Project Canvas should be interesting for 4IP

[Mark Rock]

I don't know how many people know about the new JV between BBC, ITV and BT, Project Canvas. In essence, it's an open industry standard to enable set top boxes to stream content over broadband to the living room. Of course, services like BT Vision already do this but there's is a traditional walled garden almost exclusively devoted to VOD and run on a Microsoft platform. This is different:


"Project Canvas includes Freeview ( digital terrestrial TV service) and a next-generation set-top-box. It will combine radio, TV, VOD, web/interactive content and catch-up content such as BBC’s iPlayer and ITV’s player. It will be an open platform, accessible to other PSBs and content providers to exploit."

What Canvas could mean is much more than simple streaming video. It means entirely new data rich services can be displayed on your telly - whether that's a live Twitter (sorry Stuart!) feed about Eastenders, a video greeting card sent to your mum, a baby monitor on your TV (one of our guys did actually do that), peer to peer delivery of applications. Heck, you could even run iPlayer!

4IP, which is owned by a traditional broadcaster, surely must have the edge here in helping to combine interesting online ideas around distinct strands of programming. I am not talking interactive dramas and the like. I thinking of truly innovative ways of taking data and wrapping it around programming which gives it new contextual meaning. Add this to the fact that, by its very IP nature, we know where that set top box is and a whole new variety of ultra local services spring to mind.

Sounds pretty fascinating to me...

Update: There is the full BBC executive summary here

[Mark Rock]

sure

[Stuart Cosgrove]

can you ping me their contact details Mark?

[Mark Rock]

It has a very clever engine that can scrape down to a really local level, like postcodes. Can put you in touch if you like. What's good is that they don't aim to be a destination, just an engine. We're pursing a partnership with them with Audioboo, so can put you in contact if you like. Alternatively, I've already emailed Dan their details.

[Stuart Cosgrove]

How local is hophive Mark - geographically?

[Mark Rock]

A very simple application could be as simple as integration of a local data feed a la Hophive. Beats a local news broadcast any day. We can discuss on Twitter if you like...

[Stuart Cosgrove]

Seen strategic demo in my BT board work and agree it will have an impact. I'll pass on the East Enders live irrespective of whether its on ancient old analogue technology or teasmade. One thing that strikes me is what the killer proposition will be, so much of Vision has been about proprietary rights to the biggies - sport, film, US content...I'd love to see a more and open-particpative home hub media era. I'd use it but I'm not telling you what for. All you need to know is that its legal, consensual and doesn't involve tweets.