OpenTV, RGB Networks Demo EBIF-Based Advanced Advertising Capabilities at CableLabs Interop

Kudelski-owned interactive TV and advanced advertising technology provider, OpenTV, and network video processing specialist, RGB Networks, have provided some information on their activities at the Advanced Advertising 1.0 Platform Interoperability event that US cable-industry research-and-development body, CableLabs, held last month (note: for more on the Interop event, see the article published on itvt.com, November 18th). According to the companies, their advanced advertising demos at the event--which they say involved several other vendors--were enabled by the integration of OpenTV's campaign management solution and RGB's Broadcast Network Processor (BNP), and were designed to show how operators can generate new revenues through localized, audience-focused, overlay-based ads that can be inserted both into linear programming and VOD content.

The demos were based on several established and developing standards, the companies say, including EBIF. According to the companies, they offered two types of EBIF demos: 1) "pre-bound," in which EBIF data was embedded into traditional video ads, which were then inserted into programming by the BNP during local ad availability spots; and 2) "late-binding," in which EBIF data was dynamically inserted by the BNP into network programs and network ads, and during local ad insertion events, allowing for addressability.

The companies say they also demo'd network-based, late-binding overlay insertion, using the BNP's SCTE-130 Ad Management Service (ADM) and the OpenTV Ad Decision Service (ADS), which they claim allows for broader coverage of graphic overlays to set-top boxes and any other downstream MPEG subscriber device. "Advertising has long been an excellent revenue source for operators, and working with OpenTV and our other partners we're showing operators how they can leverage advanced advertising capabilities to expand this revenue opportunity," RGB Networks' director of product marketing, Jeff Tyre, said in a prepared statement. "Combining seamless ad splicing, multiple EBIF transport options, digital overlay insertion and exceptional stream processing density, our Broadcast Network Processor gives cable operators unprecedented abilities to deliver more advanced ads that are increasingly localized and personalized to the viewer, which translates into greater ad revenues for operators." Added Bruce Dilger, VP of research and development for OpenTV's Advanced Advertising division: "This was a great opportunity for us to demonstrate how the new standards have matured over the past year, making these comprehensive systems possible. We're very pleased to work with RGB to show how our tools can help operators visualize and simplify the otherwise complex task of coordinating audience-addressed copy variations and new media types like graphic overlays and interactive content that create a rich viewer experience."

According to RGB, its BNP enables operators to easily localize ads in real time by overlaying text, graphics and video directly onto those ads to provide locally relevant or time-sensitive information. OpenTV says that its campaign management solution, working as an integrated solution with the BNP, greatly simplifies the coordination of addressable copy and media variations and provides real-time ad decision rules based on selected ad type against the appropriate audience addressing criteria.