With the development of science and technology, life should be more and more convenient, but for some elderly people, watching TV has become more and more difficult - there are many startup steps, the remote control buttons are messy, the interface design is difficult to identify, and if you want to watch a TV channel, you can't find it.
(Data map)
Why is it so difficult for old people to watch TV, and why are their simple needs ignored? Zhu Guang, a deputy to the Municipal People's Congress, believes that in the era of intelligence, we should not only focus on "intelligence" in the competition of upgrading and iteration, but also consider the "bottom-up" needs of the elderly to watch TV. It is suggested to add an "aging package" in digital TV to bridge this digital gap.
A few days ago, this proposal received the latest reply from the undertaking department, and the relevant enterprises responded that they would launch special aging services such as the "one button direct access" function of remote control for the elderly. Will these measures help the elderly achieve "freedom to watch TV"?
Complicated operation makes the elderly difficult
Many people's televisions are getting bigger and bigger, but the operation is becoming more cumbersome, and many elderly people have no way to start.
"My parents want to watch the Spring Festival Gala and turn on the TV, but they can't even find a set of CCTV. Finally, I downloaded the App so that my parents can see the Spring Festival Gala through CCTV." Zhu Guang believes that his experience is not a case in point. Many people's televisions are getting bigger and bigger, but the operation is becoming more cumbersome, leaving many elderly people unable to start, and they need the help of their children.
At the beginning of this year, Grandma Zhang's daughter changed a high-definition smart TV for her family. Grandma Zhang could not cope with the complicated remote control buttons. Her daughter patiently demonstrated the operation steps several times, but Grandma Zhang could not remember. She took a pen and wrote down one by one, "There are two remote controls. First press this, then press that, and then press which one to press on the boot interface. All of them must be marked so that she can sit down and watch TV." Even so, if she cannot return to the home page by pressing the wrong key, Grandma Zhang still needs to call her daughter for help.
Xiao Yu also often helps her grandfather debug TV programs. She thought that switching the TV to the "elder version" would make the interface cleaner, but the interface after switching was just a bit larger
Sun, who works in a foreign company, said that his parents' desire is very simple, that is, they can watch the live broadcast. There are central stations and local stations. The picture is clear and stable, and the characters are large enough. The fewer things in the corners, the better. "But now to watch TV, you need to watch the power on advertisement first, and then select the live broadcast from the numerous options, and click in the advertisement again." Compared with other elderly people, her mother in her 70s is a digital expert, and the complicated keys of the set-top box can't defeat her. Once, the old man was eager to watch a new opera, but did not want to see too long an advertisement, so he paid the fee by using the QR code. Unexpectedly, this recharge automatically registered as a member, and the monthly regular deduction. Finally, with the help of her daughter, she quit the membership mode.
Ms. Zhang, the customer service of Shanghai Telecom, told the reporter that she would receive some questions and complaint calls about digital TV in her work, "The other party is basically elderly, either complaining about too many advertisements or asking how to use buttons when encountering difficulties."
The 2022 China Aging TV Research Report shows that nearly 50% of the elderly can't find the TV programs they want to watch. 1191 respondents aged 50 and above ranked the top three on the issue of "difficulties encountered in the process of using smart TV at ordinary times", "there is no direct access to the TV programs you want to watch after you turn on", "there are many devices (set-top boxes, TV sets) that do not know how to switch", "the operation is complex, and you do not know how to find the content you want to watch"; On the question of "how to solve problems when encountering difficulties", 40.3% of the respondents chose to "ask children", and as many as 27.2% of the respondents chose to "give up and stop looking".
The reporter found that some elderly people insisted on watching old TV because of the obstacles to smart TV. Grandpa Xu, 83, lives with his wife. He has an old TV set that has been used for seven years. It is installed with a cable TV set-top box and can only watch live channels. "The TV is not connected to the Internet, and the remote control buttons are relatively simple." But Grandpa Xu thinks there are still too many advertisements for turning on the TV.
Operators take into account the interests of sponsors
While providing rich content, cable TV should be equipped with simple entrances to provide basic viewing maintenance for central and local stations.
Why does the simple operation of changing channels with only a few buttons become more and more complicated? According to the reporter's survey, most family televisions have been upgraded to smart televisions. The factory settings of these televisions are generally bound with various applications. The applications bound by different brands are different, with different operations and steps. The layout settings often change. Young people still need to study, not to mention the elderly.
