flash

Due to the volume of news generated by last week's Consumer Electronics Show, and because the [itvt] editorial team is busy working on The TV of Tomorrow Show (March 3rd-4th in San Francisco), we are covering a number of stories in this issue in summary form:

In a posting on the BBC Internet Blog earlier this week, Rahul Chakkara, controller of TV platforms for the corporation's Future Media & Technology arm, provided an overview of the work the BBC is doing to develop standard versions of its BBC iPlayer broadband VOD service for TV platforms (note: according to the corporation, since the iPlayer launched on the Virgin Media cable platform in June, 2008, that platform has accounted for 200 million iPlayer programs viewed--i.e. over a quarter of all iPlayer viewing). Among other things, he revealed that a beta deployment of the iPlayer is scheduled to take place on the UK's free-to-air satellite TV service, Freesat, by the end of November.

[itvt] has just published interviews with senior executives from 1) BlackArrow, an advanced advertising specialist which announced earlier this week that its VOD ad-insertion platform--which enables ads to be inserted into VOD content on-the-fly--has gone live with Comcast in Jacksonville, Florida; and 2) Hoodlum, an alternate reality gaming (ARG) specialist which recently won a primetime Emmy for "The Dharma Initiative: Dharma Wants You," an ARG it created for the ABC

Michael Collette, once a high-profile figure in the US interactive TV industry, has resurfaced as CEO of a start-up called FHTML, which has developed a programming language that is designed to enable expanded use of rich, interactive media on the Web. He will be tasked with leading the roll-out of the company's flagship product, FluidHtml, raising capital, building out its staff and ramping up its operations.

Broadband video publishing solutions provider, Brightcove, announced Monday that it has rolled out broad support for Adobe Flash Media Server 3.5 through content delivery services provided by Limelight Networks. It says that Media Server 3.5 support will enable it to provide its 700 or so customers in 28 countries with turn-key access to enhanced dynamic delivery capabilities for HD-quality broadband video. The company says it has also introduced on-demand access to advanced security options for video stream encryption and SWF verification. "Organizations of all kinds today are faced with increasingly complex requirements around quality and security for online video publishing and distribution," Brightcove CTO, Bob Mason, said in a prepared statement.

Because of the large volume of news generated by the ongoing IBC show in Amsterdam, and because the [itvt] editorial team is currently traveling in the UK, we are covering a number of this issue's news stories in round-up/summary form. We anticipate some additional interruption of our regular news publishing schedule in the coming days, so we apologize in advance for any inconvenience to our readers. Here is the round-up:

[itvt] has just published interviews with Richard Bullwinkle, chief evangelist for Rovi (formerly Macrovision); Anup Murarka, director of technology strategy and partner development for Flash at Adobe Systems; Maarten Lens-Fitzgerald, co-founder of SPRXmobile; and Lawrence Brickman, co-founder and managing partner of CloverLeaf Digital.

ExtendMedia announced Tuesday the general availability of version 3.5 of its flagship "multi-screen video monetization" platform, OpenCASE, which it says was purpose-built to meet the needs of content creators and distributors seeking to build, deploy and manage unified video services across TV's, PC's and mobile devices. According to the company, OpenCASE 3.5 is designed to be platform-neutral; features out-of-the-box integration with leading ad servers, CDN's, DRM providers and encoding platforms; supports both paid and ad-supported business models; and can deliver streamed or downloadable content to multiple devices. The company says that enhancements offered by the new platform include:

Music programmer, MTV, announced Wednesday that MTVMusic.com will be the "exclusive home" for the debut of an interactive music video for the song, "I've Seen Enough," from the indie-rock band, Cold War Kids. According to MTV, the video, which was directed by Sam Jones of production house, Tool of North America (note: Jones' other credits include a documentary on the band, Wilco, entitled "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart"), was specifically designed to be presented online in parallel parts, so that it can be remixed by viewers, even mid-play, and is being released solely for the Web.

A Dutch company called yellowBird has launched a system that brings to video the kind of 360-degree point-of-view-changing capability provided by Google Streetview. According to the company, the system uses a "Google Streetview-like" six-lens camera that creates an "all-encompassing...3D video" which can be played online on any computer equipped with Adobe Flash. The company says that its co-founder, Rafael Redczus, started working on the technology behind the new system almost a decade ago: "The viewer becomes the director, who can choose what he wants to see from his position," Redczus said in a prepared statement.

In what could be a major boost for the emerging over-the-top-TV space, Adobe Systems announced at the NAB show in Las Vegas, Monday, that it is launching an implementation of Adobe Flash that will enable rich interactive applications and high-definition broadband video on Internet-connected TV sets, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players and other connected digital home devices. The company has lined up a number of major system-on-chip vendors, OEM's, cable operators and content providers to announce support for the new TV-optimized Flash implementation, including Atlantic Records, Broadcom, Comcast, Disney Interactive Media Group, Intel, Netflix, STMicroelectronics, The New York Times Company, NXP Semiconductors, and Sigma Designs.

--Integrates Adobe's Flash Lite Software into its Middleware
--Teams with eventIS on End-to-End Cable VOD System
--Unveils "Next-Generation" Interface, OpenTV Core nX

Interactive TV middleware and advanced advertising technology provider, OpenTV, generated a fair amount of news at the IBC show in Amsterdam earlier this month:

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--Features Content from CBS, MTV, PBS, Scripps and Others

Earlier this month, Adobe Systems launched its long-awaited Adobe
Media Player 1.0 software (available for download at
http://www.adobe.com/go.mp). The company touts the new
cross-platform, customizable media player as providing new ways for
viewers to discover and interact with content, and as offering content
providers a range of revenue- and brand-building opportunities. A
number of high-profile broadcasters and other content providers are
providing content for the new player, including CBS, MTV Networks,
Universal Music Group, PBS, CondeNet and Scripps Networks; and