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Enhanced TV Applications Video Vault
UK
Diners on BBC Choice (OpenTV) ( 9 Mb)
Some people are actively criticising the BBC's
interactive TV teams for not having actually developed any interactive services. Why? Well
its not entirely true, but many of BBCi's services are not based on pages and pages of
text and still images or clever return path usage, but on the delivery of multiple streams
of video. These streams are simply cross-linked and offer small amounts of text and
interactivity. After all, interactive TV is all about television!
Now I hadn't heard about the "Diners" programme being interactive until it was demonstrated at a conference but I did make the effort to check out the service recently only to find that there was no indication either from the continuity announcer or on screen that the programme was interactive. Pressing the red button did launch the interactive service and I did however manage to find a link also in the BBC's i-Bar - but neither were obvious.
Launching the interactive service allows the viewer to surf between the four tables of diners in a restaurant using the colour keys. (Four seperate video streams) You can follow their conversations and move onto another table if they become boring. Because the linear nature of those 4 streams - it can be hit and miss finding an interesting bit - but maybe one day with PVR's you will be able to jump to it using in-built meta-data.
The "OpenTV" interactivity appears when you press the "i" button on the Sky Remote which pulls up a special profile screen giving you background information on the each of the participants.
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UK
Big Brother on E4/Channel4 (OpenTV) ( 8 Mb)
The new series of Big
Brother commenced towards the end of May 2002 with a 24 hour multiple stream feed
accessible via a red button call-to-action which features semi-permanently on E4 and
occasionally Channel 4 during Big Brother programming.
Interactivity via the Sky platform is a little more ambitious this year with
viewers first reaching a menu screen that leads to a variety of services including what is
effectively the same Mosaic/Vote application as was used last year, a Big Brother Quiz
(bearing a striking resemblance to other Sky Interactive Quizzes) opportunities to bet on
events in the house with Surrey Sports and in the Sky Gamestar area a brand new Pac-Man
style Big Brother "Pay-per-Play" game charged at 50 p via a premium rate drop
call. It seems Channel 4 have relied very much on the iTV resources of Sky themselves
including significant re-use of existing application templates. This is not surprising
given the timescales required for new application code to be fully tested against the
entire Sky STB environment.
Our main video here features the navigation of the 4 mini video windows which include A & B feeds plus 2 further windows that can be changes dynamically depending on events. In addition a "Revelations" ticker is featured at the bottom of the screen. The vote option is accessed from this screen. This video also features the Big Brother Quiz. We have additionally provided the Big Brother 2 game in our games section. (Games).
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France
Loftstory2 on Canal Satellite (Mediahighway) (1.7 Mb)
The primary aim of this
service is to allow Canal Satellite France's viewers to participate in a vote to influence
who leaves the loft (Big Brother style format). However in addition some simple news pages
have been added which are updated on a daily basis - plus there is what is effectively a
video hyperlink through to channel 89 - which is where the Loft Story PPV service is
broadcast. Viewers who subscribe to the special event are able to follow events in the
loft 24 hours per day.
France
MCM Infoclip on Canal Satellite France (Mediahighway) (5 Mb)
I should have added this application to the video
vault nearly 2 years ago when this application first launched, however here it is at last.
MCM is the main rival to MTV in the French market and has a well established audience.
This application allows MCM's viewers to consult what the current, previous and next videos to be played on the channel plus find our additional info on each artist.
Other info includes schedule highlights, tour info etc.
The interface at first glance is a little difficult to navigate - being predominantly icon based and the navigation logic is fairly unique - but after a while - the fairly minimalist style is appreciated - particularly where you don't want the interactivity to interfere with the video.
Its also probably more appreciated by MCM's core youth audience!
France
Paris Premiere Interactif (Mediahighway) (4.1 Mb)
Its a pity that a Paris
Premiere channel doesn't exist in a similar form in the UK.
It has some pretty innovative programmes that make the most of France's culture. You should definitely check out Paris Derniere - which looks at French night life in an unique way.
This enhanced TV application, accessed by a
fairly large banner that is annoying, but easily removed, provides the viewer with a
simple guide to the night's viewing, plus 
supporting
addresses for its MAPS programme - a show which looks at interesting places to go and
visit. There is also a film review section.
Design is simple - the channel has obviously thought about the kind of content that is relevant in a service like this and also how to minimise the application overlay's impact on general viewing. My only criticism is that its not possible to have a lot of text in the content window- so even short items need a fair amount of scrolling.
