GTI selected interactive media as an area of focus because of its great promise for the future as more devices become internet enabled. For example, becoming increasingly popular is Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), which is the delivery of digital television services by broadband to registered subscribers in a closed network. It offers subscribers access to a range of video, voice and data services, including video-on-demand (VOD), Web browsing, advanced e-mail and messaging services, with a high degree of interactivity.

This interactive media effort adds an international element to the larger Georgia Tech-wide initiative called FutureMedia^SM. The FutureMedia^SM initiative brings together the expertise of over 19 separate research groups across Georgia Tech to help develop physical and virtual places where all are invited to experiment, discover, create, commercialise, scale, and shape the future of digital, social, mobile, and multi media. For more information about the FutureMedia^SM initiative, please visit www.futuremediaGA.com.

GTI researchers, led by Shane Owens and Jeff Smart, and in collaboration with academic institutions and industrial partners, are focusing on three areas of interactive media development:

• Interactive "3-screen" application development;
• Interactive mobile and television applications for assisted living and education;
• Interactive media test bed development.

A generous gift of $500,000 (€314,000) over five years from a Georgia Tech alumnus is supporting GTI's Interactive Media effort. In addition, a major U.S. company has donated software and hardware, including digital interactive set-top boxes, to establish an interactive television test bed at GTI. Through this donation and GTI's connection to the various test beds that reside in Georgia Tech, the GTI test bed provides partners an international interactive media integrated development environment for product research.

Below are a few examples of past and ongoing interactive media research at GTI:

• GTI is currently developing an augmented reality iPhone application that helps a person more easily navigate through Georgia Tech’s campus. This is part of a larger research effort focused on helping a person learn a new place. This project also includes a connection to virtual spaces to allow aa person to visit and learn about the place before ever being there physically.
• In the past, GTI has developed a number of interactive television applications to support the a major IPTV service provider in two areas: 1) the vetting of their interactive television application develop kit from a usability and set-top box performance standpoint, and 2) the development of a number of interactive television applications to support their sales force.
• GTI is involved in Direct to Discovery, which is a novel program that brings higher-education instruction to K-12 students via a sophisticated high-definition videoconferencing platform. Students learn from and interact in real-time with researchers working in labs on the Georgia Tech campus and in other locations around the world.