Ping Pong TV

A new game show following the popular Atari Pong format takes interactive and public access television to a new level.

It is said that first form of interactive television was from the invention of the remote control. Over 50 years ago, the wire-bound and wireless television remote controls were designed to use ultrasound and other electromagnetic technology to adjust the volume and change channels on a television monitor. Robert Adler, inventor of the wireless ultrasonic TV remote, that reigned for 25 years (1960-1985). Today, infrared technology is utilized for modern TV controllers and is still seen as one way to interact with TV. Video on-demand (view movies and other TV programming from home), television commerce also known as “T-commerce (e.g. Home Shopping Network’s Shop By Remote service), interactive TV game shows that rely on network devices (e.g. PDAs and cell phones) for game play, and the rise of digital video recorders (DVR) have diversified the definition of interactive television.

Ping Pong TV is a new television program that provides viewers the opportunity to participate in redefining interactive TV. This TV show uses the popular Atari arcade/video game Pong as the framework for each 30-minute episode that airs on local public access television stations. The show utilizes the familiarity of ping pong to motivate viewers to investigate new uses of a well-known game interface. Viewers are invited to play with the show’s interface that creates stereograms, optical illusions created formed from two-dimensional imagery. Viewers can also watch the stereoscopic images produced by other players who record their game play and upload them to a companion website for use in future Ping Pong TV episodes.