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UK
Nickelodeon UK Football Week Vote (OpenTV) (4.6 Mb)
Using virtually the same template as "Watch
your own Week" (See Below) Nickelodeon used the Easter school holidays to capture its
audience and offer them the opportunity to vote for their favourite striker.
Votes cost 25 pence - and although a message tells the viewers that they are only able to vote once - the connection still appears to go through.
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UK
Stay Tooned Quiz on Sky Active/Sky One (OpenTV)
(Offline, Available on Request)
This simple quiz engine
would appear to have been used many times before on the Sky platform - it has the ability
to randomly select 6 questions from a pre-defined pool of questions - and providing the
viewer gets a certain level of questions right, then goes online to get a further question
in the "bonus round" and be entered into a draw.
Naturally, this incurs a fee - with a 75 pence per minute call lasting 1.5 minutes.
You will also see from the video that the quiz is not just household, but user specific -
if any viewers in the home have already build up their profile in a kind of iTV wallet
Fortunately, the video continues to be available in 1/4 screen mode once the application has launched allowing the viewer to continue to enjoy "The Simpsons" or whatever other programming they may have been watching.
UK
Antiques Roadshow Interactive (OpenTV) (5.5Mb)
Whether rebranded or syndicated for other markets,
Antiques Roadshow from the BBC has been running for many years and captures the attention
of a wide cross-section of the audience. This simple enhancement produced by TwoWayTV for
the BBC shows how play along elements can significantly enhance viewer enjoyment and
loyalty. Unlike other iTV services, this one doesn't feature a revenue generating premium
rate call to "submit your high score" - but there's no reason why it couldn't.
Another interesting fact is that this application has significantly extended the reach of
the programme with interactivity bringing in a younger audience to the show.
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UK
Sky News Active on Sky Digital (OpenTV) (7Mb)
Sky News Active has been relaunched to include 8 selectable video
streams instead of the 4 that were included in the original application. (see
BroadbandBananas video vault) A similar interface (also with 8 screens) is used in the
customer service application on channel 998.
Once in the News Active Service, pressing (1) will take you to the 8 separate video
windows which can be highlighted using the remote control's left, right, up and down keys.
Pressing select expands the chosen window to 1/4 screen size. Key's 2-5 bring up text news
with the chosen video still in view. (2) is for the "Top Stories" (3) for Sport,
(4) for Money and (5) for weather. Pressing (6) gives you a choice of tickers.
Pressing blue allows you to jump out of the main News
Active application and email Sky News directly.
Some things do however indicate that the testing of this application might have been
accelerated as some errors seem to still exist - including the mask over the video windows
still remaining once the application has been exited back to full screen video.
Voting remains a key part of the service. Results released in May 2003 showed that there have been over 3.3 million votes on Sky News Active since its launch in March 2001.
Each vote costs 25 pence - with a new vote introduced every day.
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UK
MTV Hits Interactive on Sky Digital (OpenTV) (4.5Mb)
MTV's latest interactive application runs on
MTV Hits - a digital only version of MTV that only shows videos and who has its primary
reach in the UK. The application is being heavily promoted on air (see Promos & Marketing Section) - and uses a discreet call to
action in-vision which invites the viewer to interact.
Once the service has launched, viewers can see news/gossip, enter a quiz draw (50 pence per entry) or stick simple bitmap "stickers" at 8 pre-determined locations on screen. It remains to be seen however, how compelling the sticker feature will be in the longer term, however there are typically 3,000 quiz entries per day.
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Spain
Operacion Triunfo on CSD Spain (Mediahighway) (4.5Mb)
Similar to the French Star Academy format,
(see below) Operacion Triunfo follows a group of people through the trials and
tribulations of becoming a star - with a major difference. The winner of the show will go
on to represent Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest. This magazine style application,
accessible from a banner call to action - or from the OK Plus portal - provides rich
background on the show.
For more info on CSD and their services, contact: scortes@sogecable.com
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UK
New Season of Banzai on E4 (OpenTV) (Different File Sizes)
Now in its second series, and
with an updated application, Banzai allows the viewer at home to interact with the show
through betting. Banzai's simple concept and lively on air presence (I'm keen to see
what our Japanese readers make of this) continues to pull in viewers.
For those of you not familiar with the format, the programme is a game of probability where viewers get to bet on one of 3 or 4 outcomes.
