EL SEGUNDO,CALIF.: DirecTV has recently started field trial testing for its multiroom viewing technology. The DirecTV Home Media Center will provide programming to multiple TVs throughout a household from a single server.
Says DirecTV:
The launch of field trial testing for DirecTV’s model HR34 RVU-enabled server, the heart of the DirecTV Home Media Center, marks a major milestone both for the RVU technology and the new DirecTV platform, which the company plans to begin rolling out nationwide to customers in October 2011.
RVU is a client/server-based technology that allows the television viewer to experience a consistent, pixel accurate server-generated user interface on various consumer electronics devices. The RVU specification uses widely implemented UPnP and DLNA technologies to enable a gateway device such as an advanced set-top box to work with non-proprietary client devices such as connected TVs, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes.
“The DirecTV Home Media Center is going to simplify the way our customers watch television throughout their homes and give them access not only to their favorite content in HD and DVR functionality on each television, but to a consistent, feature rich user interface, no matter what room they are in,” said Romulo Pontual, executive vice president and chief technology officer for DirecTV. “We made a commitment to RVU technology when we joined the RVU Alliance in 2009 and we are excited to see the fruits of the Alliance’s labor becoming a reality with the launch of our DirecTV Home Media Center field trial.”
The HR34 will be compatible with RVU-certified clients, including DirecTV’s C30 Home Media Clients and RVU compatible televisions. RVU certification for these products is expected to be finalized this June.
DirecTV is currently a member of The RVU Alliance, founded by Broadcom, Cisco, DirecTV, Samsung and Verizon, which facilitates the adoption of an open-standard technology that allows service providers to expand their unique UI and user experience onto standard consumer devices without the need for proprietary equipment.
-- Television Broadcast
