About The Z Space

This is the space between you and the TV. We are calling it the “Z” space. It is the depth of user engagement between a user and their big screen display.

Inspiration for this name came from, among a few other factors, a May 22, 2009 post by ReadWriteWeb. In “Minority Report Interfaces: Coming to a Screen Near You“, a presentation by Dale Herigstad, Chief Creative Officer of Schematic, is reviewed. Herigstad talks of his work with Director Steven Spielberg on the film Minority Report which covers his vision of how interfaces with screens could work in the future. In the review, the author lists some topics of what was interesting in the presentation. The one that caught my eye was…

     > Utilize z-space – dive in, pull back out. Flash is being used a lot now on set-top boxes.

The rather indirect reference got me thinking about what can now be done in the space between the user and the TV. More specifically, I thought about the wide array of remotes, devices and interfaces that are being introduced to users and app developers in this space to control content on the TV. Perhaps we are, finally, opening up new experiences

As TV platforms launch, via set top boxes and native TV displays, the Z space will evolve. Usability of TV content will increase from simple up/down control of channels & volume to browsing internet video, initiating video chat, playing games, manipulating objects in a 3D space and more.

As the Z space grows, so will we. Follow @thezspace for blog post updates and other news!