"If the elderly themselves are not very good at using smart phones, they will have no way to start smart TV," said Ms. Zhang. The smart TV platform is not a content oriented system UI, but a desktop UI that combines news, advertising, games and various short video push. Users' favorite content applications may be hidden in second or even third level pages, many of which cannot be customized on the desktop like the mobile phone drawer mode. For the elderly, this is a high threshold for use.
If the elderly want to watch CCTV and local TV from smart TV, the steps are many and complicated. Because the smart TV is separated from the set-top box, it leads to a TV with dual systems and dual remote controls. The elderly facing dual remote controls can rarely switch freely. The reporter taught Grandma Xu, 75, to use smart TV. The CCTV news channel she wanted to watch was "very hidden". When she picked up the remote control, she first showed the membership mode. Grandma Xu is not interested in paid programs. If she wants to watch CCTV programs, she needs to download the CCTV App. Downloading this operation is too difficult for her. Even if she downloads it well, she has to register an account. Each step is a breakthrough of "from 0 to 1" for Grandma Xu.
The reporter learned that at present, cable TV is also transforming, and is integrating innovation in the direction of "cable+5G", that is, exploring the technological upgrading path of random switching between large and small screens. In other words, cable TV has become the same as smart TV, which can form large and small screen "two legs" to walk, which means that the operation of set-top box remote control has become more complex.
The reporter actually found that watching cable TV requires two remote controls, one for power on and the other for options. The operation of set-top box equipment is not much easier than that of smart TV. After entering the network setting interface of the set-top box, the user should select a wired network or a wireless network. If it is a wired network, plug in the grid line; If it is a wireless network, you need to enter the correct wireless password. Many elderly people are helped by their children to set up password accounts, and the operation is also very troublesome after the password is set, because there are too many options, such as HD news channels, on-demand programs, back watching programs, TV shopping, etc. Almost every option page will jump out of the advertisement. If the elderly can't identify it and enter the pay on demand by mistake, it is easy to "be paid".
A telecom personage said frankly that operators took more account of the interests of advertising sponsors and did not set up the interface from the perspective of users, so there were advertisements when the TV was turned on, and there were advertisements when the set-top box was turned on. After turning on, they would automatically jump to the TV shopping channel to watch advertisements.
"Market enterprises are more profit oriented, which is also in line with the business logic of market competition, but the radio and television system integrating free channel resources should shoulder social responsibility and consider the supporting needs of the elderly to watch TV." Zhu Guang suggested that while cable television provides more rich content, it should set up a simple entrance to provide CCTV Local stations and other free channels and other basic viewing and maintenance services are in a striking position, allowing the elderly audience to "see" and "find" at a glance.
Push the remote control one button direct access function
In the process of digital transformation, whether cable TV can also cooperate with market enterprises to provide a simple entrance for smart TV.
In the information age, how to prevent the elderly from falling into the "digital divide" when watching TV? It is reported that the basic viewing and maintenance fee of cable digital TV for current resident users in Shanghai is charged per household, and the charging standard is 23 yuan per month for each household. Other business services are subject to market adjusted prices, such as personalized value-added services such as pay programs, on-demand programs and information services provided by cable digital television operators, as well as satellite television and network television services, etc., and the operators independently determine the charging standards.
"The TV screen is the main position for the Party and the state to publicize public opinion, and also an important channel to enrich the entertainment life of the people." The undertaking department, the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, said frankly that it should promote radio and television to improve the "aging" service level, and actively explore the combination of radio and television industry and the development of the aging cause. The bureau said that the next step would be to start the upgrading of cable TV services, which would focus on the improvement of "aging" functions and accessibility services.
The reporter learned that relevant operators have been building more simplified and convenient TV services. As a cable TV operator in Shanghai, Oriental Cable launched a cable TV service upgrade action in March this year, launching a series of upgrading measures such as aging friendly barrier free service, concise membership system, and product innovation. For example, in terms of "aging friendly" function upgrade, Oriental Cable launched the "one button direct channel" function of remote controller. After the cable TV HD set-top box user turns on the phone, just press the "Guide" or "TV" key to enter the last watched channel.
Orient Cable also launched a 7 × 24 key free manual service line for users over 65 years old. Just dial the official customer service hotline 96877 to directly connect with the manual customer service. The customer service staff can communicate with the elderly in Shanghai. Oriental Cable also said that it will launch voice remote control to the market this year to realize language interactive remote control and facilitate the operation of the elderly.
