SAN FRANCISCO—Samba TV has announced a new multi-year research and development (R&D) venture with TCL that the companies say will focus on the development and deployment of  advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and content analytics to TCL TVs and make features of Samba AI, a suite of advanced AI and machine learning (ML) technologies available worldwide.

“From pioneering the first content recognition algorithms in Connected TVs, to innovating the next gen Smart TV experience powered by artificial intelligence, today’s announcement builds on Samba TV’s history of innovation and opens the door to an entirely new and exciting future where advanced AI will become the foundation of the television viewing experience," said Samba TV CEO and co-founder Ashwin Navin. "Together with TCL, we are committed to driving the industry into the future where the living room experience is personal, interactive, and immersive,” 

“TCL is excited to partner with an industry leader like Samba TV that continues to shape the future of television. Together we look forward to building a new generation of connected TV with a more seamless experience for viewers to drive deeper engagement,” said Shaoyong Zhang, CEO of TCL Electronics. “Samba TV’s transformative AI technology will provide tremendous new capabilities that will both delight the consumer and provide exciting new possibilities for TCL to deliver new experiences and new revenue streams."

The companies explained that the partnership will accelerate the development of Smart Screen — a next generation viewing experience for consumers with on-screen content information and recommendations, powered by Samba AI and content identification. 

Samba TV’s AI and ML technology intelligently deconstructs the on-screen content in real-time, identifying actors and actresses, brands, and products that appear as well as in-scene music and other viewing recommendations, the companies explained. 

In addition to content recognition advances, Samba TV and TCL will be unveiling Gesture Control at this year's CES. It allows viewers to seamlessly interface with the display by simply using hand movements launch a more interactive viewing experience. 

This underlying platform also powers an array of new consumer experiences, including Smart Screen, which enables TV owners to receive the benefit of new innovations over the lifetime of the device much like the continuous updates one expects from next generation automobiles that are connected and constantly learning and evolving with more usage data, the companies said. 

Samba TV and TCL will unveil the first version of these capabilities in a joint presentation with TCL at the Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center (Tech East, Central Hall, booth # 16915 and 16937).

PALISADES, N.Y.—The Video Call Center and Discovery Inc. are continuing their partnership and are working together on a new socially-distant live, late-night series on TLC, “Find Love Live.”

VCC has announced that its contract with Discovery, which began in 2017, has been extended. This will enable Discovery to expand upon the VCC video caller-based production platform and production services that are currently being used to help create content for programs like “After the Catch” and “90 Day Fiancé” during the current coronavirus pandemic.

VCC will also be a key resource for the new show “Find Love Live.” The live show will utilize VCC’s location-agnostic video call production capabilities to keep with social distancing safety protocols. The show will feature an in-studio host, but the rest of the cast, special guests and audience members will join the show via a live remote connection from VCC’s platform and be supported by VCC’s call production staff, all working from their own homes and using specialized remote systems.

VCC says that its lag-free, two-way communication capabilities will enable show participants to see and hear each other in real time. Participants only need a smartphone or other internet-connected device to join, says VCC.

A new VCC technology that will be used for “Find Love Live” is the VCC Caller Queue system. Caller Queue recruits, screens and prepares members of the live viewing audience to appear on-air as prospective daters, with help from VCC call producers to get ready for air. Producers can sort and filter potential participants in Caller Queue. Participants are also able to complete release forms through the platform prior to participating.

“Even before the pandemic, the complexity and number of remotes required for the show meant we likely could not do this show without our partners at the VCC,” said Jason Cooper, executive in charge of production at Discovery Studios.

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“These are challenging times and we are thankful for the opportunity to continue to help discovery innovate, both in terms of what viewers see on-air and the creative production that takes place behind the scenes,” said Larry Thaler, VCC CEO. “Together we can continue to push new boundaries, increasing the number of simultaneous remotes and holding them at high quality for as long as 16 hours, all to enable the producers to achieve the very best results.”

“Find Love Live” will debut on May 10 at 11 p.m. ET.

For more information, visit www.thevcc.tv.  

PALISADES, N.Y.—With a cast that was spread out across the globe, TLC needed a way to bring everyone together for the Tell All episode of its series “90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days.” The answer that TLC went with was Video Call Center’s live video caller production platform.

The VCC production platform was used to connect the cast of couples and their parents, who were located on four continents, for face-to-face live video conversations. Among the VCC services used for the production were the ability to work with a range of internet video call apps; call screening, quality control and screen optimization; low-latency live monitoring; isolation of return feeds; ISO recordings; and facilitation of communication between in-studio guests, production personnel and remote callers.

“The reliability of the VCC enables cast members to be fully engaged without the technical disruptions,” said Scott Lewers, senior vice president, multi-platform programming and digital content for TLC.

The two-hour “90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days” episode will air on Oct. 30.