Panasonic, ABOX42, IBM, Specific Media and TechniSat Join Smart TV Alliance

Related: Smart TV

Smart TV Alliance announced today that five new industry-leading manufacturers and solution providers joined the Alliance to stimulate cross-platform Smart TV applications and services. Consumers will enjoy a richer Smart TV experience with 3D video, the highest quality video and audio, and the greatest variety of content with applications created from a new software development kit (SDK) for 2013 TVs from global manufacturers.

New Smart TV Alliance members include manufacturers Panasonic, ABOX42 and TechniSat, and solution providers IBM and Specific Media. They recognize the need for and value in being able to develop and provide apps across multiple platforms and join Alliance founders LG Electronics, TP Vision and Toshiba, as well as Obigo, Qualcomm Incorporated and YuMe, in creating a non-proprietary ecosystem for application developers to create attractive, platform-independent services.

"Smart TV Alliance members are repairing a fragmented market opportunity for app developers and TV manufacturers, creating the best Smart TV experience for consumers," said Richard Choi, president of Smart TV Alliance from founding member LG Electronics. "Now app developers can concentrate on doing what they do best. Instead of chasing down each manufacturer's individual requirements and compliance process, they can make the most out of their creative energy by developing innovative applications and services."

The upcoming SDK captures the latest trends and features available to app developers so they will be able to deliver the most current and exciting apps for 2013 Smart TVs from LG, TP Vision and Toshiba. The new SDK features include:

For 2013 Smart TVs:

Richer applications available from upgraded HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript specifications
3D video
MPEG-DASH support with more reliable audio and video quality with less stuttering and freezing
More and better content choices with updated digital rights management (DRM) features that reflect DRM requirements from content owners

For application developers:

New common emulator allows developers to test an application once to ensure it will work with Smart TV Alliance member televisions
Application compliance checking tool enables developers to test compliance automatically with Smart TV Alliance cross-platform requirements
Advanced debug tools help developers solve application problems faster and more easily