Interactive TV News Round-Up (III): Ubuntu TV, ConnecTV, Civolution, Dijit

Due to the large volume of news being generated by this week's 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), we are covering stories in this issue in round-up/summary format. We anticipate that it will take us several days to process all the news from the show: 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. While the [itvt] editorial team catches up with CES news, please check out the live Twitter coverage of the show from [itvt] bloggers, Will Keller and Zachary Weiner, by following the @tswedlow Twitter feed.

• In a posting on its blog, Monday, Linux specialist Canonical announced that it will showcase a concept design for "Ubuntu TV" in its booth (35379, South Hall 4) at CES this week. "Ubuntu TV is a vision of how TV will work in the future," the blog post states. "With no cables, no boxes and no hassles, the goal is to uncomplicate television for the average viewer while delivering to him or her all the services and options that they are becoming used to. To give the world a full picture of what we will be demonstrating, we are launching today a dedicated area on the Ubuntu Web site featuring demos and a world of information on what we have planned in this space. You can see it all now at http://ubuntu.com/tv."
• Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) specialist, Civolution (CES Booth: 35431, South Hall 4), said Monday that its SyncNow ACR technology has been integrated by social-TV company, ConnecTV. "Powered by Civolution's award-winning SyncNow technology, ConnecTV's 'second-screen' global social TV platform uses Civolution's audio fingerprinting solution to enable consumers to automatically sync with their favorite TV programs and compelling companion content," Civolution states in its press materials. "Civolution's technology has been integrated with ConnecTV's own proprietary content recognition algorithms to provide a highly relevant and accurate synchronization to TV programs. This not only allows networks and content providers to deliver engaging second-screen services without the need for additional production resources, but also provides a fun, engaging, social experience. ConnecTV is available on tablets, laptops and home computers...ConnecTV integrated Civolution's ACR technology--available to developers as a low-resource SDK--to generate audio fingerprints in real time by having the companion device listening to the television audio in the home. ConnecTV provides TV viewers with compelling content and a social companion experience to all programs on more than 250 networks nationwide, and will soon roll out on regional sports networks and on 201 local ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, WB and CW affiliate networks from its Broadcast Partners: Barrington, Belo, Cox, Gannett, Hearst, Media General, Meredith, Raycom, Scripps and Washington Post-Newsweek."

• Dijit has launched an iPad version of its remote-control/programming-discovery/social-TV app. "The new Dijit for iPad app aims to be the keystone app for turning iPads into living room entertainment control consoles," Dijit chief product officer, Jeremy Toeman, wrote in an email to [itvt]. "What's in the app? 1) Socially powered TV guide--find out what's on TV, filter by genre/category/keyword, search, or browse what your Facebook friends are watching. 2) Facebook and Twitter integration--'check-in' to a show or movie and tell your social graph what you are watching. 3) Wikipedia and YouTube search--automatically discover complementary content to the shows you watch. 4) Universal remote control--for Roku owners as well as Griffin Beacon owners, the Dijit app is an amazing remote control." More information on the Dijit iPad app can be found here.