In Microsoft's booth at the NAB show in Las Vegas this week, interactive design agency, Schematic, has been demo'ing a prototype interactive TV application for Microsoft's Windows Media Center platform for its forthcoming Windows Vista operating system. The company claims that the demo, which features content from the Showtime series, "Weeds," is the first showcase of a third-party service for the next-generation Media Center. Schematic says that it worked with Showtime and Microsoft to "develop Showtime's vision for the ITV prototype," and that it then designed the app's user interface. Among other things, the app allows users to view cast interviews and episode guides, and to access Media Center's DVR feature, without affecting the HD playback of the show they are already watching. Schematic, which claims to have designed and deployed more projects for the current Windows XP Media Center Edition platform than any other developer, says it took advantage of the Windows Media Center Presentation Layer with Media Center Markup Language and Microsoft .NET Framework to create dynamic animations, transitions and graphics overlaying the video in the app. "Working with Microsoft on the Windows Media Center platform for Windows Vista reinforces our leadership position in developing new applications that enhance the television viewing experience," Rob Hayes, Showtime's SVP of new media, said in a prepared statement. "The prototype developed by Schematic is in fact a working version of how we hope to present our content to viewers in the not-so distant future."
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