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VOD and advanced advertising technology provider, SeaChange International, announced Tuesday that satellite TV provider, DISH Network, is upgrading its entire platform of SeaChange Spot advertising insertion systems to meet what it claims is a growing demand for HD ad placements across its North American footprint. SeaChange is DISH Network's exclusive ad insertion technology provider, having delivered ads for the satellite TV provider since it launched its DBS service back in 1996.

A number of pieces of connected TV news came across [itvt]'s desk, Tuesday. Here is a brief--and by no means exhaustive--round-up (note: also see "Vudu Unveils Vudu Apps OTT Service," "ActiveVideo Networks in Deal to Provide Blockbuster with Cloud-Based User Interface," and "Showtime Networks, Betfair Launch Interactive TV Widgets"):

Sonic Solutions, the digital media company that in 2008 acquired the pioneering broadband VOD service/platform, CinemaNow (it subsequently added "Roxio" to the service's name in order to make its branding consistent with its other products), announced Monday that it is launching version 2.0 of Roxio CinemaNow at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. According to the company, the new version, which it will be demo'ing by invitation in the Renaissance Hotel's Chairman Room, offers new HD and 3D capabilities and various interactive capabilities.

Evolution Digital--a division of Evolution Broadband, a reseller of digital equipment to independent cable operators--said Tuesday that Compton Communications has become the first Canadian operator to select its TiVo HD DVR offering. "Now that the TiVo HD DVR is a one-box solution in Canada, acting as the sole cable box, TiVo's brand recognition as the world's leading user interface and DVR made it the logical next step to enhance our product offering," Travis Campbell, marketing manager for Compton Communications, said in a prepared statement. "It has been Compton's goal to offer our customers the very best, cutting-edge entertainment choices available.

The Open IPTV Forum (OIPF)--an industry group that is attempting to bring together telcos, consumer electronics manufacturers, and network infrastructure providers, in order to develop specifications for an open, end-to-end solution that will facilitate development and deployment of interactive, personalized IPTV services (note: the organization, whose founding members include Ericsson, FT Group, Nokia Siemens, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sony and Telecom Italia, recently published the Architecture Specification for IPTV infrastructure elements and services to be included in Release 2 of its OIPF Specifications--see the article published on itvt.com, September 8th--and also recently published the Profi

Imaging and video technology specialist, HDlogix (note: the company's main product lines are ImageIQ, a suite of image and video optimization and enhancement technologies; Clique, a set of mobile and desktop video communications client software applications; and Hue, a range of HD Web cameras), contacted [itvt] Monday to let us know that it powered what it says was the first live 3D broadcast ever to be shown on giant screens at a major sporting event--during last Sunday's football game at Cowboys Stadium between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Diego Chargers, which was attended by 80,000 fans who were given

UK incumbent telco, BT, said last week that it has signed a VOD deal with Twentieth Century Fox that will make a number of the latter's shows available on BT Vision, the telco's Microsoft Mediaroom-powered, interactive TV-enabled hybrid IPTV service (note: the service is enabled via a hybrid set-top box that allows viewers to access linear channels from the UK's free-to-air digital terrestrial platform, Freeview, alongside IP-delivered on-demand and interactive content).

WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface), a consortium of consumer electronics manufacturers tasked with developing an industry standard for multiroom video, audio and control connectivity, has announced the completion and availability of its WHDI 1.0 specification. According to the consortium, the new standard enables full 1080p/60Hz HD video with Deep Color at a distance of 100 feet and through walls. The consortium claims that no other wireless standard combines this level of quality and robustness with the ease of multiroom wireless, and that the standard will allow consumers to build a wireless network in the home to take advantage of the latest content and interactive services.

UK-based consumer electronics company, Cello Electronics, on Wednesday announced the launch of a line of LCD HDTV sets, called iViewer, that allow users to stream the BBC iPlayer--as well as a range of other broadband video services (note: in its promotional materials for the new devices, the company mentions YouTube--which recently signed deals to offer full-length programming from UK terrestrial broadcasters, Channel 4 and Five--Disney Movies Preview, Movie Rush, Autocar, Sky Sports "Boots n' All," the CNN daily video podcast, Jamie's Ministry of Food, Delicious TV Veg, Revision3, Diggnation and the Larry King video podcast)--directly, without the need for a set-top box or games console.

In an ex parte letter, filed with the FCC December 2nd, Panasonic Corporation of North America revealed that it will shortly be offering integrated tru2way HDTV sets in Boston (note: it already offers them in Chicago, Denver and Atlanta), and outlined its plans to launch a retail tru2way "set-back box" (SBB) that would "take advantage of the continuing nationwide roll-out by major cable operators of tru2way capability in their systems" and would "convert Panasonic HDTV's into fully bi-directional 'digital cable ready' tru2way TV's." The box was demo'd by the company at last month's SCTE Cable-Tec Expo.

[itvt] has just published an interview with Professor Tom DeFanti, the principal scientist behind the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology's (Calit2) new 3D immersive visualization system, NexCAVE. Also participating in the interview is Dave Walton of JVC, the company whose 3D HD LCD monitors form a crucial component of NexCAVE.

Here is a round-up of some other interactive TV-related stories we didn't have room for in this issue (as well as some stories from last week's SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in Denver, which our editorial team was unable to attend):

Semiconductor company, Broadcom, on Tuesday announced two new Multimedia over Coax Alliance system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions--the BCM7125 and the BCM7119--which it claims support tru2way, CableCard and a range of other technologies and standards, and which it promises will "enable manufacturers and cable operators to cost-effectively offer the latest in interactive HDTV programming, connectivity, whole-home media distribution [including multiroom HD DVR] and advanced 3D user interfaces to the North American market."

According to the company, key features of the new SoC's include:

UK set-top box vendor, Pace, on Monday announced a new multiroom DVR solution called Home Content Sharing (HCS). According to the company, the solution, which it says uses centralized storage to connect multiple HD set-top boxes within the home, is integrated with Rovi's (formerly Macrovision's) EPG and Connected Platform software to enhance its functionality.

The BBC announced Tuesday that, due to its commitment to launching HD broadcast channels on the UK's free-to-air digital terrestrial platform, Freeview, which involves rearranging the existing SD channels on that platform, it will have to switch off two (including channel 302) of the three interactive streams it uses on Freeview to deliver red-button content.