The updated Banzai gives the viewer their own score (instead of a percentage sucess rate in the previous application) and the viewer can now choose to submit - (via a premium rate connection) to a Banzai leader board with the chance to win prizes.
Sadly inputting your name and telephone number into the leader board with your remote control is a really painful process.
Here we present a couple of the games. In all Banzai games the viewer can participate with by using the number keys on their remote control.
Where's Willie Wheelie Wager (5.80Mb)
Lady One Question (4.73Mb)
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UK
BBC Interactive's Walking With Beasts (OpenTV) (Different Sizes)
It
certainly takes a great deal of commitment commercially, technically and logistically to
deliver an interactive programme such as Walking With Beasts - not only is it an
enhancement to the regular scheduled programme - with 4 different supporting video streams
- the programme is also constantly played on a loop 24/24 during the week in case viewers
miss the main showing or wish to explore the detail of the programme at their leisure. One
can only begin to imagine the possibilities of such a programme when the STB has a hard
disk for local storage.
In addition to the programme main feature (which offers a choice of technical or regular soundtracks) on this website we are presenting the 3 different key sections of the Walking With Beasts programme which can be called up at any time using the remote colour keys. (Click on the image above to see the viewer guide!)
1) Facts
Press Green to call up factoids during the entirety of the programme
2) Evidence
Press yellow for detailed "evidence" elements throughout the programme
3) Making Of
Press Blue to see selected "Making Of" features throughout the programme
All in all this service is a unique and brave attempt to prove what is possible without strict limits to bandwidth whilst at the same time integrating iTV production with the production values of regular linear television.
Walking With Beasts deservedly achieved a BAFTA award - long before the service was broadcast!
UK
BBCi Video News (OpenTV) (2.03Mb)
It would be wrong to say this service is a copy of Sky News Active as the
BBC have been providing a text based interactive news service on digital TV for a number
of years now. However the addition of multiple video streams accessible throughout the day
makes good use of the BBC's extensive resources. This application features a loop of News
Headlines, Sports News, Weather and more in depth coverage of a live or breaking news
story.
UK
Discovery Mastermind (OpenTV) (4.84Mb)
The Discovery Channel's revival
of this classic British quiz show has been enhanced by the development of a full
synchronised interactive quiz which the viewer can play along with. Timing in this
application is critical and the opportunity to answer is taken away immediately once the
contestant gives his own answer in the video.
In order to make the programme revenue
generating, viewers have 
the opportunity to enter their scores by
making a premium rate modem connection. The application says it may take up to 3 minutes
to submit the score. It is not clear if this is because of the volume of information the
box is sending back - or because there is a scalability issue as large numbers of scores
are being submitted at the same time.
France
MTV EMA Voting on Canal Satellite (Mediahighway) (2.7 Mb)
MTV's European Music Awards in recent years
have put the focus on local artists - . For the category "Best French Act" MTV
have employed an interactive voting application created using NPTV's Bando tool.
Calls are charged at FF 2.22 per call. Approx 40 cents (US$).
The application is noteworthy for its clear and simple design and because of the element of synchronisation involved in the service.
The application is triggered by MTV's playout centre to only launch the voting application application when a EMA nominated video is played.
The application can be worked through very quickly - voting taking a matter of seconds but for demonstration purposes we have pressed the "+" button in our recording to show the various rules, disclaimers etc.
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Australia
Nickelodeon Interactive Portal on Austar (OpenTV) (6.6Mb)
This interactive portal broadcast on
Australian digital TV platform Austar can be called up in a semi-transparent half screen
mode by hitting the OK button.
The service is an extension of content that can currently be found on the web - but offers a distinctive "Message Machine Nickerticker" and other news/info types of services.
A killer application (at least amongst Nickelodeon's core audience) is the ZAP button. Press green on the remote control and the screen goes crazy. That's all it does - but it was such a popular feature that kids constantly had their fingers on the green button. The solution - after each zap there is a pause of several seconds before the button is activated again!
The Bored Games section is also particularly innovative - one suggestion is to count how many times you fart during the day! Innovative stuff!
UK
Nickelodeon UK's
Watch Your Own Week (OpenTV) (3.14Mb)
Nickelodeon UK has taken a highly simple
approach to interactivity running this voting application during the UK half term school
holidays. Watch your own week allows the viewers to choose the next programme to air on
the channel - and offers multiple methods including telephone, SMS and now interactive TV.
The application doesn't take up the whole screen real estate - and the voting screen is perhaps a little ugly in design compared to what Nickelodeon UK's online team are capable of.
The banner confirming the vote has been received (at the bottom of the screen) is something I haven't seen before in other applications.
Running from 22-28 October 2001, "Watch your own Week" saw 293,403 votes received through the set-top-box, representing 55.1% of the total number of votes received. (Votes could, be sent via Sky digital, SMS, phone or web).
UK
Studio Disney on Sky Digital (OpenTV) (8Mb)
In sharp contrast to the simple voting
application of Nickelodeon (which has a limited lifespan of a couple of weeks) the Studio
Disney application is an all singing, all dancing mix of voting, competitions and content
presented as a full screen application - with the video resized to 1/4 screen. Perhaps
rather worrying for parents -the cost of voting or entering a competition can range from
25 - 50 UK pence - and there are 3 opportunities to dial in using this application. A
figure that could add up quite considerably on a daily basis.
In this video we've edited out some of the wait time to register the vote - which was relatively slow - but that's a fact of life when you are waiting for a STB to dial in, handshake, connect and register your details.
Interestingly - the application makes use of the user profiling so that individuals in a household (rather than just the subscription payer) can be tracked.
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France
Star Academy on Canal Satellite (Mediahighway) (3.91Mb)
Formats, formats, formats!
Its Loft Story, Popstars & Big Brother all rolled into one! Canal Satellite
viewers in France can follow the lives of a group of prospective stars who are living
their lives 24 hours a day in front of the camera all for just 70 French Francs (approx
$10) which covers the 3 months the transmissions will run on channel 89.
The
voting application is provided using IDP's RegieLine. Impulse subscriptions to the channel
are facilitated through the Canal Satellite "Kioske" PPV infrastructure. This
allows views to charge the programme to their main subscription account, or directly to
their credit card by inserting it in the decoder's credit card reader. Credit card readers
are included on most Mediahighway STB's.
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Sweden
Baren (TV3 Sweden) (OpenTV) (5.26Mb)
Many
of the more fashionable programming formats modelled on shows like Big Brother are ripe
for exploitation in the interactive space.
This application to accompany the "Baren" (The Bar) programme on TV3 (Viasat Platform) allows the viewer to browse the profiles of the show's participants.
Since the return path has not yet been fully enabled on the platform for iTV, no voting is possible - but the application is simple and clearly structured.
Rather than being scheduled to appear only during the programme, the application is available 24/24 via the Viasat Portal. (See still below)
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Denmark
ROFL Enhanced TV Overview (OpenTV) (See file sizes below)
Nombre D'Or Winner at IBC 2001 for
Best Enhanced TV Programme
Find
out more about one of the first truly live enhanced TV shows simultaneously broadcast on
TDC’s cable network and Viasat’s satellite network in Scandinavia during spring
2001. The Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) provided the format and VISIONIK
Interactive TV technically realised the show.
ROFL was also recently honoured the EMMA awards for Best Interactive TV application.
ROFL Case Study (Acrobat 316k)
Both the following video files are offline, but available on request.
ROFL
Video Part 1
ROFL Video Part 2
UK
Discovery Shark Weekend (OpenTV) (4.2Mb)
Discovery continue to offer simple supporting information to
their programming on the Sky Digital platform, in this instance with one of their most
sucessful strands. - shark programming. In this service, launched by the remote's red
button you can find out trivia about sharks and test your knowledge in a quiz. The
application also offers programming highlights during this special weekend. Only the
bottom 1/3 of the screen is used for the information, so perhaps surprising that Discovery
decided to go for a full screen service with reduced video window instead of an overlay on
the main video. Also note that the application content is not synchronised with the
programming.
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Australia
Destinations (Liberate) (Flash Demo 65k)
In December 2000, ICE Interactive and free-to-air broadcaster
WIN TV broadcast the first enhanced TV programme in Australia, an episode of
“Destinations in Hong Kong” as part of ICE’s pilot of interactive
television in Orange, New South Wales.
Pilot participants accessed interactive segments of the programme by clicking on an
onscreen prompt broadcast by WIN in the vertical-blanking interval (VBI). Clicking on
these prompts activated the enhanced TV application. Using the infra-red remote control,
viewers navigated through the enhancements such as: Hong Kong history, geography, people
and traditions, cuisine, performing arts, arts and crafts, shopping, where to stay, travel
tips, and getting around.
The interactive content was synchronised with each segment of the TV programme so that
enhancements supplemented the content of the broadcast programme and enhanced the TV
viewing experience.
