Interactive TV News Round-Up (V): Metaswitch, CableLabs, Oregan, Sharp, Panasonic, Omek Interactive

Because the [itvt] editorial team has been on the road the past few weeks, we are covering stories in this issue in round-up/summary format. We anticipate that it will take us several days to catch up with all the recent news: so if your company has sent us a press release or briefed us on an announcement, and you don't yet see your news covered in this issue, please bear with us.

• Metaswitch Networks' Thrutu solution has been voted "best new idea most likely to succeed," in informal polling during the Innovation Showcase session of CableLabs' Summer Conference this week (note: the session, a regular Summer Conference feature, saw 10 companies give 10-minute pitches for their respective cable technology solutions). Metaswitch bills Thrutu as "an in-call content sharing application for PC's, smartphones and tablet computers, designed to work across business, residential and mobile customers." Said Metaswitch CEO, Kevin DeNuccio: "Thrutu gives carriers a way to bring new and creative services to their voice subscribers by letting users instantly share all manner of interactive content and media during a phone conversation, and we are very excited to have the opportunity to work with the cable operators to bring these Thrutu capabilities to their customers." The other Innovation Showcase participants were: Arris, Clearleap, CTERA Networks, Dyyno, FourthWall Media, Ignite Solutions, Manilla, Tely Labs and Vivu. Multichannel News's Todd Spangler has more on those companies' pitches.
• Oregan Networks has announced that Sharp HD connected TV's that incorporate Oregan's Onyx browser are now available in Italy via local retailers. "The new Sharp LC32-LE225 model enables users to browse popular Internet video and social networking sites without using a PC, or alternatively, source personal media content from other devices that have storage capabilities, using Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) protocols for interoperability over wired or wireless networks," Oregan states in its press materials. "The local language, branding and selection of services available through the Onyx media browser have been adjusted for the Italian market. Fresh content and apps can also be delivered on a regular basis via Oregan's remote upgrade and an Apps Store facility. Oregan's browser-based approach to OTT services delivery, used in Sharp's product, is growing in popularity with leading commercial and public content service providers, such as Amazon Lovefilm, BBC and Blinkbox which are now available via Internet directly on TV's in the UK. Popularity in the approach is seen as largely due to its effectiveness in cross-platform asset management and ease of deployment."
• Panasonic announced last week that it is bundling a copy of Omek Interactive's Beckon Development Suite with its D-IMager 3D camera, in order to provide a "complete solution for hardware and software developers looking to equip their devices and applications with gesture-based interfaces. Gesture-based interfaces--which enable users to control devices or software using natural body movements and gestures--are being incorporated into a wide range of devices, including interactive digital signs, medical equipment, arcade game machines and robots, among others," Panasonic's press materials continue. "Digital signage is a key target market for the D-IMager, which has the range, durability, and robust light-handling needed for large-scale interactive digital signage applications. With the addition of the Beckon SDK for Panasonic, which is optimized for signage and other interface creators using the D-IMager, creative agencies and developers are fully empowered to create 'touchless' interactive experiences. The D-IMager is a 3D sensor that uses time-of-flight (ToF) technology to capture the depth information of a target by instantaneously measuring its distance in real time. Unlike other 3D depth sensors, the D-IMager is highly resistant to interference from ambient light due to its patented in-pixel background light suppression technology. It is robust and designed to operate on a 24/7 basis, making it ideal for a wide range of gesture control applications such as interactive digital signage and immersive multimedia. Omek Beckon for Panasonic is a full-featured set of middleware and development tools designed to unlock the power of the D-IMager. The Beckon engine accesses the sensor's depth data and recognizes a person in front of the sensor. It then adds a skeletal framework to the human forms, and tracks the position and rotation of each major joint in the body with high accuracy. Beckon provides a complete and flexible API for applications to access these movements, and tools that allow specific positions or motions to be defined as gestures. The Beckon SDK for Panasonic provides support for full-body and partial-body modes, and can recognize multiple individuals at one time, allowing for new 'multiplayer' modalities in interactive digital signage. The SDK supports development in C+, C# and Flash, and provides a full set of sample applications and plug-ins for common development frameworks."