ICTV(TM) to Demonstrate Industry's First Personalized Video Mosaic Solution at CableLabs(R) Winter Conference

ICTV(TM) to Demonstrate Industry's First Personalized Video Mosaic Solution at CableLabs(R) Winter Conference

LOS GATOS, Calif., Feb. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- ICTV(TM), creator of solutions for the delivery and distribution of personalized television content, today announced that it will demonstrate the first subscriber-customizable video mosaic for improved video-rich navigation next week at the CableLabs(R) Winter Conference in Colorado Springs.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060221/PHTU017 )

ICTV's mosaic solution, the initial result of its recent merger with Switched Media(TM), will enable cable system operators, programmers and integrators to deploy the video industry's first interactive multichannel mosaics that can be aligned to reflect individual subscribers' viewing preferences. In addition to providing live video from, and navigation through, multiple channels simultaneously, the ICTV technology will enable personal mosaics to be assembled by subscriber, operator or programmer choice, or via system response to subscriber viewing habits, all on any digital set- top box.

During the February 26-28 conference at The Broadmoor, ICTV will show how its technology enables subscribers to create tailored navigational mosaics. The demonstration will include compilation of six live video feeds from a large group of channels, navigation and channel selection via the mosaic, and insertion of new favorites into the mosaic to meet changes in viewing needs. ICTV also will demonstrate the capability of blending interactive elements, including targeted advertising, within the mosaic screens.

"Customized mosaics enable video rich navigation, which is the ultimate personal TV experience," said Jeff Miller, president and CEO of ICTV. "As more and more content choices become available to consumers from multiple sources, the ability to help them find and choose programming of interest is imperative. ICTV's personalized mosaic technologies meet viewers' needs while offering operators, programmers and advertisers the opportunity to interact one on one with each subscriber."

Using standard rack-mounted PC hardware and operating systems, InStream(TM) live stream processing technology acquired with Switched Media cost-effectively creates video tiles and composites them in real time into a single stream of video, along with Web elements, tickers and navigational buttons. ICTV technology can create hundreds of personalized mosaics in a single computer blade, creating a cost-effective, highly scalable solution. The mosaic streams, which contain audio for all tiles and the metadata necessary to enable channel tuning, require minimal network resources - as little as one fifth of the bandwidth of a broadcast channel or VOD stream and only the channel tuning and return path capabilities from any digital set-top box.

Unlike proprietary solutions, the ICTV mosaic solution is supported by standard Web tools and infrastructure, providing designers of video rich navigation the full pallet of colors, graphics and interactive elements that are available on the Internet. ICTV provides the enabling infrastructure that allows subscriber interaction with all of the mosaic elements, including programming, information and navigational options, as well as advertisements that are targeted, auditable and interactive.

About ICTV(TM)

ICTV(TM) offers a network-based solution for the delivery of Web-driven content to cable and IPTV subscribers. The company's HeadendWare(R) platform enables programmers to deliver the highest quality interactive television experience - including animation, high-fidelity audio, and live and Web video. Using ICTV technology, programmers and advertisers can deliver a limitless array of personalized content and advertising, all developed and managed with open Web tools, technology, and talent. The company is based in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, with offices in Baltimore and the United Kingdom. Strategic investors include Liberty Media, Motorola, OpenTV and Lauder Partners. For more information, visit http://www.ictv.com/.

HeadendWare is a registered trademark and ICTV, Switched Media and InStream are trademarks of ICTV, Inc.

CableLabs is a registered trademark of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc.

An equipment or technology demonstration at a CableLabs' event does not constitute CableLabs' endorsement of that equipment or technology.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060221/PHTU017
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: ICTV

CONTACT: Paul Schneider, PSPR, Inc., +1-215-702-9784, pspr@att.net, for
ICTV

Web site: http://www.ictv.com/

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