Because the [itvt] editorial team is busy working on The TV of Tomorrow Show (March 3rd-4th in San Francisco) and on our new EBIF Intensive event (March 5th in San Francisco), we will be covering most stories in summary/round-up form over the next few weeks. Here is a round-up of interactive TV technology/operator news for the past few days.

Augmented reality specialist, Total Immersion, recently contacted [itvt] to let us know about some of the interactive AR applications it has completed over the past few months. The apps are all triggered by holding up a movie or album's packaging in front of a Webcam, which allows a hidden visual code to launch the app:

Cross-platform creative company, 84ºWest, says that it has formed a strategic partnership with digital TV media planning and implementation company, Leap Media Group.

Broadband video advertising technology provider, YuMe (note: the company recently launched a new video ad format, dubbed "Triple Play," in which a pre-roll ad is enhanced with an interactive menu that provides additional options for viewers to engage with the advertised brand--see the article published on itvt.com, January 20th), announced Monday that it has appointed ad sales veteran, Scot McLernon, as chief revenue officer. The company says that the hire comes in the wake of its "growth and expanding footprint in the online video advertising space." In his new role, McLernon will lead YuMe's video ad sales team.

Because the [itvt] editorial team is busy working on The TV of Tomorrow Show (March 3rd-4th in San Francisco) and on our new EBIF Intensive event (March 5th in San Francisco), we are covering a number of stories in this issue in summary form:

[itvt] has just published the latest edition of Rick Howe's regular column, "The iTV Doctor Is In!" This week, the iTV Doctor is launching a new feature called "Looking for a Gig," in which he invites readers who are looking for a new job "whether full-time or part-time, permanent or temporary, salaried or contract," or who are just interested in seeing what's out there, to email him a brief description of their capabilities. He will then publish these in his column as he receives them.

Interactive broadband video advertising technology provider, Jivox, on Tuesday launched custom interactivity features in its platform, which it says turn online video ads into interactive applications that drive user engagement and direct response.

Broadband video advertising technology provider, YuMe, on Tuesday announced the launch of a new video ad format dubbed "Triple Play." According to the company, Triple Play is a pre-roll video ad that is enhanced with an interactive menu that provides additional options for viewers to engage with a brand. The company claims that the new offering is unique "in that it lets viewers decide how they want to interact and engage with the advertiser." The offering was launched in partnership with Horizon Interactive and the latter's client, Livescribe, on a video ad for Horizon's Pulse pen: the ad is embedded above.

Because the [itvt] editorial team is busy working on The TV of Tomorrow Show (March 3rd-4th in San Francisco) and on our new EBIF Intensive event (March 5th in San Francisco), we are covering a number of stories in this issue in summary form:

VOD and advanced advertising technology provider, SeaChange International, announced Tuesday that satellite TV provider, DISH Network, is upgrading its entire platform of SeaChange Spot advertising insertion systems to meet what it claims is a growing demand for HD ad placements across its North American footprint. SeaChange is DISH Network's exclusive ad insertion technology provider, having delivered ads for the satellite TV provider since it launched its DBS service back in 1996.

Bresnan Communications, the US's 13th-largest MSO (it has approximately 300,000 subscribers), announced last week that it has begun a trial of technologies that enable the dynamic insertion of advertising into VOD programming.

In a posting on its corporate blog, Wednesday, mobile advertising and analytics specialist, Medialets, announced that it has developed and launched an interactive video ad for "Contra," the latest album from the indie rock band, Vampire Weekend. The ad--which is designed both to raise awareness of the new album and to drive direct downloads from the iTunes Music Store--is currently running within the NPR News iPhone app.

New York-area MSO, Cablevision, is trumpeting the results of the first set of campaigns powered by its new proprietary (i.e. not EBIF-based) interactive TV advertising service, Optimum Select. The service presents viewers with a "select button overlay" which appears at the bottom of the TV screen during a commercial and which invites them to press the "SEL" button on the remote control for more information on an advertised product. Once the viewer presses "SEL," the current program is shifted to the top-right corner of the screen to allow continued viewing, and the viewer is then presented with several possible options, including receiving a free sample of, a coupon for, or additional information on the advertised product.

Online video advertising network operator, Tremor Media, on Wednesday announced a new series of broadband video advertising formats for its flagship Acudeo platform. "With our Acudeo technology tightly integrated within the player-environment across all of the sites in our in-stream network, Tremor Media is able to continually introduce new and innovative ad formats that can be reliably delivered at scale," Tremor Media CEO, Jason Glickman, said in a prepared statement. "These new formats benefit the entire video value chain--from advertisers to publishers to the end-consumer--by putting the viewer in control, enhancing engagement, and making video advertising more effective for brands."

According to Tremor Media, the new ad formats are:

A number of items of broadband video news came across [itvt]'s desk Tuesday. Here is a brief round-up: