Zappware adds interactive layer to Music Choice service
13/10/2008

Interactive layer to engage and empower subscribers

Music Choice, a leading legal digital music network, selected Zappware, the Belgian one-stop solution provider for iDTV on multiple TV platforms, to deliver an iDTV service allowing subscribers to interact with Music Choice's service. The iDTV service is custom-made, created by Zappware using their proprietor iView Platform, and it runs on the digital TV platform of Belgium's main cable operator Telenet.

The enhanced user interface vastly improves the Music Choice subscriber user experience. Telenet subscribers who tune into one of the 42 Music Choice channels are no longer faced with just track identification information across a dark black background screen. The new user interface now displays information on the selected channel plus details about the current, next and next plus one track on each channel as well as promotional graphics.

In addition the iDTV enhanced user interface also offers two appealing features to further engage and empower Music Choice users:

• pressing the red button on the remote reveals a guide showing the songs that are playing 'now', and coming up, across the range of Music Choice channels. Users can then easily switch channels via this guide and listen to their favourite songs on different channels.
• pressing Exit turns on a minimized skin design to set the perfect mood for a dinner party.

Marc Vervoort, iDTV Producer Zappware: "We were very happy to have won this pitch as from a technical point of view, we knew adding this interactive layer to Music Choice's service would be quite a challenge. Indeed, when the 'next' track starts to play, the information on the screen has to switch automatically and simultaneously. Thanks to 10 years of solid iDTV experience we proved up to the challenge by successfully synchronizing the tracks from 42 channels with the information displayed on the screen."

Margot Daly, Chief Executive Officer: "We are delighted with the results Zappware have produced for Music Choice and Telenet. Their thorough understanding of the interactive pay TV platform, coupled with the ease our Head of Development experienced directing Zappware, has ensured an on time and on budget build. The application is both ground breaking in terms of functionality for Music Choice world-wide with its now, next and next plus one feature but also achieves the Holy Grail in UI — making a technically very complex application both easy to use and fast to operate for consumers. Zappware have helped Music Choice set a new standard of excellence for UI development."

Stefan Devroey, Vice President Television Telenet: "With this application, we can offer our Digital TV customers more added value and experience. Telenet wants always to be in the lead of innovation in IDTV. Together with Music Choice and Zappware we have accomplished this project which will increase our customer satisfaction."

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