Tech Talk: Israeli technology strong in TV industry

At the recent CES show in Las Vegas, Intel introduced Project Alloy, the company’s first attempt to design its own, self-contained virtual reality headset.

By ARIEL SHAPIRA
Computer keyboard [illustrative]. (photo credit: ING IMAGE/ASAP)
Computer keyboard [illustrative].
(photo credit: ING IMAGE/ASAP)
Zapp
Celebrity site TMZ recently launched its Apple TV App, created using Applicaster’s Zapp platform. This allows TMZ the flexibility to publish videos from its existing online video platform, with the ability to adapt the layout and performance of specific content categories.
The new TMZ app on Apple TV offers content access to viewers in the living room, in addition to on-the-go access through TMZ’s other digital properties.
“TMZ wanted to bring entertainment news and stories to the fastest growing media platform today, do it fast, and make use of existing assets and infrastructure,” says Idan Maron, vp of business development at Applicaster. “This is just one of the strong capabilities of our Zapp platform. As the tvOS continues to evolve, we continue to develop features to increase user engagement and content revenues.”
Zapp revolutionizes the way apps are built, enabling broadcasters and media companies to build unique, white-label apps with rich functionality in a matter of hours with no need for development work. Much of the apps’ functionality and user experience can be remotely managed giving broadcasters the ability to change elements without requiring updates in the app store. The platform offers full flexibility in cases where a broadcaster wishes to use their own (or a third party) video player, analytics or advertising provider or content management system.
Information taken from www.applicaster.com.
SaaS
Using Applicaster’s SaaS platform, broadcasters and content owners can launch a complete app service or integrate selected modules and functionalities, such as second screen interactivity into third party apps. Applicaster-powered apps are used by millions of viewers worldwide every day.
Johnson Controls, a smart construction company that has divulged how buildings and cities will look in the future, recently merged with Tyco Innovation, the world’s largest pure-play fire protection and security provider.
“We are facing many great challenges, such as increased global urbanization, rising population density, the growing need for energy, and finding efficient solutions while protecting the environment for future generations,” said chief marketing officer Kim Metcalf- Kupres. “The use of smart products in construction is very important to our clientele and this sector has grown significantly in recent years.
“It’s incredible to see the energy and momentum that exists here in Tel Aviv, which is situated right in the middle between Asia and the West. This is a great benefit for the ecosystem that you’ve created here, and which is helping us tremendously as we face the challenges of tomorrow.”
Project Alloy
At the recent CES show in Las Vegas, Intel introduced Project Alloy, the company’s first attempt to design its own, self-contained virtual reality headset, which combines real objects in the virtual world without the need for computers and other devices.
Amit Shachar, an engineer at Intel Israel’s offices in Haifa, led the development of the Project Alloy headset project. The headset does not need to connect to a power source or external computer – it works independently. Each unit is equipped with a 7th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, vision processor, fisheye lens and sensor, two RealSense cameras and a battery. It is expected to reach markets in the first quarter of 2017.
Eli Elchadad, who works in Intel’s Jerusalem offices, demonstrated at the Las Vegas show how to use the virtual reality headset. He showed off to the crowd how he could create a virtual copy of the room, including all the furniture, and turn it into a virtual battlefield.
Afterwards, he turned the room into a virtual spacecraft.
Later on in the show, Ted Schilovitz, co-founder of Hype- VR, demonstrated how users can take a virtual trip to a waterfall in Vietnam using his company’s VR headset. The experience was based on a video taken of a real life waterfall that was filmed 3GB per frame and then processed using an Intel processor.
Sales in the US of VR headsets are expected to reach $2.5 million in 2017.
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Translated by Hannah Hochner.