expand on the concept with a new technology that allows viewers to click on cars, clothing or other products that appear in online movies or TV shows. For example, viewers of “Sex and the City” could click on Carrie Bradshaw’s designer shoes or Kamali sweaters as she walks down a New York street and immediately be transported to advertisements for those products.

One thing I like about the concept of these video hyperlink ads — and I’m making an assumption here because I haven’t actually seen any of them (meaning I could turn around and say they totally suck in the future) — is that they seem to be passive to the users. Meaning if viewers don’t want to see where to buy the car or clothes or shoes displayed on screen, we don’t have to click on them. Hopefully they aren’t popping up or flashing when we fast forward through them.

Now as long as we’re not going to see annoying arrows and hover over text getting in the way of the experience, this seems like a really appealing way to advertise and be advertised to while watching TV.

My problem at the moment with this is here we are with another wait and see, pun not intended, technology from Microsoft. Apparently this is part of adCenter which I’ve just begun to get involve with myself so I can’t really say where specifically these video hyperlink ads will be available. It seems this will be just another part of the adCenter deployment chain (?) which finally has started opening up to more folks in the US.

Also, they obviously rely on people watching videos through their computer which means people with plain old TVs — of which currently greatly outnumber PCs being used for watching TV (somebody please correct me if this is wrong) — won’t be able to partake in this experience without some other type of interface. Could this be where a cable box or satellite receiver adds this type functionality?

Oooo, that brings on many possibilities, doesn’t it?

Microsoft’s presspass explains who is behind adCenter adLab:

The adLab will be headed jointly by Ying Li, Ph.D., of Microsoft adCenter in Redmond and Jian Wang, Ph.D., of Microsoft Research Asia in Beijing, and will consist of a team of dedicated scientists with specializations in the areas of data mining, information retrieval, statistical analysis, artificial intelligence, auction theory, visual computing and digital media. Together, this group of internationally renowned researchers has published more than 80 articles on a range of topics including information retrieval, data mining, visual computing and smart devices.

This is an impressive set of skills, but when, when, when will this become commonplace in our living rooms? The billion dollar question, as impatient and petulant as ever. This video hyperlink technology was demoed at Microsoft’s adCenter Demo Fest. The ‘coming soon’ story from Microsoft might be continuting, but this chapter could have some serious potential. What do you think?

In more ways than one, stay tuned.

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