iTV Company Key Projects
Streaming Platform – www.streamingplatform.com
Streaming Platform is a sophisticated website designed to provide online digital media services through a web-interface.
Streaming Platform will provide a customer with the ability to;
- Convert live or pre-recorded media files into a multitude of formats in real-time
- Distribute media files via a URL interface to any broadband connected end-point
- Store and search media
- Accelerate and enhance the distribution of high quality media over existing (and emerging) networks
- Track and govern distribution rights for media
- Implement digital rights on media
- Sign-up and manage an account online
- Automate the media management processes with an XML formatted file
- Interact with the external internet programs such as the Media Guide Networks channel platform and advertising sales systems
Media Guide Networks www.mediaguidenetworks.com www.mediaguidenetworks.net
Media Guide Networks (MGN) is a sophisticated internet application framework designed for end-to-end management of interactive TV over broadband networks.
The Company foresees the future of broadcast networks and TV connected devices providing an interactive end-user experience. This experience will be powered by hardware that supports media storage, broadcast reception and broadband delivered content. Such devices will provide interactive menu systems within each channel, supporting an unlimited number of potential content asserts for use by consumers on a participation and broadcast basis. The MGN platform is designed to supply the features and benefits required to make this happen.
In existing digital broadcast networks, end-user devices have an interactive guide which helps a user change from one channel to another: This is called an Electronic Program Guide or EPG. Through the introduction of interactive channelling each channel will require an additional interactive menu system. This will enable users to navigate and interact with the library of content each channel provider will provide on an advertising-sponsored basis over the broadband network, sometimes interacting with the broadcast.
Through investigations earlier in the year, the name of this type of interface was suggested to be a “media guide” in Europe, the leader of technology development in this area. The Company purchased the domain, Media Guide Networks, to brand a service whereby a delivery system for media guides and related media assets, would be sold and marketed to international vendors and media companies.
The technology development project will incorporate a range of globally ratified existing standards such as TV-Anytime (Content Referencing), Globally Executable Multimedia Home Platform (GEM-MHP) (interactive content), DVB-SI / DVB-IPTV (possible signalling and content delivery specifications), VC-1 and H.264 or Mpeg 4 / AVC (media formats), XML (mark-up language), and a range of other associated standards.
There are a number of levels throughout the fulfilment process (from production to end-user) that this project (and The Company) will need to take into account.
- 1. Media format
Existing interactive TV, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD platforms provide a consistent approach to interactive television design, application and software development. The MGN network will continue to develop upon the existing foundations archived by these formats and hopes to provide an automated encoding procedure from Blu-Ray or HD-DVD to MGN / SP enabled systems.
- 2. Interactivity between disk or broadcast and broadband delivered video
Existing digital broadcasting standards support data insertion into broadcast feeds. This function can be used to send links that signal consumer devices to get broadband data, from broadcast driven events.
- 3. Channel Management
The channel management platform is the perceived brains of the operation, providing producers the systems and tools necessary to publish and meter channel content usage. The channel system also enables distributors to manage usage, distribution territories, advertising information, design differentiation and interactivity with the end-user devices.
- 4. End-User Devices
The software platform is designed for implementation on Hybrid Personal Digital Recording Devices. These devices have started to emerge in the market. In the near-term, interfaces for existing devices and gaming consoles (ie: media centre + Xbox 360) can be produced cheaply and easily, and are likely to accelerate adoption and growth of Set-Top Usage MGN usage.
Existing High Definition DVD players (both HD-DVD and BluRay) incorporate network content access. These interfaces will be used as a sales interface that the business will seek to capitalise on. Disk driven usage offers the business a low-tech way for a user to interact with broadband delivered media. For disk providers, it is possible to provide new business models to disk distribution by providing updated and expanded media for HD-DVD / Blu-Ray content titles; potentially also securing premium content on the disks, by providing the usage rules over broadband.
The method and system for this integration, is believed to be innovative, unique, and therefore protectable, via IP laws and processes.
In summary, MGN is designed to be a standards package for providing interactive TV content to customers. The platform provides interactive media to a range of devices and interfaces including mobile phones, interactive digital radio devices and web-browsers. MGN is an integrated platform solution designed to deliver an interactive content solution to channel operators.
