How Does AppCloud help SmartTV manufacturers?

AppCloud enables SmartTV manufacturers to deliver the broadest selection of CTV apps to all Smart TV makes and models in an OEM's deployed base and product pipeline.

SmartTV’s platform challenges: So many apps to launch! So many updates to deliver! Many makes and models in the field. By virtualizing apps (vs running native on TVs), AppCloud makes it easy for OEMs to launch and maintain any number of CTV applications.

Get all the apps, all the time: For OEMs with smaller footprints, integration costs and time for publishers can prevent or delay app launch. With AppCloud, once the Publisher has their AppCloud version ready, there is no incremental work to do to get the app running on your TV. So you get the app. And you get it right away.

Cost and TTM of new apps and app updates: With limitations on memory and features as new apps are introduced, and App publishers are constantly revising their app, the complexity of and cost of the lifecycle management of both TV & apps grows. At some point, the inevitable happens, and compromise creates an inconsistent cross-TV user experience.

Protect revenue streams: By ensuring the latest apps and app experiences are available, AppCloud reduces churn of the active base of TVs and consumers and thus maintains and extends the revenue beginning generated from CTV apps on the SmartTV.

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 SmartTV. The client should work on any OS/chipset combination currently in the field. This means the latest CTV experiences can be delivered on all devices without any additional work.

Apps developed for AndroidTV or Fire TV platforms can be run in the cloud. With the thin client, AppCloud enabled apps will run on any TV OS. App onboarding takes days rather than months, so SmartTV providers can always deliver the most recent version of an app across multi-generational range of SmartTVs with minimal effort.

AppCloud Schematic [SmartTV]

 

  1. Apps run in the public cloud AppCloud runs publisher’s native app within a virtualized Android (AOSP) environment in the cloud. The publisher’s app and player in the cloud control a lightweight AppCloud client in the device
  2. The Smart TV/Device presentation The AppCloud client executes all commands, UX & content streams are rendered locally. All resulting consumer experiences are the same – un-impacted by local software, OS or hardware
  3. Video content streamed by App CDN When a video session is requested, AppCloud directs the App CDN to stream to the client device

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

Smart TV Providers typically have three options to deliver CTV apps to their customers:

  1. Develop a SmartTV OS, manage the OS and engage with CTV publishers to develop their apps for the SmartTV OS
  2. Implement a competitive SmartTV OS from another SmartTV vendor
  3. Implement a 3rd party OS such as Roku, GoogleTV etc

The first option requires major investment in the OS and is only viable for very large OEMs. Even so, the custom work required by both the publisher and the OEM makes it very challenging and costly to support a deep app library - especially for smaller international markets.

Options 2 and 3 are costly and are unlikely to support any of the existing installed base of SmartTVs. SmartTV vendors lose control of their consumers and are reduced to a low margin business around the sale of the TV.

AppCloud overcomes these issues by design, enabling SmartTV vendors to deliver the latest version of an app to their customer while avoiding the complexity and cost of supporting apps across their multiple TV generations. AppCloud can extend the life of a SmartTV to extend well beyond the typical TVs app hardware and the SMartTV providers maintains their customer relationship and revenue streams.

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

Third party SmartTV platforms such as Roku TV or Google TV provide a complete, self-branded platform with immediate access to their existing app store and content services. However they come at the cost of the SmartTV provider surrendering all control of the user experience, ecosystem and subscribers.

AppCloud is a SaaS platform, not a consumer product, enabling the apps SmartTV providers want to surface without ceding either user or app control to third-parties.

What are the benefits of AppCloud?

AppCloud provides a faster time to market for SmartTV providers to deliver and maintain the best app experience on their existing TVs.

It eliminates the need for app publishers to develop a custom app for each unique SmartTV operating system or those where more apps can not be downloaded, effectively extending the life and revenue from existing SmartTVs.

It simplifies the app management resources required to support the latest app updates and experiences across the SmartTV providers range of TVs and provides the best OTT experience for their subscribers.

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Why work with ActiveVideo?

ActiveVideo works with Operators, OTT Content Providers/Developers, SmartTV providers, ConnectedTV and Set Top Manufacturers, and Middleware Vendors globally, and our platforms server more that 20m devices today.

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

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