ActiveVideo Networks to Unveil Combined ETV-ActiveVideo

ActiveVideo Networks to Unveil Combined ETV-ActiveVideo

Solutions to Extend Enhanced TV

NEW ORLEANS, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- ActiveVideo Networks(TM), which is creating a new viewing environment that infuses TV with Web content and interactivity, announced today the development of ETV applications that help cable to realize its full interactive potential by leveraging the respective strengths of the ActiveVideo(R) Distribution Network and the industry's ETV platform.

The combined solution brings together the local execution of ETV applications and the power of server-side processing to enable operators to provide unparalleled interactive and personalized video-rich applications to any digital set-top box. The solution will be introduced at the tru2Way Developer Conference May 17-18 and demonstrated at the ActiveVideo Networks booth (No. 415) at The Cable Show May 18-20. Both events will be at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

At The Cable Show, ActiveVideo Networks will be showing how ETV and ActiveVideo can be used to enable viewers to:

   -- Seamlessly move between linear programs and an expansive interactive      environment that simultaneously can include Web and linear video,      advertising showcases, polling and other features;   -- Trigger entry from a linear advertisement -- for a film, for      example -- to a multi-faceted "advertainment" showcase of related video      features and advertisements that increase engagement and allow      merchandise and ticket purchases;   -- Maintain viewership of linear programming and advertisements even      while engaging in interactive content; and   -- Pause VOD programming, enter a related interactive feature or      advertisement, and return to the original program without missing a      second of the action.    

The new ActiveVideo ETV client uses the standard User Agent to trigger and execute viewer experiences. The ActiveVideo client is implemented as a standard EBIF (Enhanced Binary Interchange Format) application with no ActiveVideo-specific integration work or code necessary in the set-top box.

"The investment that cable system operators have made in ETV underscores their commitment to providing high quality interactive programming that will keep consumers at their televisions," said Jeff Miller, president and CEO of ActiveVideo Networks. "The combination of ActiveVideo and ETV applications significantly strengthens cable's value proposition by creating an environment that can deliver high-value targeted, interactive advertising and rich video programming to any digital set-top box."

"The Internet has led consumers to expect virtually unlimited availability of the latest video programming," said Ed Forman, executive vice president and chief strategy officer of ICTV. "The promise of ETV is twofold: It provides cable operators not only with a platform for standalone applications, but also with a springboard to a more expansive strategy that includes sophisticated, video-rich applications and advertising that encourages viewers to become engaged with products, all delivered to any ETV-capable set-top box, which is the vast majority of boxes used by consumers."

ActiveVideo allows television viewing to be shaped by a wide range of entities, including traditional and Web-based programmers, local cable affiliates, consumer electronics companies, advertisers, social networks and even the audience itself. ActiveVideo immerses consumers in an engaging experience that combines Web video, Web 2.0 functionality and traditional television -- including today's widescreen, 16:9, Dolby-surround HD home entertainment environment.

With ActiveVideo, viewers can navigate a completely interactive environment of both linear and broadband programming including rich interfaces and graphics optimized for TV and remote control navigation; social networking; personal media; niche content; and targeted, actionable advertising. ActiveVideo programmers include a wide variety of leading brands, including Fox, CNN, HSN, TAG Networks, Reuters, AccuWeather and others.

About ActiveVideo Networks

ActiveVideo Networks(TM), formerly ICTV(R), provides programming and technology that infuse television with Web content and interactivity. Based on standard Web authoring and delivery technologies, the company's ActiveVideo(R) Distribution Network simply and inexpensively enables expanded programming, navigation and advertising possibilities, allowing viewers to define and share TV experiences. ActiveVideo combines Web-based media and targeted, clickable advertisements with the high-quality video, immediate responsiveness and remote control navigation of television for uniform interactivity across all digital set-tops and Web-connected televisions. ActiveVideo Networks is based in the heart of Silicon Valley, with offices in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Beijing and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit http://www.avnetworks.com/.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: ActiveVideo Networks

CONTACT: Paul Schneider for ActiveVideo Networks, +1-215-702-9784,
mobile, +1-215-817-4384, pspr@att.net

Web site: http://www.avnetworks.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment