MUMBAI: ICTV which creates on-demand solutions that blend the choice and control of broadband video with the quality and responsiveness of television, will unveil its ActiveVideo platform at the IBC trade show.

The event takes place in Amsterdam from 8-12 Seotember. The company says that its platform combines the best attributes of television and the Web.

ICTV will demonstrate how operators, programmers and advertisers can use the ActiveVideo platform to successfully bring broadband video programming and advertising models from the Internet to the television. ActiveVideo delivers Web-driven programming in combination with both live and VOD streams to provide an immersive TV-quality viewing experience.

ActiveVideo programming can be delivered either through the widely deployed two-way cable infrastructure or via an IPTV network. ActiveVideo is navigated with standard remote controls and is fully compatible with all existing IP and cable set-top boxes, enabling the complete re-use of existing capital infrastructure.

At IBC, ICTV will be demonstrating two new applications of the ActiveVideo platform: An ActiveVideo Mosaic, the multichannel industry‘s first customizable, personalised mosaic for video-rich navigation, and ActiveVideo Channels, which enable existing broadband programming networks to be delivered to the TV in real time as subscriber-controlled television video.

ICTV president and CEO Jeff Miller, says, "One of the greatest challenges for network operators in the broadband era has been to match the precision of the Web in delivering the right programming and advertising to the right subscriber at the right time.

"The ActiveVideo platform is a standards-based approach that creates new programming choices with high-CPM, targeted, auditable and interactive advertising opportunities."

Capitalising on the ability to deliver Web programming as MPEG video to any digital set-top box, the ICTV ActiveVideo platform is entirely standards- based, requiring no custom integration or proprietary development. Live and on-demand programming can be blended with content that is created and modified quickly using standard Web tools and talent.

The ICTV ActiveVideo Mosaic creates easy-to-use personalised navigation. This allows subscribers to view live video from and navigate through a number of channels at a single glance. The ActiveVideo Mosaic can be personalised based upon subscriber, operator, or programmer choice, or via system response to subscriber viewing habits - all on any digital set-top box.

Interactive elements, including Web-driven targeted advertising, can be incorporated within the mosaic screens. With ActiveVideo Channels, network operators and programmers can enhance the value of existing channels by allowing viewers to take active
control of what they see and when they see it. Simply by using their remote control, television viewers can select an ActiveVideo Channel from the standard programme guide and enter a broadband experience that includes video, navigational elements, channel branding, banner advertisements, and links to different video segments.

Screens can be manipulated to reflect personal viewing interests and purchasing preferences. Clicking on advertisements within the ActiveVideo experience enables interaction with sponsor messages, including "telescoping" to let consumers request more information, watch a demonstration or make a purchase