ActiveVideo President and CEO Calls on Industry to 'Join The Cloud'

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 11, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The president and CEO of ActiveVideo Networks™ yesterday called on the media, entertainment and CE communities to agree on a single, unified platform for the delivery of Web video to the television.

At the NewTeeVee Live conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, ActiveVideo's Jeff Miller outlined how "Platform Chaos" -- the fragmentation of countless video devices and technologies -- must be overcome in order to accelerate the rollout and monetization of compelling interactive and Web-to-TV services.  

Encouraging all facets of the industry to "join the cloud," Miller talked about how the scramble to develop competing, proprietary solutions has created confusion and complexity that impacts the ability of content developers and consumers to connect.  Miller stressed that placing intelligence in the network cloud, instead of in the CE device or digital set-top box, would enable developers to write content once and deploy universally to any device, and would relieve consumers of the challenge of identifying, purchasing and integrating new equipment for their home theater systems.

"Today, content companies are on the horns of a dilemma," said Miller.  "They can write content for a select number of devices, which of course limits distribution, or they can invest incredible resources to make sure that content runs on every version of every device.  What the industry and consumers really need is a cloud-based solution that simplifies development and increases consumer choice."

According to Miller, adoption of a solution such as ActiveVideo's CloudTV™ would provide a common platform that would lift restrictions on the number and types of applications available, as well as the ability to port content across multiple devices.  In a cloud-based system, Web-based applications, social media, user interfaces and other content is processed in the network and streamed to any device.

"We all agree that what's going to drive our industry forward is the ability to view and engage with any content on any device," said Miller.  "Fragmentation of platforms and devices is keeping everybody -- service providers, CE manufacturers, content providers, programmers, advertisers and consumers -- from realizing the full potential of Web video and interactivity.  What's needed is for all of the players to 'join the cloud' by coming together to embrace a true One Platform approach that will benefit the entire industry."

About ActiveVideo Networks

ActiveVideo Networks is the world leader in cloud-based interactive services that are redefining television (iTV 2.0).  The company's network-centric approach simply and inexpensively enables expanded programming, navigation and advertising possibilities, allowing viewers to define and share their TV experiences.  ActiveVideo combines Web-based media and targeted, clickable advertisements with the high-quality video, immediate responsiveness and remote control navigation of television for uniform interactivity across all digital and IPTV set-tops, CI+ enabled televisions, and broadband-connected CE devices. ActiveVideo Networks is based in the heart of Silicon Valley, with offices in Los Angeles, Baltimore and Hilversum, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.activevideo.com; find us at www.facebook.com/ActiveVideoNetworks; follow us at www.twitter.com/activevideo; view our videos at www.youtube.com/AVCloudTV.

SOURCE ActiveVideo Networks