UX (User Experience, User Interface, EPG) News

DIRECTV launches first Virtual Reality App
Oct 8, 2015 – DIRECTV has taken its first jab at Virtual Reality (VR) with its Big Knockout Boxing (BKB) VR App. The app delivers highlights from the June 27 BKB fight event at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Users can experience the blows and knock downs on a VR-ready smartphone.
News categories: DIRECTV, Jon Molod, Apps, Digital TV, Metaverse, Mobile, USA

HDMI Licensing launches HDMI 2.0 Certification Program
Oct 5, 2015 – HDMI Licensing has announced a Premium HDMI Cable Certification Program. The program tests that the cable can support the 18Gbps bandwidth required by the HDMI 2.0 Specification - a throughput typically needed for video formats such as 4K/UltraHD.
News categories: HDMI Licensing, Jeff Park, Rob Tobias, QoE, Set Top Box, Smart Home, Smart TV, Worldwide

Liberty Global and Comcast to use STB browser enhancements from Metrological
Sep 10, 2015 – Metrological has announced that Liberty Global and Comcast will use Metrological-created, open-source browser enhancements to improve their ability to support enhanced Internet Protocol (IP) browser-based services and applications for set-top boxes (STBs).
News categories: Metrological, Liberty Global, Comcast, RDK Management, Albert Dahan, Balan Nair, Sree Kotay, Steve Heeb, Cable TV, Digital TV, HTML5, RDK, Set Top Box, USA, Worldwide

Opera TV solutions to power Telechips' OTT platforms
Sep 9, 2015 – Opera Software has announced that with the support of the Opera Devices SDK 4.x series and the Opera TV Store, Telechips will be able to demonstrate live and over-the-top (OTT) premium content streams from partners, such as BBC iPlayer and hundreds of other TV apps.
News categories: Opera Software, Telechips, Aneesh Rajaram, Yongkwon Lee, Digital TV, HTML5, Middleware, Peripherals / Accessories, Semiconductor, Streaming

ABOX42 debuts Broadcom-based UHD/4K HEVC SmartSTB at IBC
Sep 1, 2015 – ABOX42 will unveil its Broadcom-based M40 Smart STB platform at IBC. The M40 is based on ABOX42's SmartSDK middleware which provides an HTML5 browser-based user interface and support for application environments such as HbbTV.
News categories: ABOX42, Broadcom, Matthias Greve, Stuart Thomson, Digital TV, HTML5, IBCShow, Middleware, Semiconductor, Set Top Box, Worldwide

ContentWise and Babeleye bring personalization to Middle East and Africa
Aug 27, 2015 – ContentWise has partnered with Babeleye to bring personalized TV experiences to the Middle East and Africa. Babeleye’s metadata platform is integrated with ContentWise’s Personalization System and Knowledge Factory metadata processing engine.
News categories: ContentWise, Babeleye, Paolo Bozzola, Lasse Schmidt, Africa, Big Data, Digital TV, IBCShow, Middle-East, UX

SIXTY announces lightweight STB user interface framework
Aug 24, 2015 – SIXTY has announced the launch of Ease TV, the first product of its Ease by Sixty product line. Ease TV is a fast, strong and lightweight user interface framework for the set-top box market.
News categories: SIXTY, Carl Mathisen, Digital TV, Middleware, Set Top Box, UX, Worldwide

Virtual Reality Gaming, Smart TVs and Wearables lead to rise in Gesture Sensing Control shipments
Aug 10, 2015 – With emerging virtual reality games, smartwatches, smart TVs and other CE and IT applications entering the market, shipments of gesture sensing control user interfaces are poised to grow 10 percent year over year, to reach 1.8 billion units in 2015.
News categories: IHS Inc, Calvin Hsieh, Market Research, Metaverse, Smart TV, Worldwide

HbbTV places contracts for HbbTV 2.0 test suite
Jul 31, 2015 – The HbbTV Association has announced its selection of suppliers for the HbbTV 2.0 specification test suite. HbbTV has placed contracts with Digital TV Labs and RTRK for 500 test cases to be included in the test suite.
News categories: HbbTV Association, Digital TV Labs, RTRK, Digital TV, Europe, HbbTV, QoE, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Worldwide