Tag Archives: SecondScreen

Microsoft and Polar demo Companion Web concept through a TV app (video)

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Polar Companion Web app

Second screen experiences on mobile devices are nothing new -- just ask many TV viewers -- but two-way interaction is frequently limited to completely in-house efforts like SmartGlass. Microsoft wants that kind of integration to spread, so it's teaming up with Polar on a web app that demonstrates the Companion Web, where pages on one device control and complement pages on another. Polar's app lets viewers register their opinions of a TV show from their phones, and watch as a matching site on their tablet or TV reflects both the vote and the page position. The Companion Web demo isn't as elaborate as experiments like Google's Map Dive, but it does show that browsers don't have to be novelties in the living room -- especially once features like the Xbox One's Snap Mode come into play.

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Via: Exploring IE

Source: Polar

Zeebox launches developer portal, widens access to its second screen platform

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Zeebox launches developer portal, widens access to its second screen platform

Zeebox is clearly busy these days. It just added automatic show syncing and recommendations to its second screen app a few days ago, and it's back with a new developer portal that opens the Zeebox APIs to everyone, not just partners. Those building mobile and web apps can now integrate Zeebox's guides, social networking and tagging into their projects, as well as create synchronized widgets for Zeebox's own release. If you're inclined to build on the company's TV experience, it's free to try the programming tools you'll find at the source link.

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Source: Zeebox

Zeebox can now listen in, automatically identify what you’re watching

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Zeebox can now listen in, automatically identify what you're watching

Zeebox is making good on its cooperation with Gracenote today with the announcement that the second screen app can now automatically identify what you're watching through analysis of the show's "audio fingerprint." Several second screen TV apps use similar technology to sync up with what's on TV, although this implementation is more closely matched to what we've seen from IntoNow. Naturally, use of the latest feature is entirely optional, which includes the ability to automatically listen in when you start the app, along the with ability to manually activate the function by tapping a microphone icon. Gracenote reps tell us that Zeebox records a short, Vine-length audio clip, and then generates an audio profile based on that, which is recognized by Gracenote's Entourage system -- the audio recording itself never leaves your device. The new functionality is available on all versions of Zeebox, which includes Android, BlackBerry and iOS, but the ability for Gracenote to automatically identify shows is limited to programs that've aired in the past seven days.

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Source: Zeebox (App Store), Google Play, BlackBerry World

Viacom lands deal to show TV highlights on Twitter starting August 25th

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Twitter bird on a TV logo - inspiring!

While Viacom hasn't always understood how this whole internet video thing works, it's showing some tech savviness today with confirmation of rumors that it's joining Twitter's Amplify program. Beginning with the MTV Video Music Awards on August 25th, Viacom will deliver ad-backed video highlights on Twitter for shows and events across its channel range, including MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. In theory, the agreement is a win for everyone: Viacom and Twitter get more revenue, while we get a legal way to revisit those inevitable celebrity slip-ups. The two sides haven't said how long their partnership will last, although we wouldn't be surprised if results from the VMA broadcast help shape the deal's future.

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Via: Viacom (Twitter), The Verge

Source: Viacom

ESPN launches more second screen coverage with golf’s US Open

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ESPN adds extra coverage to US open via second screens

ESPN is further boosting its major sports coverage by producing a raft of extra material for golf enthusiasts at the US Open. And the outlet will be doing the same during the British Open, along with Wimbledon, the US Open and Australian Open for tennis. The network is employing a special team during the tournament (including some not normally involved in golf coverage) to supplement the main ESPN broadcasts with featured group and hole coverage, hole flyovers, shot tracking and more. Some of the extra goodies will appear on ESPN3, DIRECTV, and USOpen.com. All that means you might need to drag that extra TV out of the spare room, and possibly your Xbox, laptop or tablet. Who says watching sports reduces your attention span?

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Source: ESPN Frontrow

Xbox One SmartGlass hands-on (video)

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Xbox One SmartGlass handson

SmartGlass is nothing new -- it's the second screen solution Microsoft introduced for its Xbox legions. But for the release of the Xbox One console, the company decided to update the experience and extend the functionality. Culling feedback from the many developers and gamers that have downloaded the app since its initial release, Microsoft came to some near unanimous conclusions: gamers use it as an Xbox Live controller and devs love its use of HTML and Java. So where to go from there? If you've been paying attention to any of the company's E3 announcements, you'll know that the newly updated SmartGlass app now includes support for in-game DLC purchases, gameplay assists and a DVR-like replay feature. We spent a little time sifting through the new app on the showfloor, so follow along for our initial thoughts.

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GetGlue for Android update brings personal guides, second screen sharing

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GetGlue for Android gets its turn at personal guides, second screen sharing

GetGlue's recently expanded social efforts on mobile platforms have been available solely to iOS users so far; today, it's their Android friends' turn. A fresh update to the check-in app brings Android users the personalized guide for movies, sports and TV shows. The second screen presentation receives a similar overhaul: it's easier to tag friends or chat with them, and individual shows now have a slew of news and media on offer. While the new version unfortunately drops books and other content, those who regularly watch TV with smartphone in hand will want to grab the new GetGlue build at the source link.

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Via: GetGlue

Source: Google Play

Xbox One SmartGlass brings more control, content to companion devices

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Xbox One SmartGlass brings more control, content to companion devices

Microsoft's Xbox One is promising even more second-screen support than we saw on the Xbox 360. An improvement of the SmartGlass integration we've seen pop up on the Xbox 360, Microsoft says it can make your mobile device feel like it was "built" to work with your console. The current SmartGlass app has seen over 10 million downloads, and it looks like Microsoft is aiming for more this time around. It will also be able to screen scrape video, encode it to h.264 and send it over to your second screen, although what will work on which devices is still unknown. What is mentioned in the press release is that it will support multiple devices at once, for multiplayer and shared entertainment. It's also promising exclusive experiences with its NFL partnership that attach to SmartGlass and Skype integration, so we'll expect to see more about that in the future.

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Netflix for iOS gets new post-play features for uninterrupted series-watching

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Netflix for iOS gets postplay feature for movies and TV shows, improved second screen experience

It's just been a few weeks since Netflix for iOS was suited with a novel audio menu and episode selector, but the app has now already reached version 4.1. While this particular release isn't as major as, say, v2.0, some of the post-play features that have rolled out on TV connected devices and PCs are trickling down to the mobile platforms. Namely, once an episode is over, the next one starts playing automatically without any intervention required (it requires a prompt to proceed after every other episode). In the case of movies, you can expect to see a new recommended selection once the credits roll, and Netflix also promises some other more minor improvements elsewhere in the app, including under the hood tweaks to its second screen experience. Finally, Netflix also announced today that it's signed a multi-year deal for five Disney Junior and Disney XD shows: Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Tron: Uprising, Handy Manny, Special Agent Oso, and JoJo's Circus.

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Via: 9to5Mac

Source: App Store, Netflix Official Blog

Samsung acquires MOVL to bolster its multi-screen TV efforts

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Samsung acquires MOVL to bolster multiscreen TV apps

Samsung's desire for deep integration of TV services was painstakingly obvious when it unveiled the Galaxy S 4's WatchON feature. However, that may prove to be just the tip of the televisual iceberg: it's buying MOVL, the developer of Samsung's own SwipeIt media sharing as well as the MOVL Connect Platform and KontrolTV. We don't know exactly how the two sides will mesh, but MOVL expects to merge its connected TV savvy with the "scale and innovation" of its new overseer, according to a company statement at TechCrunch. The only safe prediction is that existing support for generic Google TVs and iOS will likely take a back seat.

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Source: TechCrunch