OpenTV made several announcements at the NCTA National Show in San Francisco, among them news of support for Flash through an extension from Bluestreak.
The agreement will enable OpenTV to distribute the Bluestreak software, which provides support for the Macromedia Flash format, as an extension to OpenTV’s Core middleware.
The Bluestreak Digital Entertainment Middleware, or DEM, enables user interface, navigation and applications to be designed with standard tools, supplemented with a development toolkit.
“We are enthusiastic about providing OpenTV with a powerful graphics platform and development tools for interactive television content,” said John Reed, the chief executive of Bluestreak Network. “The OpenTV platform serves one of the broadest audiences in the industry. We are committed to deliver the highest quality interactive experience for personal media, from creation of content, ease of deployment, to the end user interface.”
Broadband iTV
OpenTV also announced a deal with Broadband iTV in Hawaii, which develops interactive services that allow individuals and groups to publish content on their local cable television service. The company says that giving viewers the ability to create and manage their own local content via interactive television is seen as a potentially important means for the cable industry to retain and grow its subscriber base.
Milton Diaz, chief technology officer for BBiTV said the partnership will also accelerate the development of functionality through access to the resources of OpenTV and its relationships with key technology providers.
The applications will be marketed by OpenTV, with an initial focus on cable operators in the United States. In addition to the distribution partnership, OpenTV is making an investment in BBiTV and will be represented on their board.
In other news from OpenTV, the company announced the appointment of Arata Hirao as general manager and director of their operations in Japan to help drive growth in that market.