CES 2013: Smart TV Alliance gets new members, announces new SDK features

LG Electronics, TP Vision and Toshiba’s venture Smart TV Alliance has found new members on the eve of CES 2013. Panasonic, ABOX42 and TechniSat, and solution providers IBM and Specific Media are the newest additions to the Alliance that was founded in June 2012.

The Alliance is said to gain more strength through this move in order to create a 'non-proprietary ecosystem for application developers to create attractive, platform-independent services.' Users of applications created using the Alliance’s upcoming Software Development Kit (SDK) will be able to enjoy a richer Smart TV experience with 3D content along with quality video and audio.

Now five member strong

“Smart TV Alliance members are repairing a fragmented market opportunity for app developers and TV manufacturers, creating the best Smart TV experience for consumers," said Richard Choi, President of Smart TV Alliance from founding member LG Electronics. "Now app developers can concentrate on doing what they do best. Instead of chasing down each manufacturer's individual requirements and compliance process, they can make the most out of their creative energy by developing innovative applications and services.”

The upcoming SDK will capture the latest trends and features available to app developers in order to help them deliver the most current  apps for 2013 Smart TVs from LG, TP Vision and Toshiba. The new SDK features include:

For 2013 Smart TVs:

• Richer applications available from upgraded HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript specifications
• 3D video
• MPEG-DASH support with more reliable audio and video quality with less stuttering and freezing
• More and better content choices with updated digital rights management (DRM) features that reflect DRM requirements from content owners

For application developers:

• New common emulator allows developers to test an application once to ensure it will work with Smart TV Alliance member televisions
• Application compliance checking tool enables developers to test compliance automatically with Smart TV Alliance cross-platform requirements
• Advanced debug tools help developers solve application problems faster and more easily

The Smart TV Space is all set to lure developers and consumers alike. Sign of things to come for this year? We sure think so!