Smart TV Alliance Common Developer Portal goes live

App developers and publishers reach more smart TV consumers faster with single-contract, single-window app publication

SAN RAMON, Calif. — Smart TV application developers can now use a single, integrated process to publish their applications to compliant Smart TV Alliance members’ smart TVs. Successful completion of the Alliance’s Joint Quality Assurance process now triggers multi-manufacturer app publication through the Common Developer Portal, allowing publishers to reach more devices and users in one simple process. This makes the publication process simpler, more cost-effective and significantly faster.

Smart TV Alliance was launched in 2012 to unite the fragmented smart TV market and provide consumers with richer smart TV experiences and access to more content and better services. In less than two years, the Smart TV Alliance has streamlined the application development, QA and publishing process, offering developers an easier and more effective way to develop applications, and providing publishers with broader reach.

“The Alliance’s common SDK and specification, joint QA process and single contract reduce the time and cost of application publication, resolving development inefficiencies and alleviating the fragmented TV market,” said Seijiro Yasuki, president of Smart TV Alliance and chief technology executive of Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation. “With today’s launch of the Common Developer Portal, the Alliance delivers a true ‘build once, run everywhere’ ecosystem.”

Develop and Publish Apps

Developers can register, develop, QA test and publish applications for multiple manufacturers’ smart TVs here.

The five-step process for mass app publication includes:

• App Development – integrated environment for app development with common specification and SDK, including IDE, emulator, developer documentation and compliance tooling
• Developer Support – free forum for basic technical developer support as well as premium developer support for in-depth and faster responses
• Joint QA – joint quality assurance process simplifies app validation, including compatibility verification for compliant members’ TVs in a single QA, and provides developers with access to the joint QA team for technical support
• Single Contract – single contract process for publishers, which includes joint agreement for app distribution on multiple platforms, standardized contract template, and one-click agreement with multiple Smart TV Alliance members
• App Publication – publish app to participating members’ compliant smart TVs at once

Currently, the LG Electronics, TP Vision (for Philips smart TVs), Toshiba and Panasonic smart TVs will receive the apps when published. The Smart TV Alliance welcomes new members to join the Common Developer Portal and tap into this new source of smart TV applications.

New Alliance Membership Level Invites New Members

The Smart TV Alliance introduces a new membership level, Community Member, which invites new members to participate in and influence Alliance activities. Community level members can participate in work groups, access draft and final deliverables, use the Alliance logo, and participate in general and annual meetings.