[itvt] Radio: The Weather Channel’s Tom Pratt Discusses its ITV Offerings

In this recorded episode of [itvt]’s talk radio show, “The TV of Tomorrow Show with Tracy Swedlow,” Tom Pratt, VP of programming and product development at The Weather Channel, discusses the channel’s interactive TV offerings and strategy. Topics covered include why The Weather Channel views implementing interactive TV as a high priority; the channel’s commitment to ETV/EBIF and OCAP/tru2way; its applications on DISH Network and DirecTV; the infrastructure that enables those apps; and more.

To listen to the show, click here.

 

 

Show Transcripts

[itvt] is now offering transcripts of our radio shows. If you would like to order a transcript of this show or of one of our previous shows (listed below), please email your request to: transcripts@itvt.com. Price: $55.00 each.

 

Archived Broadcasts

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CableLabs Trumpets tru2way and ETV Presence at Cable Show

US cable-industry research, development and standards organization,
CableLabs, recently issued a press release trumpeting the “broad
exposure” enjoyed by tru2way- and ETV/EBIF-based interactive TV
applications at this year’s NCTA Cable Show. Among the Cable Show
tru2way and ETV demos highlighted by CableLabs in the release:

• Softel-USA demo’d its multiplatform, multi-middleware MediaSphere
  TX carousel playing out both tru2way and ETV applications;
  showcased application testing via its MediaSphere Desktop and its full
  headend-in-a-box; and demo’d its MediaSphere Manager configuration
  and management tool which it says drives the same API found in the
  SDK that’s available to all users.

• Strategy & Technology and its US partner, UniSoft, demo’d its
  TSBroadcaster 2.0 for tru2way creating and broadcasting multi-service
  transport streams containing a number of tru2way and ETV
  applications. The companies’ ETV demo’s included ad-insertion and
  splicing, validation of ETV and tru2way applications, tru2way
  benchmark testing using Sofia’s Benchmark System, and the generation
  of authenticated tru2way applications using UniSoft’s tru2way Security
  File Generator.

  
  

• Zodiac Interactive demo’d its tru2way-based Zidget framework,
  which uses the company’s plug-in architecture to support such
  applications as local search, weather, traffic, sports scores and local
  news without interrupting the TV viewing experience.

• BIAP demo’d market-ready EBIF applications, including its Yellow
  Pages on TV, eBay on TV and PiTV apps, running on the company’s
  EBIF User Agent platform.

• Cisco showcased a number of tru2way applications in its booth,
  including Time Warner Cable’s digital navigator program guide,
  Comcast’s new iGuide, and Navic Networks’ enhanced programming
  and advertising.

• CNN demo’d an Ensequence-developed program and sports-news
  guide.

• Comcast demo’d its Chill Games service, which is being developed
  by Oberon Media and which offers casual games.

• Comcast Media Center showcased its new, national platform for
  deploying and managing ETV and tru2way applications (see article in
  this issue).

• Cox Communications demo’d a new user interface that has been
  developed for it by NDS (see article in this issue).

• Ensequence demo’d tru2way and EBIF applications that it has
  developed for WWE and Ford.

• Harmonic demo’d tru2way-integrated, video-rich navigation
  technologies for on-demand and user-generated content.

  
  

• HSN showcased its work with Tandberg and Ensequence on
  developing EBIF/tru2way versions of its seminal tcommerce
  application, “Shop by Remote” (currently available in around 15
  million homes).

• ActiveVideo Networks (formerly ICTV) demo’d ETV applications
  that drew on Web media to offer such services as social networking and
  personalized mosaics (see article in this issue).

• itaas showcased tru2way and EBIF applications that it has adapted for
  deployment on both Scientific-Atlanta (Cisco) and Motorola set-top
  boxes, including TAG Networks games-on-demand, Cisco Web Video
  on TV, and Integra5 caller-ID. It also demo’d its MPTV Gateway
  enabling portability of content from TV to mobile and broadband.

• Motorola demo’d the media mobility capabilities of its tru2way
  platform, including such features as whole-home DVR, caller-ID,
  external hard drive support, and a Time Warner music- and
  photo-sharing application. It also demo’d Comcast’s next-generation
  guide and a PC-based tru2way application development environment.

• Navic Networks demo’d tru2way applications for advanced
  advertising, audience measurement and interactive customer care, as
  well as the new ETV/EBIF-compatibility of its HyperCast Network
  (see article in this issue).

• Oberon Media demo’d a games service that features branded titles
  licensed from Hasbro, Atari, WPT Enterprises and the Learning
  Company, and that integrates the company’s JIVE community platform
  (enables the creation, integration and management of multiplayer,
  cross-platform games, and generates audience-measurement analytics).

• QVC demo’d a new tcommerce application called the QVC Buy
  Button.

• TVWorks demo’d various applications for advanced advertising,
  personal media and communications, navigation, customer care and
  more.

• The Weather Channel demo’d an application that offers information
  on local weather and airport conditions and that is being developed by
  Vidiom Systems.

(Note: for an in-depth review of tru2way and OCAP at the NCTA
Cable Show, see [itvt] Issue 7.81.)