Verismo Targets OEM Market with VuNow Internet TV Platform

According to a press release, Verismo Networks is launching a global initiative targeting OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers), content aggregators, and Internet Service providers to encourage them to integrate its VuNow Internet TV platform in future products.

As AVguide.com reported in December, the VuNow, a collaborative effort between Verismo and NETGEAR, is a small set-top box that “lets users stream and watch Internet content right on their televisions with a click of the remote.”

The release says that OEMs are interested in selling the product under their own labels and integrating them into products. “Among the many options being considered by OEMs are: the addition of premium content to the VuNow service, embedding the VuNow Internet TV platform in consumer appliances like TVs, DVD players, and A/V receivers—to enable online video access through these devices—and integrating other applications [into it]…”

Dhaval Ajmera EVP of Verismo Networks says in the release, “An open platform is fundamental to our success. Our OEM initiative fosters the development of differentiated products by OEMs worldwide, thereby offering consumers compelling choices for entertainment in their living room.”

This move is only further evidence that a paradigm-shifting trend in media delivery is upon us. To learn more about the implications of this trend and what it means for fans of movies and music, see “The Rise of IPTV” article in the February issue of Playback. Also watch for an in-depth look at the VuNow device to appear in a future “Entertainment Technology” column in Playback (background work on the review is already underway).