UX (User Experience, User Interface, EPG) News

2.5 million Australian households to have VR headsets by 2020
Oct 13, 2016 – Demand by video gamers is expected to drive a boom in VR headset sales in Australia throughout the holiday season, according to a study from emerging technology analyst firm Telsyte.
News categories: Telsyte, Foad Fadaghi, Australia, Digital TV, Market Research, Metaverse

Consumer spending on VR to hit $3.3 billion by 2020
Oct 6, 2016 – Aggressive promotional activity from smartphone vendors and the launch of premium smartphone VR solutions will help drive the installed base of VR headsets from 4 million in 2015 to 81 million in 2020, according to IHS Markit.
News categories: IHS Markit, Piers Harding-Rolls, Digital TV, Market Research, Metaverse, Worldwide

Sky Q adds Split Screen viewing of two live streams side-by-side
Oct 5, 2016 – Sky Q has introduced new features making it easier for customers to catch up on their favourite sports and enjoy even more of the action. Sky Q customers can now choose Split Screen viewing to watch two live streams side-by-side.
News categories: BSkyB, Luke Bradley-Jones, Digital TV, Ireland, Middleware, Satellite, Set Top Box, UK, UX

Annual VR hardware revenues to pass $50 billion by 2021
Oct 4, 2016 – A Juniper Research study has found that hardware revenues from VR (Virtual Reality) headsets, peripherals and 360° cameras will reach over $50 billion by 2021, up tenfold from an estimated $5 billion in sales this year.
News categories: Juniper Research, Joe Crabtree, Digital TV, Hardware, Market Research, Metaverse, Mobile, Worldwide

Sky launches Sky VR App
Oct 3, 2016 – Sky has announced the launch of Sky VR. The app, available for free download, showcases a range of immersive, 360-degree videos from Sky, and content from Sky’s partners.
News categories: BSkyB, Gary Davey, Stephen Nuttall, Apps, Digital TV, Metaverse, Mobile, Streaming, UK

TiVo adds personalization and discovery to Fan TV
Sep 27, 2016 – TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO) has announced that Fan TV will include new personalization and discovery features across TV, tablet and mobile devices. Additionally, Fan TV will now be available on Apple TV and Roku.
News categories: TiVo, Michael Hawkey, Advertising, CableTecExpo, Digital TV, Streaming, USA, UX

Orange experiments with virtual reality
Sep 22, 2016 – From October 12th, OCS subscribers equipped with a VR headset will be able to enjoy movies and TV shows in a fully immersive environment through OCS VR. In addition, on 1 December, Orange will launch a VR test program in partnership with Wevr.
News categories: Orange, Wevr, Guillaume Lacroix, Georges Nahon, Digital TV, Metaverse, Worldwide

Successful 360° world premiere in Germany
Sep 20, 2016 – Deutsche Telekom broke new ground with Germany’s first 360° HD concert live stream on YouTube. The premiere was followed by more than 100,000 viewers in the 360 degree live stream. More than half of the fans watched the concert with mobile devices.
News categories: Deutsche Telekom, Google, Michael Schuld, Karin Gerhardy, Digital TV, Germany, Metaverse, Mobile

Agama Technologies joins RDK community
Sep 10, 2016 – Agama has joined the Reference Design Kit (RDK) community as a licensee. The integration with the RDK pre-integrated software solution will broaden the applicability of Agama's assurance and analytics to RDK-powered set-top boxes.
News categories: Agama, RDK Management, Johan Görsjö, Jason Briggs, QoE, RDK, Set Top Box, Worldwide