Metrological and Liberty Global to partner for web-based TV Apps & Widgets
Rotterdam, Netherlands – 12 September 2011
Metrological Media Innovations and Liberty Global, Inc., the world’s
leading international cable operator, today announced that Liberty Global
will adopt Metrological’s Widget framework for its Next Generation TV
platform – Project Horizon. The Widget framework establishes the bridge
between Internet delivered content and pay-tv services in order to provide
digital television subscribers a broad range of innovative interactive
applications and enhanced services.
The Widget Framework will power the App & Widget Store that is part of the
new TV platform. In this store subscribers will be offered a full
catalogue of web-based Apps & Widgets that are seamlessly integrated in the user
interface. This brings interactive TV to the next level as the subscriber
will be able to access contextual, related Apps & Widgets, while watching
TV and video content at the same time.
With the social media Widget, viewers can share whatever they are watching
with their friends and recommend it. TV-show related Widgets provide
background information and the possibility to interact in real-time with
the TV program without having to move away from the program itself.
The Horizon open platform for apps aims to add a new dimension to
experiencing tv in the same way that apps have done for smart phones and
tablets. The Liberty Global Horizon ecosystem is an open and scalable
platform on which developers can continue to improve and enhance the
functionality for consumers. Liberty Global is working with the most
influential content providers to develop applications for its
standards-based ‘App Store’.
Liberty Global is reaching out to potential content partners and third
party application developers and will soon launch a software developers’
kit for Horizon, inviting them to join the existing 60 content partners
that already have developed apps for the new platform.
Liberty Global selected Metrological’s Widget framework to secure
interchangeability of widgets because of its compatibility with existing
platforms. Existing Apps & Widgets, including those based on Yahoo TV
widgets, W3C, HTML5, will run on this platform with limited or no rework.
This makes it easier for content providers to develop TV Widgets in a
market with an increasing number of platforms to choose from.
“We are truly honored to have been invited by Liberty Global to join such
a prestigious project development team and consider this as an ultimate
endorsement of our technological capabilities,” Albert Dahan, Chief
Technology Officer of Metrological stated.
“Content providers developing a widget for our platform will now be able
to have it run on other TV platforms as well and vice versa,” said Doron
Hacmon, Managing Director of Products Online Media department for the
European broadband operations of Liberty Global.
Project Horizon
“Liberty Global’s Project Horizon” is an elegant media and entertainment
platform for the home, which seamlessly integrates cable, web-based and
personal content. Horizon puts a multimedia gateway computer at the heart
of the digital home. This gateway will create a wireless network that
connects TV to all of the personal devices in the home – computers,
tablets and smartphones. The TV interface uses 3D graphics and images that
will bring content to life and make navigating simple, instant and
seamless. Supported by search and recommendation features, it will
integrate access to personal media content such as photos, music and
movies stored in the home or in the cloud. Horizon will also allow customers to
take their entertainment experience beyond their home TVs. Applications
have been developed for smartphones and tablet devices (second screens) as
well as web browsers that will enable a similar and complementary
experience on different devices both in and out of the home. The
commercial launch of Horizon is planned for the first quarter of 2012 with Liberty
Global’s division UPC in the Netherlands.
About Metrological
Metrological Group, founded in 2003, is headquartered in Rotterdam, The
Netherlands. The company focuses on the development and implementation of
innovative hardware and software products. It’s subsidiary Metrological
Media Solutions specializes in media technology for both the “business to
business” and “business to consumer” market. In 2009 the company
introduced Mediaconnect TV, a next generation generic open media platform device,
based on the IntelR CE Media Processing technology and powered by the
Metroconnect Operating System.
Metrological enables Media Service Operators, content providers, equipment
manufacturers and retailers, to deliver branded tailor-made Over-The-Top
Home Entertainment Media services, by offering a white labeled end-to-end
media platform, based on standard TV Widget technology.
About Liberty Global
Liberty Global is the leading international cable operator offering
advanced video, voice and broadband internet services to connect its
customers to the world of entertainment, communications and information.
As of June 30, 2011, Liberty Global operated state-of-the-art networks
serving 18 million customers across 14 countries principally located in Europe,
Chile and Australia. Liberty Global’s operations also include significant
programming businesses such as Chellomedia in Europe.
For more information:
Albert Dahan
Chief Technology Officer
Metrological
+31 10 414 2257
Joram Kanner
Corporate Communications Manager
Liberty Global
+31 20 778 9684
