Umbrella Apps

Apps for the TV is fast becoming a hot topic. A recent survey by Appcelerator has found that more than 80 per cent of developers felt they would be making apps for televisions by 2015. The survey of more than 5000 developers shows that the number of apps for the TV will soon be equal to mobile and tablets.

Our own app, ANT Galio Move, has already received an excellent response from customers who recognise that tablet and smartphone applications can really enhance the viewing experience for viewers, whilst providing significant product differentiation and new revenue.

At IBC last month, we showcased a range of demos, to show how broadcast metadata can be used to provide integrated content from Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia and iTunes. Viewers can follow tweets about the programme they’re watching, watch a movie trailer on YouTube or buy the soundtrack on iTunes.

John Moulding has described this type of application as ‘the Umbrella app’. An app that takes the usual campaign screen functionality like channel change and recordings and adding social media content, which is usually thought of as ‘second screen’ experiences. This gives Pay TV platforms the opportunity to become the gateway on tablets and smartphones within which individual programme-related experiences are accessed.

We’ve seen with ANT Galio Move that this type of functionality can be just as compelling with a free-to-air platform when the application has direct access to the TV device and its accompanying metadata. Companion applications will continue to evolve but we’re starting to see how combining traditional TV functionality such as streaming, navigation and control with online content can really improve the overall TV experience.

Onwards and upwards for HbbTV – IBC 2011

Whilst delegates at IBC may be a little less certain than usual of the show’s core theme this year, one thing’s for sure – HbbTV is continuing to attract the attention of the industry as a means of open delivery of combine broadcast / broadband TV services

In addition to the debut of ANT Galio Move which we blogged about yesterday, we’ve also been showing Rovi’s TotalGide, running on the ANT Galio Platform for the first time. Rovi and ANT have joined forces to demonstrate how an HTML version of Rovi TotalGuide, a metadata- and multimedia-rich entertainment discovery solution, can be deployed on HbbTV-compatible CE devices via the ANT Galio platform. The ANT Galio Platform, in combination with Rovi TotalGuide, enables HbbTV users to view extended programming information on TV shows and movies, select channels to view and in future releases, will allow the user to schedule recordings directly to the TV device.

This year we’re also showing a TechnoTrend STB using the ANT Galio HbbTV Platform to deliver a range of German HbbTV services and portal applications.

As with previous years, HbbTV continues to be a popular topic on our stand. ANT is proud to be a founding member of the consortium which has strong support from across the delivery chain. Earlier this week the HbbTV consortium announced that it has now reached 50 members.

If you’re at the show and would like to see our HbbTV demos for yourself, please come and find us in hall 4 (stand 4.C98).

ANGA 2010

The ANGA Cable Show (www.angacable.com) began yesterday in Cologne, Germany and runs until 6th May. If you’re attending the show and would like to see the ANT Galio Platform for yourself it’s being demonstrated on the IRT Stand (Booth Number K19), here you can see demonstrations from Humax, Kaon, INTEK and VideoWeb who are all demonstrating HbbTV implementations based on our software.

If you’d like to book a meeting with a member of the ANT team please email: sales-europe@antplc.com

ANT Software at IBC 2007

ANT will be showcasing its next generation solution for the delivery of digital content, ANT Galio Client, at IBC 2007.

Operators are continuing to compete on the quality of their service and the user interface is at the heart of the viewers’ experience. The ability for operators to add new, exciting applications combined with the flexibility to personalise services can give a significant edge – providing it is done quickly and easily. No solution is more adaptable or better geared to the consumer than ANT Galio Client.

NEW DEMO: Scientific Atlanta demos ANT Galio on Cisco stand 1.471
At IBC 2007, Scientific Atlanta will be demonstrating ANT Galio and showcasing ANT’s industry grade suite of applications. ANT Galio offers unsurpassed delivery, control and presentation of digital media. Building on over fourteen years’ experience in the delivery of digital TV, ANT Galio provides operators with a solution that combines total flexibility with performance and robust control.

User Interfaces developed for ANT Galio achieve speeds comparable to the monolithic fixed applications found in many of today’s digital TV interfaces and are significantly faster than modified internet browsers.