LG Electronics Expands 'Second Screen' TV Ecosystem With Open-Source, Multi-Platform 'Connect SDK'

SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Electronics is making Connect SDK, an open source software development kit, available to Google Android™ and iOS® developers to extend their mobile experience across tens of millions of big TV screens around the world.

By unifying device discovery and connectivity across multiple television platforms, Connect SDK is the first to truly address the complexity associated with implementing second screen capabilities while reaching the largest installed base of smart TVs and connected devices. For consumers, this means that LG's new Smart TVs, powered by the webOS platform, as well as other popular TV devices, will be able to connect and interact with more mobile apps – further enhancing their second screen television experience.

Using Connect SDK, application developers can connect their mobile applications with 2014 LG webOS Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs from 2012 and 2013, Roku®, Google Chromecast™, and Amazon Fire TV devices:

• Mobile applications with photos, videos, and audio can beam media to four TV platforms. Applications with YouTube videos can beam them to all LG Smart TVs dating back to 2012, Roku 3, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, and most DIAL-enabled devices.
• Developers can build TV-optimized web applications and media viewers and use them across LG webOS Smart TVs and Google Chromecast.
• TV application developers can use their mobile apps to promote the existence of their TV app on 2014 LG webOS Smart TVs and 2013 LG Smart TVs, as well as Roku devices.

Samuel Chang, LG Electronics USA vice president and head of the LG Silicon Valley Lab, sees seamless multi-device connectivity as a big opportunity for app developers and consumers alike. "Connect SDK is breaking down barriers to enable apps and devices to work together harmoniously. The screen size, capabilities and social nature of Smart TVs enable experiences that consumers will absolutely love."

"We've already invested in making the best personal media viewing experience on the big screen across multiple platforms," said Scott Olechowski, Chief Product Officer and co-founder of Plex. "With Connect SDK, we were able to quickly extend that Plex experience to LG Smart TVs and we are now exploring ways we can integrate unique webOS capabilities."

"The best way to enjoy your music collection with those around you is musiXmatch," said Massimo Ciociola, CEO and founder of musiXmatch. "TV by nature is a social device, and we've spent a lot of time thinking about the best way to extend a big screen experience to our mobile users. The opportunity that is available with Connect SDK made the decision a very obvious one."

Connect SDK further demonstrates LG's commitment to the open web, exemplified by the introduction of its webOS Smart TVs representing a new generation of TVs powered by the web. Connect SDK's unique cross-platform solution enables web developers to build multi-device experiences across multiple television platforms for the first time. 

Connect SDK for iOS, Android and Cordova/PhoneGap plugins are available immediately at http://ConnectSDK.com under Apache License 2.0.

Android is a trademark of Google Inc.
Roku and Roku Ready are registered trademarks and the Roku Streaming Stick is a trademark of Roku, Inc. in the U.S. and in other countries.
IOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. and other countries and is used under license.
Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

About LG Electronics USA
LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a $52 billion global force and technology leader in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications. In the United States, LG Electronics sells a range of stylish and innovative home entertainment products, mobile phones, home appliances, commercial displays, air conditioning systems and solar energy solutions, all under LG's "Life's Good" marketing theme. LG Electronics is a 2014 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year. For more information, please visit www.lg.com.

About Plex
Plex organizes all your personal media, wherever you keep it, so you can enjoy it on any device. Plex allows effortless content streaming to a wide range of devices, including Mac, Windows 8, Linux, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and many more. For more information, please visit https://plex.tv/

About musiXmatch
Available on iOS, Android, WP8, desktop Mac, W8 and Spotify, musiXmatch is currently the world's largest official lyrics catalogue with more than 20,000,000 users worldwide and is the primary destination on mobile and connected devices for song lyrics. musiXmatch is also available for developers, OEMs, and music services as a lyrics API, which allows them to build their own service without being concerned with licensing agreements. musiXmatch has secured worldwide agreement with top music publishers, such as Universal Publishing, Emi Publishing, Sony ATV, BMG, Warner Chappel, PeerMusic and thousands of indie publishers through Harry Fox Agency. For more information, please visit http://musixmatch.com/

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SOURCE LG Electronics USA, Inc.