BBC Testing Orchestrated Media Interaction Between TV & Mobile Device

The BBC has revealed that it is embarking upon an innovative project known as Orchestrated Media, which could see mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs become far more integrated when it comes to viewing TV shows. The project would see these gadgets almost becoming “second screens”, with relevant content relating to the television programme that the viewer is watching being displayed whilst the show is on.

BBC Orchestrated Media
BBC testing Orchestrated Media interaction

The details of the project were released by the Beeb recently in a blog post, and officials confirmed that around two hundred people were taking part in field trials where they were being asked to play a mobile game on compatible devices at the same time as watching a popular Saturday evening game show.

The UK public service broadcaster has also confirmed that Orchestrated Media is currently a closed pilot project with no guarantee that this service will be made available in the future. However, for the many people who do use their internet devices while watching TV to engage in activities such as getting involved in discussions about the show, or having a go at participating in the games being played on the programmes they are watching, this can be a hugely useful facility if it is to be introduced as a service in the future.

The mobile content that is being displayed with this project will stay in sync with the show being watched, and users will even be able to jump to different parts of the show via their smart mobiles or tablets. Although the trial at the moment remains a closed pilot, the BBC is said to be talking to various groups in the HDTV and computing industries such as the Web standards organisation W3C with regards to a common standard for this type of technology.

Source: BBC R&D blog

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