Globo TV and Java

Interactive TV Clicks with Java

TV has long been a passive medium that offered viewers little opportunity to interact. But the interactive digital services offered by Globo TV, Brazil’s largest broadcaster, let viewers actively control the audio/video experience, including participating in polls, responding to ads, monitoring sports statistics, downloading clips, and more. Viewers can even learn more about the characters and plots of their favorite telenovelas.

Java applications make it possible, and according to Carlos Fini, an engineering manager at Globo TV, “We are providing viewers with better mobile coverage, new interactive capabilities, and a rich media experience.” Because Java is open, works on multiple platforms, and is supported by many entertainment devices, Globo TV’s interactive programs can be delivered using the same technology as gaming systems, mobile phones, set-top boxes, and Blu-ray players, Fini adds. In conjunction with the Ginga middleware standard, Java provides a new way to send content to TV viewers and receive feedback from them.

Globo TV chose Java because the company needed a flexible development environment to compete with other new-media services. Fini says that since Java is open source and supported by a large developer community, it was the perfect choice for their needs. Additionally, Java enabled Globo TV to create compelling user experiences that would captivate viewers and build the audience. The broadcaster’s team of developers are bolstering Globo TV’s lineup with a wide array of interactive Java applications that allow the broadcaster to synchronize the application functions with the TV program. Globo TV viewers are able to start, stop, and pause the signal, as well as to control interactive TV functions such as shopping, voting, and downloading content. According to Fini, Java was the appropriate tool available to create Globo TV’s innovative, interactive TV services.