KIT digital Showcases Integrated Social Program Guide at TV Connect 2013

Attendees to Experience the KIT digital 2Si Suite, Demonstrated on Digisoft’s Set Top Box Software — Iris and iPad Second Screen Application

LONDON — KIT digital, alongside Digisoft.tv — a leading global provider of carrier class solutions to the IPTV, hybrid and media and entertainment markets — will showcase a working example of its Social Program Guide application that connects a second screen device with a TV as part of KIT digital’s Second Screen Interaction Suite at TV Connect 2013 (London, Olympia Exhibition Centre, 19-21 March 2013, Stand G6).

The KIT digital 2Si Suite, available on the market today, will have access to a range of rich and varied content via Digisoft’s STB software — Iris and will incorporate new social media integration features through a second screen application, running on an iPad and offering unprecedented level of control and engagement for viewers.

“The Digisoft R&D team developed Iris to be the slickest user experience software available for the set top box,” said Fearghal Kelly, chief executive officer, Digisoft. “TV Connect will allow us to demonstrate how our technology can work alongside companies like KIT digital and provide operators with more ways to deliver and monetize content on consumers’ TV screens.”

The demonstration will allow TV Connect attendees to gain a hands-on experience of the working 2Si Suite and witness how viewers can switch between browsing content on their TV or tablet with the simple press of a button. Viewers now have access to a range of controls and features depending on their viewing set-up preferences and they no longer have to navigate through a linear and restrictive EPG on their TVs or sacrifice a big screen experience to keep engaging UX of an iPad.

“By drawing the viewer into a closer experience with on-screen content we effectively close the loop on the living room ecosystem,” said Philip Shaw, Senior Technical Architect, KIT digital. “If they want to see if any friends are watching live TV while they currently watch a VOD asset, they can. They can also join in a Twitter or Facebook conversation while watching a live broadcast, or even pause the VOD content on the TV without having to search for a lost remote.”

One of the key features of the KIT digital’s solution is the Ad Locker, which brings viewers’ interaction with advertisments on an entirely new level. This tool allows the consumer to save an ad and go back to it after the show is over for more information. It represents a more natural behavior of the ad engagement and doesn’t pull viewers away from the very content that is being broadcast while reinforcing promotional value of an ad.

Enabling the viewer to browse and control both VOD and live content within one experience, the KIT digital and Digisoft.tv 2Si Suite provides a one stop shop for content owners, broadcasters and advertisers to engage with and learn about their customers on an unprecedented level. Analytics can be collected from specific devices, meaning that for the first time individual viewers can be targeted with tailored advertisements and promotions on a one-to-one level.

Also on display at TV Connect will be KIT digital’s VOD Store solution and a wide range of product demos, including the new 4oD app available on Windows 8, developed by KIT digital for Channel 4 as the first UK VOD app to be made available on Windows 8.