Two competitions were included in the programme. Pilot participants registered in the
competitions as part of the interactive experience. A one hour chat session, accessed via
the TV screen was also conducted by the host of “Destinations” at the end of the
programme.
UK
Lorraine Quiz (OpenTV) (3.1Mb)
Lorraine
Kelly is a UK "daytime" TV presenter. Her recently launched magazine programme
on Sky One features a simple quiz with randomly selected showbiz trivia questions.
Get 5 out of 6 right and the STB connects (at a whopping 75 pence per minute!) for a further round of questions and the chance to win the prize.
As well as a red "Quiz" bug in the top right hand corner of the screen - there are promos throughout the programme telling the viewer how they can play.
UK
Discovery UK Elvis Enhanced TV (OpenTV) (6.4Mb)
Heavily
promoted in the press and on-air, Discovery's Elvis provided background information for
special documentary programming on the 20th anniversary of Elvis's death.
As with many Enhanced TV services on the Sky Platform - a
1/4 screen video window was chosen rather than overlays on the main video.
See the Full Page Advertising from UK Newspapers Here.
UK
Sky News Active Voting (OpenTV) (1.92Mb)
Sky News Active has recently been upgraded with a
voting application and the whole application launches much more cleanly these days.
Viewers use their remote control to register their vote on a major news issue. Calls go to the backend via a Premium Rate Telephone number - costing the subscriber approx 30 pence and generating revenue for Sky.
Updated Sky News Active (OpenTV) (3.85Mb)
Here we are featuring some more recent video which showcases the remaining core functionality of Sky News Active including the browsing of news headlines & user selectable video streams.
USA
VIP Interactive (Web TV / Ultimate TV ) (13.2 Mb)
Produced by Sony Pictures
SPDE (Digital Entertainment) Group this is one of the few examples of Interactive
Television enhancements to conventional drama programming.
Viewers can vote, play eye spy and follow additional information on the programme.
UK
ITV's Survivor (MHEG) (5.3Mb)
Similar in format to "Big
Brother" Survivor was one of the key prime time programmes of ITV's Spring/Autumn
schedule. Carlton Active, the creators of the service suceeded in pushing the terrible
MHEG system used by the UK DTT platform to its very limits, particularly in the browsable
profiles which seems to work rather effectively.
UK
Sky One's REPS in Ibiza Enhanced TV (OpenTV)
(Offline, Available on Request)
Sky One has produced a number of successful documentaries which follow the
lives of young people on holiday or working in major holiday destinations. One of the
first, "IBIZA Uncovered" has been followed by a number of similar programmes on
holiday destinations such as Greece and Tenerife.
The latest series in this genre "REPS" airs on Sunday Prime-Time and follows the lives of Holiday Reps on the Island of Ibiza. REPS is the first "enhanced" television programme to appear on Sky.
The content isn't synchronised with the video, but it provides supporting background information on the programme and opportunities to interact with Competitions (Approx £1.50 for the STB to call in and play), Quizzes, Voting and an invitation for viewers to submit their own Holiday Stories.
The application does take a while to load, the ticker is pretty jerky and because of the 1/4 screen video, it doesn't have much screen real estate to play with, but it does show what is possible without having to tackle the thorny issues of synchronicity during a programme.
UK
Sky
One's Single Girls Enhanced TV (OpenTV)
(Offline, Available on Request)
Using a similar interface to REPS in Ibiza, Sky One's Single Girls series
allows the viewer to catch up with the previous episode, find out more about the girls
featured in the series, play along in a quiz, enter a pay-to-play competition, send their
comments or shop in a boutique of 10 products associated with the programme.
UK
Big Brother UK (OpenTV) (1.8M)
The Sky
Digital enhanced version of Big Brother launched late, a few weeks into the run of the
last series.
Channel Four's "E4" channel carried some 18 hours per day of the programme and this application was carried alongside for the duration of the series.
The application was been developed by Sky on behalf of Channel Four and is very clearly a reworking of Sky News Active. Similar features such as selection of Multiple Video Streams and Voting are found here with an almost identical interface.
UK
Brit Awards 2001 (MHEG) (Offline, Available on Request)
A
major event in the UK Music Industry Calender, The Brit Awards manages to pull in
significant audiences. Carlton Active produced an enhancement around this programme for
viewers on UK DTT which included a running order, details on the nominations, an
opportunity to buy CD's and enter a competition (magically with no return path!!!)