LG Electronics' Advanced Pro:Centric® TV Platform Expands Hospitality Application Ecosystem

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill., Nov. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The industry leader in hotel- and guest-centric display and content delivery solutions, LG Electronics USA announced today the expansion of its Pro:Centric^® development licensee program with the introduction of HTML5 support, enabling a number of key development licensees with unique in-room interactive applications to migrate to the Pro:Centric platform.  

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Already a launching pad for some of the most popular Java- and Flash-based content applications available in the market, the Pro:Centric platform expands the choice of interactive applications available to U.S. hoteliers thanks to the HTML5 capability on its new LT770H LED TV series. LG authorized application providers now offering integrated applications on LG TVs represent a range of leading U.S. and international hospitality content and service provider companies, including Acentic, Guest-Tek^™, LodgeNet^® Interactive Corporation, Nevotek^™, and Swisscom Hospitality Services, Inc.

"Adding HTML5 capability to the Pro:Centric platform has enabled LG's hospitality customers in the U.S. to access a variety of unique IPTV applications already mainstream in the European hospitality industry," said LG's Richard Lewis, senior vice president, research and technology at Zenith, the U.S. R&D subsidiary of LG Electronics. "Through these new development relationships, LG is delivering the widest choice of smart applications designed to provide an enhanced in-room experience for hotel guests, and increased ROI (return on investment) for property owners and operators."

Smart Applications to Enhance Guest Satisfaction

Many of the new applications developed using HTML5 leverage its ability to handle multimedia and graphical content without the need for proprietary plug-ins.

With the Pro:Centric platform's ability to run standards-based applications and the inherent two-way capabilities of integrated IPTV, LG's latest LT770H TVs can integrate set-top box functionality, reducing the hardware and support costs of the overall solution to the hotelier. Systems integrators also have developed web-based content offerings and can take advantage of built-in Wi-Fi to connect guests' mobile devices and tablets with targeted applications such as over-the-top (OTT) video content, games, TV program guides, and local and hotel amenity information.

Examples of new applications developed for Pro:Centric and capitalizing on the benefits of  HTML5 include:

Panorama SMART – Panorama SMART from Acentic delivers advanced guest services and functionalities through an extended HTML5 application portfolio, internet connectivity, IPTV, radio and TV channels, selected web-based content and interactive TV on Acentic's Core GUI+, powered by the Acentic Cloud services. The flexible Panorama SMART solution runs over any IP network and transforms the television set into an all-in-one communication tool replacing the set-top box and all cabling with sophisticated software applications while significantly reducing hotelier costs.

OneView Media – As a certified solution provider, Guest-Tek delivers OneView Media to the Pro:Centric platform. In addition to high-speed Internet, HD video-on-demand and  HD IPTV services, OneView also supports  IP (Internet Protocol) Telephony and offers a robust menu and communications platform to hoteliers. OneView runs on a converged IP network over Ethernet and coax and is capable of supporting a wide range of other revenue generating applications as well.

Envision – The industry's premier cloud-based interactive HDTV platform from LodgeNet Interactive Corporation, Envision connects guests to the things that are important to their travel experience; like Hotel Information, In-Room Dining and an Interactive Program Guide. When combined with the integrated LG IPTV Pro:Centric sets, Envision can offer a cost effective, IP solution, without the requirement of an in-room computer.

Univision – Developed by Nevotek for Pro:Centric, Univision is a state-of-the-art, IPTV video-on-demand guest services system for the hospitality market. The integrated application operates from a central database using a Windows 2008 server, and includes: PMS & IPTV integration, IPTV wake-up system, guest services, music- and video-on-demand server integration, TV channels, weather, hotel and city guides, do-no-disturb, bill balance/view bill, quick checkout, VOD and electronic program guide, in addition to optional guest loyalty program add-ons.

ConnectedHotel TV – An award-winning application developed by Swisscom Hospitality Services in conjunction with LG, ConnectedHotel TV is a ground-breaking in-room entertainment system offering HDTV, VoD, Internet access and interactive guest services through one single device, on one network IP infrastructure. The integrated application enables a hybrid channel setup, combining digital terrestrial, satellite and cable TV broadcasting with IPTV channels, including web radios as well as external audio equipment. Moreover, it allows hoteliers to feature web-based guest services on the TV screen such as in-room controls, weather forecasts, hotel applications such as room service, news portals, stock exchange data, social networking, video sharing and other popular sites.

With more than 1 million Pro:Centric TVs deployed worldwide, LG's Pro:Centric platform represents an industry-leading interactive platform for the lodging industry. "The widespread availability of Pro:Centric-enabled TVs and now HTML5 support provide an exciting opportunity for system integrators as well as our mutual customers, leading hospitality companies," said Lewis.

For more information on Pro:Centric and LG hospitality solutions, please visit: www.lgsolutions.com.

Designs, features and specifications subject to change without notice.

About LG Electronics USA

The LG Electronics USA Home Electronics Business-to-Business (LG B2B) division serves customers in the U.S. lodging and hospitality, digital signage, systems integration, healthcare, education, government and industrial markets. Based in Lincolnshire, Ill., with its dedicated engineering and customer support team, LG B2B delivers technology solutions tailored to the particular needs of business environments. LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a $49 billion global force in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications. LG Electronics is a 2012 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year.  For more information, please visit www.LGSolutions.com.

LG development licensees running integrated Pro:Centric applications represent a range of hospitality content and service providers – including Acentic, a global provider of hotel technology solutions that connect, engage and entertain guests in hotels; Guest-Tek^™, the world's largest provider of HSIA and IPTV solutions for the hospitality industry; LodgeNet^® Interactive Corporation, the leading provider of interactive media and connectivity services to hospitality businesses and the consumers they serve; Nevotek^™, a leading unified communications and business solutions provider utilizing IP networks; and Swisscom Hospitality Services, Inc., global leader in IT consulting and broadband technology provider for more than 2,300 hotels in 37 countries.

SOURCE LG Electronics USA