An intelligent personal television service is being created by the television guide arm of publisher Axel Springer and Aprico, a technology venture of Philips. It will initially be available for Microsoft Windows Vista Media Center from November. It has secured its first advertising partner in Mercedes-Benz.
The service allows the creation of personal television channels from conventional television programmes and internet video offerings. The intelligent and adaptable system uses programme information from Axel Springer Digital TV Guide and software recommendation technology from Aprico.
Founded in 2008, Aprico is based in Eindhoven in the Netherlands and a technology venture of Royal Philips Electronics. The recommendation technology finds, filters and delivers programming from different media to the television screen to provide personalised entertainment and advertising.
The viewer creates specific personal channels next to existing channels, either using an existing “seed” programme, by explicitly setting a profile, or by downloading a channel configured by a third party.
The system was on show at the IFA international consumer electronics fair in Berlin and will also be shown at IBC in Amsterdam.
“At IFA we are showing new features of our TV Pack as well as several new solutions from partners for Windows Vista Media Center,” said Isabell Scheuber of Microsoft in Germany. “With My Personal TV Digital from Axel Springer and Aprico users will have an even larger choice of attractive and interesting multimedia applications.”