Ensequence to Resell Strategy & Technology's TSBroadcaster as Part of its iTV Manager Solution

Strategy & Technology--a UK-based company that specializes in solutions for standards-based interactive TV (its products include the TSBroadcaster and TSPlayer systems, which are used for the creation and transmission of MHP, MHEG, tru2way and ETV applications; and the widely licensed RedKey MHEG engines)--said Monday that it has signed a value-added reseller (VAR) agreement with US-based interactive TV authoring solutions provider, Ensequence. According to the companies, the agreement will see Ensequence including S&T's TSBroadcaster carousel playout technology as a component of its iTV Manager solution. The agreement follows on the heels of an agreement to re-sell Softel's MediaSphere playout solution that Ensequence announced last month (see the article published on itvt.com, October 22nd).

Ensequence bills the Web-based iTV Manager as a comprehensive solution for scaling the volume of interactive experiences and their audience reach, "ultimately enabling every show and every ad to be made interactive." It alleviates many of the complexities involved in implementing interactive television by enabling programmers and distributors to embed interactivity efficiently into shows and advertisements, the company says. According to the company, the system provides a simple interface for template creation and re-versioning, testing, scheduling, playout, live application updating, and automated response management. Ensequence claims that the integration of TSBroadcaster with iTV Manager--which was demo'd at the recent CableLabs Advanced Advertising Interop in Denver--will provide its customers with efficient delivery of content and high levels of reliability. "Ensequence enables our customers to make their video offering interactive for both programming and advertising, making their television content more powerful and engaging than it has ever been," Kevin Hurst, Ensequence's director of product management, said in a prepared statement. "The S&T technology offers a proven carousel system that fits perfectly with our iTV Manager offering, further strengthening our portfolio as well as our customers' ability to deliver the best interactive TV experiences available today." Added S&T's general manager of interactive services and applications, Ian Harris: "By integrating TSBroadcaster into the Ensequence iTV Manager portfolio, Ensequence is able to enhance the interactive television solutions they provide their customers. TSBroadcaster is known throughout the world as a rock solid playout system, and by incorporating its end-to-end delivery into iTV Manager, Ensequence will give their customers the best possible platform for interactive application delivery."

According to S&T, TSBroadcaster enables broadcasters and network operators to generate content and signaling for interactive TV applications, is based on OCAP/tru2way, ETV/EBIF, DVB-MHP and MHEG, and supports remote configuration and operation, allowing for deployment anywhere in the world.