TV has a simple and operable entrance, and can also become an old service platform. During the interview, many citizens and representatives suggested that in addition to providing basic viewing maintenance services such as free channels, they also hoped to launch other business services that older audiences are interested in. It is reported that BSTV, a subsidiary of SMG, has deeply cooperated with the Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, the Municipal Health Commission, the Municipal Commission for the Aged and other departments to provide comprehensive services such as smart medical care and civil affairs for the elderly, relying on the IPTV screen to create home oriented medical services for the elderly. At present, the "Smart Life" section of IPTV Sunshine Leling Elderly Edition has opened the online referral function, and access to famous hospitals such as Huashan Hospital, the First People's Hospital and the Tenth People's Hospital. In response to the problem of "difficulty in taking a taxi" reported by the elderly, BesTV launched the country's first family large screen digital travel service product "TV Smart Travel", covering nearly 5 million users of Shanghai IPTV and Oriental Cable Digital TV, focusing on three travel services: taxi, bus and subway, and calling a taxi at any time through the remote control in the "watching TV" scene of the elderly.
"The applications of 'smart life' and 'TV smart travel' are very good, but the premise is that the elderly can watch and use TV freely and conveniently." Zhu Guang believes that simplified operation applications such as "one button direct access to channels" can effectively reduce the threshold for the elderly to use cable TV, but she also frankly said that in the huge TV operation market, The number of users covered by Oriental Cable is only a small part. In the process of digital transformation, whether cable TV can also cooperate with market enterprises to provide a simple entrance for smart TV, so that more enterprises can study user habits and countermeasures in the field of elderly segmentation.
Reporter's notes
Who will take care of the need for bottom support
Wang Haiyan
I don't know when TV has become a "gold sucking" TV. All enterprises want to get a piece of the cake from this entrance. Everyone is trying to extend video, games, social networking and other applications on the TV platform, with the intention of trying to extend its ecosystem to your guest room.
The living room is another Internet battlefield after PC Internet and mobile Internet. Because the large screen has brought a better user experience and the accompanying stronger demand for payment. When enterprises seize the "living room", they are planning for the layout of "home Internet". In the face of this trend, not only market enterprises are using their brains, but also radio and television enterprises are working hard.
Although the elderly are a loyal group in the "living room", they are obviously not the target users that the market wants to compete for because of their low willingness to pay and only want to watch free news channels. Enterprises naturally have little incentive to care about the needs of this group.
Compared with young and middle-aged people, the elderly are the most loyal supporters of television. This is a life entertainment scene that they have been familiar with since childhood. Their purpose of turning on TV is very simple. They do not have so many fancy hobbies. They do not chase dramas, do not want to go shopping on TV, or play computer games. Some old people will use paper and note down the order of each live channel, and some old people will patiently add a layer of handmade protective cover for the remote control. But they did not expect that the TV that they could easily control in the past has now become an electronic "monster" to control them.
At present, people are talking about the "digital divide", and the scene of watching TV is also a gap. Compared with the needs of seeing a doctor and taking a taxi, the demand of watching TV for the elderly is not so urgent, and we can't expect technology reduction to actively cater to the habit of watching TV for the elderly. However, the radio and television system integrating the resources of various news channels should take care of the basic needs of the elderly, and provide a simple entrance option for the elderly who have paid the basic viewing fees.
At the moment of digital transformation, the traditional radio and television and telecommunications services are entering the era of cross-border integration. Cable+5G brings many possibilities for the integration and innovation of radio and television, and cable television is opening up the technological transition of large and small screen switching. In this context, the need of the elderly to support the basic needs should be paid more attention, because if even cable television is ignored and marginalized, the digital divide will become larger and larger.
From another perspective, elderly users are not the "insulator" of the TV market. Everyone is talking about the "silver economy" and the "elderly industry". As a large number of elderly people, it is also a potential low profit market. If you really want to create a simple and easy-to-use TV application for them, even if you need to open members, it is estimated that the elderly are willing to pay for it. At present, some enterprises have begun to pay attention to the value of the elderly and study the TV remote control elderly model. However, if the central and local stations that the elderly want to see can also be included, it is not just the market enterprises themselves that can complete it. It needs cooperation and communication.
In the era of intelligence, only true humanization can be called intelligence. If we truly consider all kinds of consumers, including the elderly, and integrate them into product design, we can make digital life more popular and enable the elderly to enjoy the convenience of digital life.
key word:
[Editor in charge: h001]
