LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CES: Venetian - Eureka Hall - booth 80134; Showstoppers – Wynn – Today Skreens announced that it was awarded a U.S. patent for aspects of its technology that combine multiple HDMI signals with web content onto a single display controlled by a tablet or smart device, delivering an immersive, personal media experience. For users, bringing all of their media and social experiences together as one means finally having full control of their media, in exactly the way they want it.
“The future of media will enable viewer control of the media they want to watch or interact with,” says Marc Todd, Skreens Entertainment Technologies Founder and CEO. “Whether passively watching linear content, gaming, 3D/360° VR video or the emerging media phenomena of streaming your own channel, Skreens is the first device to empower the viewer to control all of their content on a single display without lag. We’ve all been mesmerized by the visions of the future of media experiences that many science fiction movies have brought to life. Skreens makes those visions a reality.”
This new innovation will enable exciting new capabilities across the digital media and entertainment ecosystem. Skreens gives content providers, cable operators, gaming services, advertisers, set-top box OEMs and other companies powerful new options for attracting and retaining customers by delivering a broadcast-quality, web-centric experience perfectly suited for the mobile generation. In light of massive declines in TV viewership and single-device engagement among millennials, Skreens is the platform that can spark a full revolution for everyone creating media experiences. Recent research has tracked the steep decline in TV ownership among millennials, where second screens have become the first choice.
“The benefits of mobile devices — easy switching between applications, or chatting with friends while watching shows, or checking your fantasy stats while keeping the game on — has become the expectation of this next generation. Traditional TV just doesn’t work like they work,” Todd says.
The patent and patents pending cover the foundational concepts and technologies inside the Skreens semiconductor and software stack:
- Control any and all HDMI or web content directly from a tablet or smart device to a single display with no discernable lag. Perfect for 4K (UltraHD).
- Stack and control the transparency of HDMI sources, and blend into full-screen HTML5 backgrounds for studio-quality compositions.
- Save layouts and reload them at any time at a touch of a finger, or load predefined layouts to get ramped up quickly.
- Mix and tune all audio sources and output 5.1 surround sound over HDMI or stream over IP, giving users even more control of their experience.
- H.264 compression and streaming output directly from the Skreens Plus Pro device — delivering the “broadcast studio in a box” for Twitch, YouTube or any other compatible service — to radically simplify the processes for anyone to create a streaming channel anytime, anywhere.
- Extend all of the capabilities of the platform using a completely reconfigurable, proprietary FPGA processor, future-proofing consumer investments and giving Skreens and its partners the ability to create and release new features without deploying new hardware. Through “Skreens Personality Modules,” tailored services can be rapidly developed for specific needs.
“Twitch and cord-cutting are just two examples of how consumers are taking control of their own media marketplaces, but we hear their frustration that legacy technologies limit and undermine the entertainment experiences they crave,” Todd says. “Skreens gives them a platform for easy and intuitive integration of all of the games, movies, social media and other content they own or stream. In the process, Skreens opens new opportunities for content providers, gaming services, advertisers and others to take a greater part in the media revolution that’s already happening.”
The Skreens platform is a fully embeddable system, where possible future licensees will be able to deliver:
- A new breed of set-top boxes (STBs) that enable cable operators, telco TV providers and satellite companies to give subscribers new capabilities such as watching multiple sporting events simultaneously. These capabilities could provide those companies with new market-differentiation opportunities and encourage subscribers to get STBs for all of their TVs.
- Richer, connected virtual reality experiences, whose appeal and market potential will increase significantly when users have a convenient, intuitive way to blend and control 2D, 3D and 360° video without a PC.
- A completely new branded content platform for TV networks and other traditional content providers to publish innovative experiences that engage the audiences being lost in the move away from attendance viewership.
- Enterprise collaboration systems that get multiple devices on one screen, saving money and space with far-reaching impacts on industries like finance, government, education, restaurants, bars, digital signage and more.
- New advertising options, including the ability to reach millennials, a demographic whose limited TV viewership and peripatetic media usage confounds brands.
- Transforming the TV into the hub for Internet of Things (IoT), where consumers can bring nanny and security cameras, telemedicine feeds, home automation alerts and other IoT applications on largest and most central display in their house right alongside entertainment, social media feeds, games and other content.
Skreens has already demonstrated market traction. Recently featured on Kickstarter, Skreens was able to reach its initial funding goal within the first 24 hours.
For more information about the Skreens patent, No. 9,210,361, visit www.uspto.gov/web/patents/patog/week49/OG/html/1421-2/US09210361-20151208.html
About Skreens
Skreens revolutionizes and democratizes the way people experience and interact with their entertainment, including games, social media, live TV and streaming. Skreens’ patented technology enables users to send multiple content feeds from their gaming console, cable box, Blu-ray player, PC, Roku, Apple TV and more to any large display, where they can then add, move, remove and resize each feed using just their finger. This consolidated, personalized view means Skreens users never miss a key play in a game because they were looking down at their tablet to check Facebook. It also makes it easier for consumers to enjoy multiple sources of content simultaneously that otherwise would be too confusing to watch and manage across two or more screens. For more information about Skreens’ devices, the technology and people behind them and the company’s partners, visit http://skreens.com.