What is HyperTV?
HyperTV is a patented software application that enables entertainment programmers and advertisers to seamlessly integrate Internet content and chat functionality into a video program — simultaneously and in real time. Using ACTV's patented software, programmers can "push" Internet URLs (universal resource locators) and chat functionality to viewers/users, enabling an enriched interactive TV/Internet experience. This functionality enables programmers to enrich the entertainment experience by providing additional information, chatting, playing games — all in reference to the program they are watching. More importantly for media companies, HyperTV also enables interactive and highly targeted advertising, and integrated e-commerce applications.
Examples of a HyperTV Enriched Programming
As described in detail in earlier research, ACTV has corporate alliances with TCI, FOX Sports Net, and Liberty Media. We are anticipating the roll-out of ACTV's Individualized Television technology in the sports entertainment market within months, as well as additional HyperTV enriched programming from TCI's The Box Music Network. Examples of HyperTV enriched programming in sports and music entertainment markets are below:
Sports: During the telecast of a live basketball game, HyperTV will allow the programmer to push a stream of web addresses, in synch with the video, to provide additional content from the Internet. This could include statistics on key players, interactive sports trivia questions about the teams and players, the web sites of fan clubs, recent articles on the players, and e-commerce applications like the ability to buy team jerseys, or autographed basketballs.
Music: During a telecast of a concert, the HyperTV viewers would receive a stream of web addresses for additional content — again, simultaneously and in synch with the video. Viewers could access the lyrics to the songs, bios on the artists, the band's website, the fan club's site, or a site offering concert related merchandise like CDs, DVD or apparel.
HyperTV enables the convergence of cable TV and the Internet now. Anyone with a browser that enables video can receive HyperTV. The video will appear in the browser, together with the enhanced Internet content, whether streamed over the web, a CD-rom, DVD or if the video comes from a TV tuner card. Otherwise, the video can appear on the television while the enhanced web content appears on the computer.
What is proprietary about HyperTV?
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ACTV invented HyperTV in 1995, and owns the rights to the technology. ACTV has been awarded patents pertaining to provision of video over the Internet, and integration with other information. In particular, ACTV has been awarded patents on systems that integrate and display video with information retrieved from the Internet, including URLs, or web addresses. The patents were acknowledged by personnel from Liberty Media in announcements pertaining to their recent investment, and we believe they will be a significant source of value to ACTV in the future as it commercializes its technology, either directly or through licensing agreements. We believe this week's acquisition of the Wolzien patent significantly enhances ACTV's patent position, and greatly enhances shareholder value.
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