Connections

Several MESA members opened the 2023 CES Show in Las Vegas with new announcements and partnerships.

Here’s a brief look at what they had to share:

Xperi

Xperi and its numerous subsidiaries kicked off CES in a big way, with hardware, software and partnership news.

Xperi-owned TiVo and Vestel, one of the top three European TV manufacturers, announced that as part of a multi-year, multi-country and multi-million-unit agreement, the first “Powered by TiVo” smart TVs are expected to ship as early as spring 2023 featuring chipsets from MediaTek, a global fabless semiconductor company that enables more than two billion connected devices a year. When released, consumers in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Turkey will be able to purchase “Powered by TiVo” smart TVs under brands including Vestel, Daewoo, Regal, Hitachi, Telefunken and JVC.

Xperi announced its new independent media platform at IFA 2022 and welcomed Vestel as its first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partner. Vestel will be utilizing the new TiVo OS, a first-of-its-kind neutral platform, aimed at giving OEMs significantly more control over the user experience to drive brand awareness, engagement, and monetization at scale. Without the limitations of a closed system, the neutral platform returns control to consumers, empowering them to enjoy entertainment on their terms, for the ultimate home entertainment experience.

Vestel’s new line of TVs use “Powered by TiVo” OS, a streamlined smart TV platform with easy content discovery and personalized recommendations. It provides a simple set-up and intuitive user experience, enabling consumers the choice and the control to discover content across their favorite streaming apps.

Meanwhile, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), Xperi’s DTS subsidiary and IMAX Corporation announced a significant expansion of the IMAX Enhanced ecosystem with SPE’s commitment to release multiple new titles in the IMAX Enhanced format during their respective home entertainment windows over the next few years.

IMAX Enhanced technology is the only way to experience IMAX’s signature picture, sound, and scale outside of a movie theater, combining exclusive, IMAX digitally remastered 4K HDR content and DTS:X premium audio delivered through high-end consumer electronics and streaming platforms.

The IMAX Enhanced program continues to advance its premium content footprint for consumers worldwide with new titles delivered in 4K HDR featuring IMAX proprietary digital remastering (DMR), exclusive expanded aspect ratio (select sequences) and IMAX Signature Sound by DTS, including Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, A Man Called Otto, Madame Web, Gran Turismo, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and The Equalizer 3, among others.

This will include exclusive IMAX Enhanced and DTS:X UHD box sets (titles to be announced). IMAX Enhanced releases will remain available across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific regions.

Additionally, TiVo and Amlogic, a leading fabless semiconductor company, announced that they have pre-integrated TiVo OSonAmlogic T962D4 and T950D4 chipsets for the U.S. and European markets.

By choosing an Amlogic 4K or 2K smart TV chipset with TiVo OS pre-integrated, TV OEMs benefit from the combined scale and support of critical technology providers, hardware suppliers and advertisers. The cost-effective turnkey solution deploys the award-winning TiVo OS across their smart TV product lines with the global and local video content services consumers require.

Lastly, Xperi announced a partnership with LG Electronics to integrate DTS:X immersive audio technology into LG’s latest OLED and Premium LCD TVs. DTS, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Xperi Inc., is dedicated to making the world sound better through its pioneering audio solutions for mobile, home, cinema and beyond. This announcement represents a significant milestone in DTS’s journey to embed DTS:X technology in more devices that create extraordinary experiences for consumers. It also demonstrates LG’s commitment to expand the availability of the DTS solution.

NAGRA

Content protection and media and entertainment solutions firm NAGRA announced a collaboration with CANAL+ TELECOM – a subsidiary of Canal+ Group operating in Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Saint Barthelemy, Martinique, French Guiana and Reunion Island with 150,000 subscribers – and Otodo – a home automation company that provides telecom operators and service providers with a white label platform enabling smart home services.

To broaden CANAL+ TELECOM’s value-led service offering, NAGRA Scout, the intelligent connected lifestyle security solution, and Otodo’s home automation and control application are connecting to offer first-of-its-kind smart home automation with security aimed at increasing subscriber brand loyalty.

