--Sets Will Combine Freeview Reception with Broadband Video, Interactive TV Services
London, UK-based interactive TV company, Miniweb (note: last September, the company--which is best known for offering an interactive TV alternative to the red button on the Sky satellite-TV platform--announced that it had raised $32 million in venture funding--see [itvt] Issue 8.06 Part 1), and Bristol, UK-based TV manufacturer, Bristol Interactive Technology, announced Monday that Miniweb's software platform has been integrated into a new range of Bristol HD-ready digital television sets. According to the companies, the integration will enable the sets, which incorporate a receiver for the UK's free-to-air digital terrestrial platform, Freeview (note: Freeview is set to launch an HD version of its service later this year), to offer a "converged...entertainment experience" that will include Internet video and radio as well as a range of Internet-sourced interactive TV services. "TV viewers are increasingly aware of online content such as catch-up TV services and user-generated content," Bristol Interactive CEO, Paul Fellows, said in a prepared statement. "They expect to be able to access these directly from their TV, instead of using their PC or having to buy a set-top box. Our partnership with Miniweb makes it easy for viewers to enjoy the best of broadcast digital TV services and online video on the same TV screen. Now viewers can simply connect a Miniweb-equipped Bristol television to their broadband connection, gaining immediate access to millions of hours of Internet video enabled by Miniweb's Internet gateway and services software. It's the seamless integration of TV, community and online services, combined with ease of use, which makes this solution so special and attractive for TV viewers." Added Miniweb CEO, Andrew Carver: "Adding Miniweb's interactive functionality to Bristol's range of flat-screen, HD-ready TV's provides consumers with the simplest and most powerful way to benefit from and enjoy a fully converged broadcast and broadband experience on the main screen in the house. Providing a converged viewing experience in the home is the biggest advance since the introduction of color TV. Miniweb provides viewers with access to enhanced and relevant online content to complement the TV channel being watched. Together with Bristol Interactive, we're making it easy for viewers to enjoy a new TV experience, allowing them to choose the best mix of broadcast- and broadband-delivered video content to suit their viewing preferences--all from the comfort of their sofa without the need for a PC or additional set-top box."
Miniweb's flagship offerings, TV Keys and Key & See, are predicated on the WTVML mark-up language that was developed by UK satellite-TV provider, BSkyB, and that is supported on around 9 million Sky set-top boxes (note: the company's founder, Ian Valentine, was previously a senior interactive TV executive at Sky). WTVML is billed as enabling broadcasters, advertisers and other parties to repurpose their existing Web sites as interactive TV services or develop new services from scratch, quickly and inexpensively.
The phrase, "TV Keys," refers to numeric codes which Miniweb sells to its clients in order to enable access to WTVML-based interactive TV services through viewers' Internet-connected set-tops or television sets: they can spell out a brand name or simply a word describing the kinds of products and services sold by a company (for example, the TV Key, "46553297," would spell out "HOLIDAY" on the remote control keypad). When a TV Key appears on the screen (on Sky, it is presented inside a small, key-shaped icon), viewers can punch it in via their remotes in order to trigger the associated WTVML-based interactive services or enhancements (note: if accessing the service through Sky, they must first press the "interactive" button on their Sky remote and select "TV Keys" from a menu). Like a URL, TV Keys allow viewers to access interactive services at any time, and can therefore be used in print and other non-TV advertising, as well as in timeshifted/recorded video, in order to direct consumers to an advertiser's interactive content.
Miniweb's "Key & See" technology, meanwhile, allows viewers to continue to see the channel from which they launched a TV Keys-based interactive TV service as they use it, and is therefore targeted at broadcasters that are seeking to launch ITV services in conjunction with their programming. (Note: for an example of a broadcaster using Miniweb's Key & See, see the article published on itvt.com, April 23rd, on home shopping programmer JML's new tcommerce service.)
