Zodiac, ActiveVideo Integrate tru2way Technology

Zodiac Interactive and ActiveVideo Networks announced Monday a partnership that will accelerate the ability of cable operators deploying tru2way technology to bring Web-infused television experiences to their subscribers.

The companies also plan to work together to develop other applications for the Zodiac ActiveVideo client that will facilitate interoperability and transparency across all TV services such as linear, VoD, EBIF, advanced advertising, etc.

The tru2way brand represents the consumer-facing television technology platform from CableLabs. It's the new name for OpenCable and for OCAP (OpenCable Applications Platform), the cable industry's common software solution for two-way retail digital TV devices.

Under terms of the agreement, Zodiac’s PowerUp framework software for tru2way and PowerTV will include an ActiveVideo client. PowerUp is a common platform of open APIs and libraries that allow for a range of applications to be developed and work together across multiple tru2way components, including authoring tools, stacks/middleware, set-tops, etc.

“Zodiac’s PowerUp framework reflects their outstanding commitment to tru2way technology and is the ‘glue’ that will help the industry bind tru2way components and applications together,” said ActiveVideo president and CEO Jeff Miller. “We believe that Zodiac’s incorporation of an ActiveVideo client in its PowerUp framework will help to speed the deployment of interactive television services that will increase subscriber loyalty and generate new revenues for operators and programmers.”

The ActiveVideo client enables viewer navigation of onscreen MPEG content via remote-control keyclicks; each keyclick is sent upstream to server-based processors that modify the stream in real time.

The combined ActiveVideo/Zodiac solution lets operators more rapidly deploy tru2way applications and advanced TV and advertising to their subscribers, the companies said in a press statement.

The PowerUp framework gives operators access to plug-and-play interactive television services, such as advanced guides, EBIF applications and TV widgets, including local restaurant searching, click-to-call, games, photo-sharing, weather, traffic, sports scores, local news, and more. The integration of the ActiveVideo client extends tru2way with tools and infrastructure that use Web technologies to expedite the development and deployment of applications with rich, Web-connected personalized content, including search and recommendation.

The PowerUp framework combined with ActiveVideo gives operators the ability to deploy rich-media applications, including advertising microsites, customizable navigational mosaics and Web-like search functionality.

“ActiveVideo has been a leader in bringing the Web media experiences that consumers are seeking to the television screen where they enjoy them the most,” said Alexander Libkind, Zodiac’s COO. “Now, with the ActiveVideo client as part of our PowerUp framework, ActiveVideo’s Web environment can extend the capabilities of tru2way to allow cable system operators, traditional programmers and web media content providers to more easily include the powerful ActiveVideo Web development environment and personalized, interactive Web services within their tru2way PowerUp deployments.”

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