NAGRA Scout reliably identifies and classifies devices, giving consumers full visibility on everything connected in the home. This information is further used to validate new equipment connected to the network and assess its security level. Easy-to-follow security suggestions help consumers keep their devices and data safe. In addition to home network monitoring and content filtering, NAGRA Scout manages security alerts for illicit threats and delivers home network intelligence to service providers, like CANAL+ TELECOM, that can inform traffic shaping, improve customer service, and ensure optimal individualized experiences for consumers.

Telecom operators, like CANAL+ TELECOM, often support subscribers by providing the secure hub of the connected home. CANAL+ TELECOM’s home application, Ma Maison CANALBOX, developed in collaboration with Otodo, provides a value-added service that enables users to control any connected home device from a single application. Partnering with NAGRA Scout, the telco can offer differentiating new features combining security and automation to ensure an integrated and individual smart home experience.

Spherex

Global entertainment technology and data company Spherex is demonstrating its Spherexgreenlight at CES, which is its revolutionary expert-in-the-loop artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) solution.

Spherexgreenlight opens borders for content. Using AI, the technology highlights culturally sensitive and objectionable scenes and predicts how a movie or TV show will be perceived by audiences worldwide. Spherexgreenlight ensures that studios, TV networks, and streamers reach the broadest audiences in each local market, comply with content regulations, and avoid censorship – all while protecting their brand reputations and identity – to maximize the value of content.

Led by CEO and co-founder Teresa Phillips, Spherex set out over a decade ago to develop the world’s first cultural playbook for Media & Entertainment. Through mining thousands of policy manuals, historical literature, local film/TV classifications, current affairs, judiciary decisions on sensitive topics (e.g., LGBTQ, sexual violence, self-harm, drug use, and more) in 100+ countries, Spherex has created an enterprise system for screening and annotating content.

While understanding content in video remains a high hurdle in AI, Spherex has implemented a multi-modal architecture that analyzes image/video, audio signals, and text as inputs to generate a unique fingerprint of a title. The content analysts at Spherex hand-curate these models based on specific pieces of content like subjects, objects, events, actions, sounds, words, tone, and more.

Spherex’s ML-based rules engine is the controller that determines how territory-specific rules are applied accurately to a given title’s cultural fingerprint. Blending AI and ML systems with a comprehensive understanding of the cultures and complexities present in the global regulatory environment, Spherex is future-proofing the media and entertainment industry while keeping up with the unprecedented international growth in video content, distribution, and consumption.

Dolby

Dolby announced it had partnered with multi-platinum, Grammy-winning band Imagine Dragons to present a private concert in Dolby Atmos at Dolby Live at Park MGM on Jan. 5 at 9 p.m. PT.

The concert will benefit Tyler Robinson Foundation (TRF), Imagine Dragons’ nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting families facing a pediatric cancer diagnosis, and over 35 local charities serving underserved communities in the Las Vegas area.

Imagine Dragons and Dolby are working with TRF to give away thousands of tickets to the team members, volunteers, and people these organizations serve so they can enjoy this special performance.

“Imagine Dragons’ special relationship with TRF moved us, which is why we wanted to find a way to give back to the community that welcomes us with open arms every year for CES, and that we now get to call home with Dolby Live,” said Todd Pendleton, SVP and CMO of Dolby Laboratories. “We can’t wait for guests to experience Imagine Dragons live in Dolby Atmos at Dolby Live for this special one-night show.”

Dolby and Park MGM will be surprising several fans on social media with free tickets to the show along with radio giveaways.

This marks Imagine Dragon’s first-ever, live performance in Dolby Atmos, which guests will be able to experience at one of the most technologically advanced performance installations in the world – Dolby Live at Park MGM.

Dolby Atmos is an immersive audio experience transforming how music is created and enjoyed. At Dolby Live at Park MGM, Dolby Atmos brings live performances to the next level by taking listeners inside the music to reveal details with unparalleled clarity and depth. Whether it’s hearing the layers of instruments move all around, catching the subtle breath a singer takes between lyrics, or being enveloped in a wave of melodies, nothing compares to hearing music live in Dolby Atmos.