Rovi has introduced a search and discovery app that service providers can private-label to extend their guide experience to mobile devices.
The company is calling the app TotalGuide xD. Rovi said the first version of the app, coming in April, will be for the Apple iPad. Versions for other mobile devices will follow.
Rovi said that Armstrong has decided to give the app a try. Armstrong currently deploys Rovi i-Guide to its subscriber base.
TotalGuide xD currently works in conjunction with Rovi’s i-Guide and Passport Guide, the interactive program guides (IPGs) the company developed to work specifically with set-top boxes. The basic idea is to enable vendors with legacy guides to extend their IPGs to mobile devices.
Sharon Metz, vice president of vertical markets, said TotalGuide xD will eventually also work with the company’s TotalGuide, its IPG designed specifically for use in consumer electronics (CE) applications.
TotalGuide xD guides can include broadcast TV, video-on-demand or authenticated streaming video content.
The app is backed by a cloud-based service, called the Rovi Media Cloud Web service. The company said the platform can be deployed with minimal infrastructure costs and can complete preservation of the MSO’s unique brand identity.
The app includes:
- Search, enabling users to find TV shows and movies
- Rovi “six degrees” discovery and recommendations, which helps consumers find more relevant video content and provides the flexibility to connect to a variety of video content sources such as authenticated video and playback on portable devices, as determined by each MSO
- Dynamic recommendations, including most popular, similar, friend recommendations and exclusive editorial recommendations from the Rovi editorial team
- Social network connections via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail integration
- Remote connections to set-top boxes in the home to schedule DVR recordings, channel tune or start a VOD session
- Cross-device access to a subscriber user profile, which is designed to make access to content seamless across other TotalGuide-enabled devices
TotalGuide xD on the iPad is planned to be available for trials in Q2 2011 to support MSOs that license Rovi i-Guide and Passport Guide services.