itvt

Centrally located on the show floor in Booth 3459, [itvt]’s Interactive
TV Sandbox Pavilion will provide hands-on demonstrations of
interactive and broadband TV technologies, as well as a place for
National Show attendees who are passionate about interactive TV to
congregate, socialize and network. Below is a list of the companies that
will be demonstrating products and services in the Pavilion.

Bluestreak Network

Bluestreak Network will be demo’ing applications based on the TV and
mobile versions of its flagship product, MachBlue. Both versions of
MachBlue are based on an optimized implementation of Flash and
ActionScript, and are designed to support highly demanding interactive
applications, such as games, multimedia portals, and EPG’s. Bluestreak
claims that the entire platform operates in less than 1MB of memory,
and allows products and services authored in Flash to run on set-top
boxes and mobile phones with a consistent look-and-feel.

Among other things, the he company will be showing:
–Time Warner Cable’s new digital navigator. The MSO has licensed
MachBlue as the core component of the navigator, which will be
deployed in all its divisions across the US. The navigator will be
supported by Bluestreak’s MachBlue Studio authoring tools, which
allow the development of Flash-based applications on digital set-tops.
–Mobile operator Orange France’s new "Orange World TV" mobile
portal. The MachBlue for Mobile-powered portal allows viewers to
access 52 broadcast and mobile-exclusive channels through a mosaic
guide display and channel banner. The portal, which Orange France
launched last month, is designed to make it easy for end-users to switch
between channels and find shows by content-type.
–Orange’s League 1 soccer application. This app, which is also
powered by MachBlue for Mobile, allows end-users to follow all
matches in multiplex, and receive highlights, news, commentaries, and
text-video alerts, as well as video clips of all goals, penalties and other
critical events during soccer games. The app, which was launched by
Orange France in February, is the first in a series of services that the
wireless network operator plans to roll out on its advanced mobiles.

In addition, Bluestreak will demo MachBlue working in tandem with
OpenTV’s middleware. According to the company, OpenTV
application developers can use MachBlue to create a range of games,
services and other set-top apps. The demo will show MachBlue-based
EPG, VOD and PVR apps running on OpenTV middleware.

DRM Labs

DRM Labs, which specializes in developing direct response marketing
solutions for interactive TV, mobiles and the Internet, will be demo’ing
its flagship products, Voupon and CyberDrawer. [itvt] asked DRM
Labs founder, Jeff Mankoff, to describe the products: "Here is how
Voupon works for ITV," he explained in an email. "An ITV-supported
commercial offers a 10%-off Voupon for XYZ Retailer. If the customer
already has their credit card on file with the cable company, they press
select on their remote to accept the Voupon, which is virtually attached
to their credit card. When the customer is ready to redeem the XYZ
Retailer Voupon, they go to XYZ Retailer and shop the way they
normally shop, with their credit card. The Voupon is automatically
redeemed. What DRM Labs is doing is making TV truly interactive by
delivering coupons through a TV and redeeming them without paper at
the advertiser’s offline store. We can deliver Voupons to mobile phones
with this model as well. Delivering Voupons today requires no capital
costs for either the cable provider or retailer. No new cable box or
printer connecting to a cable box is needed. Retailers do not need new
point-of-sale machines. Existing infrastructure is used. Second, Voupon
is media-neutral. This means that a retailer, in addition to delivering its
Retailer Voupons via ITV, can also choose to deliver offers via text
message, email or banner ad, and utilize the same redemption process
for every one. Thus a Voupon advertising program is scalable and easy
to implement for the retailer." Mankoff explained that CyberDrawer
enhances commercials with a pop-up window that gives consumers the
opportunity to acquire additional information about the advertised
product: when the viewer clicks the select button on the remote, the
desired information is automatically stored and categorized in that
viewer’s own, personalized Web-based organizer, located at the cable
company’s Web site or at www.cyberdrawer.com. "CyberDrawer acts
as a connection between the TV and the Internet, similar to a bookmark
site," Mankoff wrote. "After watching TV, when he is ready, the
consumer can retrieve the saved ad, [and] for the advertiser,
CyberDrawer has just time-shifted and extended the life of this
commercial. In addition to organizing Voupons and product
information," he continued, "CyberDrawer can organize lifestyle
information such as recipes, receipts, instruction manuals, warranties,
bookmarks, search results and countless other categories, no matter
whether the digital lifestyle information is delivered via ITV, email,
banner ad or mobile phone."

Interactive Meet And Greet Entertainment (IMAGE)

Interactive Meet And Greet Entertainment (IMAGE) will be demo’ing a
service, based on patented technologies, which it describes as allowing
consumers "to meet and obtain autographs directly from celebrities,
from the comfort of their homes." In addition to autographs, the
company says, the service can be used to facilitate the sale of any type
of merchandise that needs to be sold "in an orderly manner."

[itvt] asked IMAGE’s founder, Gary Sohmers, how the company’s
service works (note: Sohmers is himself somewhat of a celebrity:
among other things, he is a regular guest on the popular PBS show,
"Antiques Roadshow," where he specializes in appraising toys,
memorabilia and pop-culture collectibles): "[Our] patented ‘Business
Operating System’ allows guests to enter a unique interactive
environment where they actually see, hear and participate in the illusion
of standing in line to meet a celebrity at a live event," he explained.
"While waiting in the ‘Virtual Queue’ [note: the latter is also patented]
for personal access to the celebrity, guests can pay for the autographs
and merchandise, interact with others in the queue, play games, watch
or download audio and video clips, or just observe and listen to the
celebrity answering other guests’ questions. The technology also allows
guests to view other programming, including targeted addressable
advertising, while maintaining their place in the ‘Virtual Queue.’ The
experience culminates as a personalized contact experience between the
guest and the celebrity. At that point, the sale is finalized and the
merchandise is personalized and prepared for delivery. The session can
be digitally recorded by the consumer on a DVR set-top box or
computer, or the guest can order a DVD copy as a merchandise order
that can function as their guarantee of authenticity."

