14 DAY TRIAL // When Apple pundit John Gruber says “something big is going on with Apple TV in Cupertino,” some eyebrows are bound to rise. Then Brightcove comes along and announces the App Cloud Dual-Screen Solution for Apple TV.
At this point, Tim Cook might as well just come out with the announcement already. But why let all the hype slip away? And what is there really to announce?
Because the centerpiece is not the hardware, but AirPlay. Or so we're led to believe from this new development over at Brightcove.
A global provider of cloud content services, Brightcove has unveiled the App Cloud Dual-Screen Solution for Apple TV which “enables media publishers to develop rich content apps for the iPhone and iPad that simultaneously control content, data and information presented on an HDTV while displaying synchronized content on the iPad or iPhone.”
“The unique dual-screen solution leverages Apple’s AirPlay technology, which allows viewers to use applications that simultaneously present content, interactive options and data on both the touch device and an Apple TV,” says the company.
Citing a national survey of more than 2,000 Web-enabled smartphone users conducted by Razorfish and Yahoo!, Brightcove reveals that “80 percent of respondents are mobile multitasking while watching TV.”
The ability to stream programs to an HDTV while enjoying relevant content on the smartphone / tablet (such as bios, past-season recaps, trivia, photos etc.) is regarded as key to the next-generation of televisions.
Included in the new App Cloud software development kit (SDK) and available to the open source community, Brightcove’s new Dual-Screen App Solution enables content owners to “accelerate time-to-market for building engaging dual-screen experiences with Apple TV and AirPlay.”
Sounds awfully familiar to the late Steve Jobs’ opinions on what it takes to win over people’s living rooms.
Apple pundit John Gruber wrote in a recent blog post, “From what I gathered asking around during WWDC, there was never anything Apple TV-related slated for announcement at WWDC. Something big is going on with Apple TV in Cupertino, but it’s still being cooked.”