Interactive TV Headlines Round-Up (III): Intel, Amazon, Samsung, iPowow, Keshet, MakoTV, NBCUniversal, Lexus, Netflix, Qwilt, Mediacom, RealNetworks, Rentrak, Roku

Because the [itvt] editorial team has been busy working on TVOT NYC 2013 (December 11th in New York City--Early-Bird Pricing Ends Monday, September 30th!), we are covering stories in this issue in headlines/round-up format:

• Report: Intel "Looking for Help from Amazon or Samsung to Keep its [OnCue Virtual MSO Project] Alive"; Company "Has yet to Finalize a Deal with a Major TV Programmer"
• Participation-/Social-TV Company, iPowow, Receives $3 Million Follow-On Investment from Difference Capital Financial
• Israeli Formats Company, Keshet International, Launches Interactive TV Reality Format, "Rising Star"; Show Features Second-Screen App from MakoTV
• NBCUniversal Teams with Lexus to Produce Live, Real-Time Interactive Ad Campaign; Campaign Invites Viewers to Use Social Media to Contribute Ad Ideas to Teams of Improv Artists who Perform the Winning Suggestions during Commercial Break in "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"
• Netflix Rolls Out Super HD to All Subscribers
• Qwilt Tapped to Power OTT Video Delivery for US Cable Operator, Mediacom
• RealNetworks Launches RealPlayer Cloud Integrated Video Player and Cloud Service, Billed as "Allow[ing] People to Seamlessly Move, Watch, Save and Share their Videos across any Device"; Features SurePlay Technology which "Enables Seamless Auto-Formatting of Videos to Fit the Device Type, Size of Screen, Available Bandwidth and Storage Space Available on the Device"
• Audience-Measurement Company, Rentrak, Awarded US Patent for "Method that Removes Bias from 'Big Data' by Statistically Adjusting the Data from Set-Top Boxes and Other Types of Transactions-Based Data"; Technology "Eliminates the Use of Age/Sex Demographics in the Creation of Projection Weights by Substituting the Actual Behavioral Characteristics of the Observed Data"
• Roku Launches New Line-Up of Streaming Players
• Roku Partners with Transactional Broadband VOD Service, M-GO; Partnership Includes Roku Homescreen Integration, Integrated Billing