German mobile interactive TV specialist, conVISUAL, says that it has partnered with Qualcomm to demo live, broadcast-synchronized interactive TV on the MediaFLO platform. According to the companies, their proof-of-concept demo showcased live SMS events sent to mobile viewers via MediaFLO IP datacasting, that were tightly integrated with the storylines of a number of well-known TV shows. Using a split screen on their mobiles, viewers could watch TV while participating with the shows and with other viewers via SMS, the companies say. conVISUAL's servers processed the SMS traffic in real time and displayed such information as poll results and chat sessions on the viewers' mobiles, using MediaFLO IP datacasting and an integrated player. "The convergence of mobile TV and user interactivity is a major leap forward for the mobile media industry--one that will redefine how mobile TV is consumed by providing an enhanced and more personalized television viewing experience," John Elliott, senior director of product management for Qualcomm MediaFLO Technologies, said in a prepared statement. "By combining conVISUAL's expertise in the interactive television field with the inherent advantages of the open MediaFLO broadcast platform, we can offer an array of interactive features to the growing MediaFLO community. We believe this marks an exciting new development that will provide new opportunities for both broadcasters and mobile operators to create highly attractive, revenue-generating mobile TV services." Added conVISUAL co-founder and CTO, Joao Gonzaga: "The technology does not require users to switch menus or even leave the mobile TV screen on their phone to access the interactive options. This translates to users enjoying more mobile TV, and actively participating in the content, without any interruption in programming."
Originally Published: October 12, 2007 in [itvt] Issue 7.39 Part 3A
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