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ABC Rolls Out iPad App for Interacting With 'My Generation' TV Episodes

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Earlier this week, The Hollywood Reporter profiled a new iPad application called ABC's My Generation Sync that relies on technology from Nielsen to offer viewers an interactive experience while they watch episodes of the network's forthcoming show, My Generation.
Users who download the app can multi-task between the TV experience and the iPad, which will display polls, trivia and other content timed to be relevant to what is transpiring in the "Generation" storylines.

The app will also have a social-media element, enabling sharing, posting to Twitter, as well as "liking" to Facebook, though actual feeds won't be integrated until later iterations of the app.

While the episode is intended for broadcast to bring together as many viewers as possible, the app can also be utilized for those watching a DVR recording.
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The application works by using the iPad's microphone to pick up on audio cues embedded within the TV episode itself, allowing the application to sync up with what the viewer is watching.
What Nielsen brings to the table is audio watermarking embedded in the broadcast that signals the iPhone through its microphone to trigger timed content. While the technology has always been used by Nielsen strictly for measurement purposes, a new mobile-friendly upgrade opened a new ancillary business for the company and Digimarc Corp., which is teaming up with Nielsen on what it has dubbed its Media Sync Platform.
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Consequently, the application will be able to sync with the TV episode regardless of whether the viewer is watching in real-time as it is broadcast or on a recording - as long as the iPad can hear the audio from the episode, it can sync.


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My Generation is a new fictional documentary from Disney and ABC that focuses on a group of students graduating from high school in the year 2000 and then again ten years later as they see where their lives have taken them and how they deal with returning home to visit. The show premieres next Thursday, September 23rd.

While the concept of iPad apps interacting with television content would seem to hold great potential in the area of live programming, the technical challenges of attempting to serve on-the-fly content relevant to the live action makes such an implementation a bit more challenging. So for the time being, Nielsen's technology is limited to taped programming, although the company expects to have more network partners brought on board by early next year.

Article Link: ABC Rolls Out iPad App for Interacting With 'My Generation' TV Episodes
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2010/09/17/abc-rolls-out-ipad-app-for-interacting-with-my-generation-tv-episodes/
This is a pretty revolutionary app considering the microphone cues and instant interaction. Can't wait to see what other apps/tv shows pick up on this new technology.
 
newagemac said:
And the interactive TV revolution begins...
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Ive always wanted something like this when watching Sports.
I dont mind TV and Movies but for Sports its perfect.
I like reading up on facts while watching the game.
If they hear something odd like "yards rushed by wide-receiver" then a few names would pop-up.
 
Apple is replacing "channels" with Apps

Apple is, as Steve Jobs said recently, tearing TV apart and rebuilding it. In their own image. AirPlay works with any H.264 video from the web, so it doesn't matter that Apple TV itself can't directly stream, say, CNN and ESPN. The CNN app and MLB app will be able to stream video to Apple TV. BOOM.
 
Too cool!!!! Love seeing the new innovations like this. Can't imagine what we'll have in 10 years! By then, I'll be old enough to complain about it instead of embrace it! LOL! :p
 
Interactive TV

So lets say you're watching a game show like Family Feud, Who Wants to be A Millionare, etc. etc, you can join in the fun by pulling up your iPad, and sync information, play as you watch, join and compete with people in Game Center who are currently are watching the show.

I think its a cool idea. It will make TV more enjoyable.
 
"...The application works by using the iPad's microphone to pick up on audio cues embedded within the TV episode itself..."

huh...can this be used to eavesdrop on someone?!? And if not on an apple device, maybe on an upcoming droid/other OS type tablet?
 
This is very cool.

I was watching the Cowboys game last Sunday, and NBC showed all their online stuff to go with the game, but I was griping how worthless it is to me because I am watching on a dvr. This is a big deal to me. I see just the ability to sync such content with DVRs as being the key piece of the puzzle here.
 
Using the microphone to do that is so simple and low tech, but so clever. I love it. Too bad I don't watch many ABC shows.
 
seems a bit like it's making me have to do work while I watch TV, though, which is what I'm watching TV to avoid doing.

I agree about the football commentary stuff, though - maybe having embedded audio cues in the live stream from a game tell your iPad or iPhone to bring up a player bio page on the ball carrier & tackler, quarterback, etc. Showing stats on the two specific players who just did the _____ play in the game would be überawesome if it were automatic, live, wireless and invisible.

Or TopGear could include all the specs on the car they're presenting about, or whatever product is in Richard Hammond's hair at the moment, etc. - could be fun.

Whatever they do with this, it's going to have to be relatively hands-off in my mind, or people won't go to the trouble to do something while they're trying to do nothing.
 
I think it's going to catch on, but I might wait for a more tempting show.

They sure could have used this for Lost!
 
Mudbug said:
seems a bit like it's making me have to do work while I watch TV, though, which is what I'm watching TV to avoid doing.

I agree about the football commentary stuff, though - maybe having embedded audio cues in the live stream from a game tell your iPad or iPhone to bring up a player bio page on the ball carrier & tackler, quarterback, etc. Showing stats on the two specific players who just did the _____ play in the game would be überawesome if it were automatic, live, wireless and invisible.

Or TopGear could include all the specs on the car they're presenting about, or whatever product is in Richard Hammond's hair at the moment, etc. - could be fun.

Whatever they do with this, it's going to have to be relatively hands-off in my mind, or people won't go to the trouble to do something while they're trying to do nothing.
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I REALLY like these concepts.
I can imagine the futuristic TV watching experience now.
Maybe a TV Guide app to choose the program without waiting for audio cues?
Bringing up the stats of players automatically when they make plays.
While watching stock market shows, bringing up the charts for whatever stock they're talking about?

This is just the beginning.
 
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