TMCnet News
ICTV, Flying Rhinoceros Bring Star-Studded ''On The Farm'' Channel to HeadendWare Interactive TV PlatformSAN FRANCISCO --(Business Wire)-- April 3, 2005 -- ICTV(TM), creator of HeadendWare(R), the broadband industry's most powerful platform for the delivery and distribution of compelling interactive television content, and Flying Rhinoceros, a leading developer of edutainment software, today announced an exclusive agreement that will bring a combination of educational interactivity and country music star power to the HeadendWare platform. Under the agreement, Flying Rhinoceros will bring its portfolio of learning-based titles, richly developed characters and well-known voices to HeadendWare, allowing interactive television play by subscribers using any digital set-top box and standard remote controls. Flying Rhinoceros will demonstrate its "On The Farm" channel on the HeadendWare platform at ICTV booths, #707 and in the GameNET pavilion, at the NCTA National Show April 3-5 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. Featuring the voices of music stars Vince Gill, Amy Grant and Randy Travis, On The Farm is set in Alphabet Farm, which features talking animals and crops that grow letters and numbers. As the animals are exposed to different social situations, personalities and conflicts, they mirror the social situations that children face as they prepare to interact with other children in society and at school. "'On The Farm' is an outstanding example of content that originally was designed for the PC, but takes on a whole new dimension in a family-centric television environment," said Peter Schultz, director of solutions marketing for ICTV. "Flying Rhinoceros' Flash animation skills create an immersive world for kids, where the animals move with the full motion and perfectly synchronized audio of cartoon characters." "Kids win big with the advances made by ICTV's platform," said Ranjy Thomas, co-president of Flying Rhinoceros. "For years the tools have limited us. Thanks to ICTV, we can be in the game of developing what kids want to experience on their TVs. Flying Rhinoceros is in the business of partnering with companies like ICTV to produce entertainment that fosters hope and encouragement in the children of the world. HeadendWare is the only platform that combines all of the characteristics we need -- support of Flash and audio, and its ability to transcend the processing and carousel limitations of set-top boxes - to deliver our experience to the television." About HeadendWare(R) ICTV's HeadendWare platform enables network operators to deliver compelling interactive content and applications, including animation, high-fidelity audio and full-motion video, to any digital set-top box. Using headend-based processing power and the existing digital plant, HeadendWare removes set-top box and middleware constraints on the delivery of compelling interactive multimedia content and allows TV-friendly activity that cannot be matched by satellite competitors. With HeadendWare application servers located anywhere on the operator's network or outsourced, an operator's entire digital subscriber base can interact with robust multimedia applications developed with standard PC, Web and Java tools using existing set-top boxes and remote controls. HeadendWare supports the latest versions of HTML, JavaScript, Java, Windows Media Player(R), Flash(R), RealPlayer(R) and QuickTime(R), enabling network operators to provide subscribers with a limitless array of content and applications. About ICTV Inc(TM) ICTV(TM) provides enabling infrastructure for the delivery of new television services to broadband subscribers. The company offers a solutions-oriented approach to new television services that combines the standards-based technology of ICTV's HeadendWare(R) platform with a portfolio of branded iTV applications that can be deployed today. The solution-based approach offers operators one of the highest returns on bandwidth and incremental capital of the iTV services available today. Strategic investors include Adelphia, Liberty Media, Motorola, OpenTV, Cox Communications and Lauder Partners. Based in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, with offices in Baltimore and the United Kingdom, the company has been issued 23 patents and has numerous patents pending, ensuring protection of its unique and innovative television services solution. ICTV is a member of the Motorola Horizon and Scientific-Atlanta CreativEdge Developer's Programs. For more information, visit www.ictv.com. About Flying Rhinoceros Since 1993, Flying Rhinoceros has been a successful producer and distributor of interactive programming, educational books, classroom materials, television cartoons, software and websites. Flying Rhinoceros' world-class team of animators, illustrators,programmers and educators provide businesses and schools effective and entertaining learning materials that stimulate, educate and encourage children. All Flying Rhinoceros materials can enrich the classroom experience and link corporations, homes and schools in new and exciting ways. In addition, the company's Outreach team has delivered over 1,000 presentations to more than 250,000 school children using humor, inspiration, technology, storytelling and art to expose children to the power of imagination. For more information, please see www.flyingrhino.com. HeadendWare is a registered trademark and ICTV is a trademark of ICTV, Inc. |
