Though it’s in an early stage of fruition, the tru2way plan
isn’t just theory. Applications have been developed that provide
proof of concept. They offer a glimpse of what can be done and
what will be.
Here is a gallery of tru2way applications
developed for the U.S. cable market. Some originally were based
upon ETV specifications and have been tested in an OCAP
environment.
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Advanced Advertising
With the Ford Edge iAd from Ensequence, Ford and Turner Media
Group, viewers can “Go, See, and Do” more things, including
review product photos, enter a sweepstakes, and request
brochures. They can enter their mobile number to download
content to their phone.
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Internet on TV
Tru2way interfaces provide a graphically rich TV framework that
might even make your worst family photos look better. TVPhoto,
from Zodiac Interactive, enables viewers to use Yahoo!’s Flickr
photo sharing site to see photos on TV. |
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Mobile TV
Content is going mobile, and tru2way technology supports this
trend. So if you’re watching a music video on TV, you can
download the video to your mobile phone or make the song your
ringtone, all with MPTV (mobile products and television) from
itaas.
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Home Shopping
Why run to the phone when you want to buy an item on HSN? HSN’s
Shop By Remote enables instant shopping with the click of a
remote. In initial trials and deployments, 57% of surveyed Shop
By Remote users said they prefer it to shopping by Internet or
phone.
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Transactions
Even eBay online auctions can be brought to the TV. eBay on TV,
an application developed by Biap Systems and trialed by Time
Warner Cable, enables registered eBay users to track auctions
and submit bids—all in real time and from any channel. |
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Instant Weather
You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, as
Bob Dylan sang. Just point and click. The Weather Channel offers
its unique brand of instant local weather, alerts, five-day
forecasts, weekend outlooks and travel reports. |
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Interactive Guides
Navigating through hundreds of channels and On Demand selections
is no easy task. Cable companies and guide providers such as TV
Guide Interactive are providing new graphically-rich guides to
enable viewers to easily find shows, locate favorite content,
and get alerts. |
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Play-Along Game Shows
Which case has the million bucks? With applications like NBC’s
Deal or No Deal play-along game from Ensequence (tested
on OCAP platforms and its broadcast equivalent, ACAP), viewers
are fully engaged in the action. |
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Games
Tru2way technology provides the rich graphics for all sorts of
video games, such as games from NDS, PixelPlay and others. Cable
infrastructure can be used to provide multiplayer experiences.
Providers can employ advertising, subscription or per-play
business models. |
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Premium Upgrades
Showtime Networks’ application offers previews and instant
ordering to generate new customers and add value for existing
ones. Interactive applications can facilitate upselling, as well
as bill payments and customer care through the TV. |
