OpenTV Launches Beta Tester Program for its New SDK

Interactive TV and advanced advertising technology provider, OpenTV, on Wednesday announced the launch of a beta tester program for its new software development kit (SDK), the OpenTV SDK Development Suite C2.2. According to the company, the program will provide developers with early access to the new SDK starting this month, and enable them to create interactive TV apps "using all the latest functionality of an OpenTV-enabled set-top box." The new SDK will then be released to the public at no cost next March, the company says. "This launch is an important milestone for OpenTV as we seek to provide the highest quality products for our customers and expand our partnerships with the developer community," Tracy Geist, OpenTV's SVP of business development, said in a prepared statement. "It's also an opportunity for developers to get involved and propose enhancements to the product. By leveraging their expertise and incorporating their feedback, we seek to facilitate and improve the creation and delivery of compelling next-generation applications for operators and viewers worldwide."

OpenTV bills the new SDK as a fully integrated development suite that allows developers to write, compile, build, test and debug--all in real time--interactive TV applications using the latest release of the company's Core2 middleware. The company says that it features its Integrated Development Environment (IDE), Virtual Set-Top Box (VSTB), SDK Application Programming Interface (API) and SDK Tools to generate and optimize interactive applications. Developers interested in participating in the new beta tester program can sign up through OpenTV's new Community Portal (community.opentv.com; also accessible through the company's Web site under "Support" and "Developer Tools").