Kontiki

Kontiki (a Verisign company), which provides managed, peer-to-peer
delivery technology for broadband IP video, will be demo’ing its
Kontiki Delivery Management System and various products and
services that are based on that platform, including BSkyB’s Sky by
Broadband service (a recently launched PC-based broadband VOD
offering), the BBC’s Integrated Media Player (the latter, which was the
subject of a recently concluded 5,000-participant trial, will enable a
broadband programming catch-up service that will offer TV and radio
programs for seven days after their initial linear broadcast), AOL’s
Hi-Q format (the latter, which is offered as an option on AOL’s new
broadband TV service, In2TV, is designed to enable DVD-quality
Internet video downloads), and the Open Media Network (a non-profit
broadband VOD service that features an array of programming from
US public broadcasters).

Kontiki’s technology is designed to speed up distribution of digital files
by allowing users to share unused bandwidth on their computers and
servers. It provides digital rights management and allows content
providers to specify how many times their content can be viewed and
whether it can be copied. Because, unlike most peer-to-peer
technologies, Kontiki’s allows content to be centrally managed, it is
possible to prevent the distribution of content over the system that
violates copyright. Last month, Kontiki announced that it had reached a
$62 million deal to be acquired by VeriSign, a provider of "intelligent
infrastructure services" for Internet and telecommunications networks.
(Note: for an in-depth overview of Kontiki and its technologies, see
[itvt]’s interviews with the company’s VP of business development,
Scott Sahadi, in Issues 6.34 and 6.50.)

NDS

NDS is a News Corp. subsidiary that offers conditional access technology,
and interactive TV middleware and applications. The company will be
demo’ing RapiVision, its graphical tool that is designed to allow
non-technical personnel to create and edit interactive applications.
According to the company, the tool–which works with an array of
middleware platforms, including MediaHighway, OCAP, OnRamp, PowerTV and
OpenTV– uses a template model that gives the application designer the
flexibility to change the look-and-feel of the application, while allowing
the system designer to lock down functionality that could affect the
application’s stability.

NDS will also be demo’ing a selection of its deployed interactive TV
applications, including a new game, entitled "Choppy," that is currently
available from Cablevision. The game features scrolling backgrounds and
smooth animation.

Strategy & Technology/UniSoft

UK-based Strategy & Technology (S&T) and its US partner, UniSoft,
will unveil and demo S&T’s new TSDeveloper product, which is based
on similar technology to that used in S&T’s TSBroadcaster and
TSPlayer products. Designed as an integrated solution for generation
and playout of interactive TV applications in authoring,
applications-development and test environments, TSDeveloper
provides, according to the companies, DSM-CC Object Carousel
creation and management, Transport Stream generation, and an RF
Modulator in a compact desktop unit. Video and audio streams can also
be multiplexed for playout from the same unit. The product is
configured via a browser-based interface: up to four services and two
AV streams can be developed in each unit.

OCAP/ETV and DVB-T versions of TSDeveloper are available, and
both are shipping now. The OCAP/ETV version includes a 64/256
QAM cable modulator, thus enabling OCAP-compliant cable receivers
to be directly connected. UniSoft’s OCAP SFG application signing tool
is available as an option. The DVB-T version includes a COFDM
modulator. DVB-S and DVB-C versions of the product will be
available in the third quarter.

SysMedia

SysMedia will be unveiling and demo’ing new IPTV capabilities of its
Plasma Gold interactive content management and production system.
(Note: Plasma Gold was launched at the IBC show last year as a
replacement for the company’s Plasma Magenta system. Whereas its
predecessor only supported interactive TV services, Plasma Gold also
supports Web and mobile services. Other improvements over the old
system include audio/video stream switching within interactive
applications; enhanced return path capability for viewer response to
quizzes; support for interactive advertising and transactional services;
and support for video content objects. SysMedia also offers a range of
reskinnable "Interactive Frameworks," which are designed for use with
Plasma Gold, and which are intended to speed deployment of
interactive TV services.) The demo–which will see Plasma Gold
working in tandem with a Complete Media Systems CMS500 IPTV
set-top box, running the ANT Fresco browser–will be designed to
showcase the system serving as an end-to-end solution for content
creation, management, editing, updating and publishing to IPTV
set-tops.

Zetools

Zetools specializes in software for creating interactive experiences on
cable and satellite platforms, IPTV, broadband, mobile, and more. The
company, which has won two interactive TV Emmys, has been a
long-time presence on the US ITV scene: among other things, it has
been a frequent participant in the American Film Institute Digital
Content Lab and in the latter’s predecessor, the American Film Institute
Enhanced TV Workshop. It will be demo’ing work it has done with
AOL, Microsoft, Scripps Networks, and Telemundo. (Note: for a
description of "Mystery Online Theater," the broadband VOD offering
that Zetools recently worked on in partnership with Telemundo, under
the auspices of the AFI Digital Content Lab, see [itvt] Issue 6.63.)