How does AppCloud help Operators?

AppCloud enables operators to deliver the most recent version of any designed-for-TV, OTT video app, to any device, regardless of hardware capabilities or operating system. It is designed to solve three specific Operator challenges:

  1. The hardware capabilities gap: Many set-top and SmartTV devices don’t meet the processing and memory demands of OTT apps, requiring a new set-top, a third-party OTT device, or an HTML5 app, back-ported to the current device
  2. Expensive Development & Support Costs Increase Time-to-Market: Complexity and cost introduced to the development life cycle by supporting a single OTT app across multiple hardware and operating system configurations, adds to already-extended development times, cumbersome updates, and an inevitable, inconsistent cross-platform user experience
  3. Third-party ecosystems co-opt users and force ceded control: Most operator-tier solutions today provide a holistic solution at the expense of decreased control over app selection, user experience, and account ownership

AppCloud delivers a consistent, high-performance, high-quality video experience to a diverse mix of set-tops, TV's and devices from a single app, providing the best user experience with minimal development effort.

How does AppCloud work? 

AppCloud runs Android APKs in the Cloud, and delivers the user experience via a thin AppCloud Client, which is ported onto the set-top. This means the latest OTT experiences can be delivered on otherwise underpowered devices, running any OS, provided they have a GPU.

Apps developed for AndroidTV or Fire TV platforms can be employedm, reducing development effort and time-to-market. App onboarding takes days rather than months, so Operators can always deliver the most recent versions apps across a broad range of devices with minimal effort.

AppCloud for OTT Providers and Developers

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  1. Your app lives in the public cloud
    AppCloud runs your app within a virtualised AOSP environment in the public cloud.
  2. Your app is NOT on the device
    Apps running in the cloud control a lightweight AppCloud client on device, which executes all commans. Apps will work with any GPU-enables IP device (non AOSP too!)
  3. Completely secure
    DRM video content is delivered end-to-end, direct to device, playback control is managed from your app on AppCloud.

How does AppCloud reduce development and support costs, and time to market?

Operators typically have three options to deliver OTT apps to their customers:

  1. Develop a version targeting the current generation of set-tops and smartTV’s - usually HTML5
  2. Update the device and implement a bespoke version of AndroidOS
  3. Update the device and implement a 3rd party OS such as Roku or AndroidTV Operator Tier

Options 2 and 3 are costly and often only service a small proportion of the install base. What’s more, as the demands of OTT apps continue to increase, it’s likely to leave operators in the same situation three years from now.

The first option maintains control and leverages existing hardware however the cost of app development falls upon the operator, carrying substantial development costs, often exceeding $1m per app. 

AppCloud overcomes these issues by design, enabling operators to deliver the latest version of an app to their customers, while avoiding the complexity and cost of supporting OTT apps across multiple hardware and operating system configurations.

How does AppCloud help maintain control of our customer experience and data?

Third-party platforms such as Roku or AndroidTV provide reference implementations and immediate access to existing app stores however they come at the cost of surrendering control over the ecosystem and subscribers.

These platforms require users to create an account before accessing OTT content, creating a tension between user ownership, user experience priorities and even monetization.

AppCloud is a technology platform not a consumer product, enabling the apps the operator wants to surface without ceding either user or app control to third-parties.

What are the benefits of AppCloud?

AppCloud provides the means to deliver and maintain the best possible OTT experience on existing hardware.

It eliminates the need to develop custom OTT apps for devices running unique operating systems or those that are underpowered, in effect extending delivery of user experience and content to the widest possible range of set-tops and consumer devices.

It simplifies the certification, testing and app management required to support a diverse base of devices and provides the best possible OTT consumer experience for TV.

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Why work with ActiveVideo?

ActiveVideo works with Operators, OTT Content Providers/Developers, Device Manufacturers, and Middleware Vendors globally, and our platforms serve more than 20m devices today.

ActiveVideo and AppCloud can help you deliver the latest OTT Content experiences while saving you time and money.

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