The television experience has long become more than just sitting in the living room, in front of the small screen. Web-based television experience, such as Torrent sharing, direct downloads and streaming are nowadays an inseperable part of television watching.
An Israeli startup named RayV, which unveiled its technology in March 2012, now hopes to introduce the next generation of TV and VOD, based on cloud technology.
No Buffering
RayV’s patented technology is called RayVPlayer and allows enhanced HDTV cloud streaming on all IP devices – from Connected TV’s to PC’s, tablets, and smartphones. According to the company, their technology enables users to watch television content, live or on demand, in high speed and with no buffering time.
In addition, users can browse, chat and interact simultaneously on their device, without disrupting the viewing experience.
“The communications infrastructure has improved greatly in the past 18 months, especially in Europe, and it’s now much easier to reach the billion smartphones and tablets in the world today,” explained Shlomi Cohen, CEO and president of RayV, while unveiling his company’s new technologies at the Israel Conference.
According to RayV, having many viewers watching the same show does not damage broadcast quality; it can actually enhance it, since with more viewers the broadcast signal is strengthened.
A Personalized Experience
The RayV Player can be used as a plugin embedded in a web page, as a standalone desktop application, or as a widget within another application.
It allows users to watch up to four different channels simultaneously, all on the same screen with a split-screen feature, as well as a fast zapping bar that enables easy navigation between multiple channels.
The social aspect of RayV’s platform provides users the ability to connect with friends on Facebook while watching live TV streams, to retweet the channel to friends, to join chat rooms and play games with other viewers in real-time.
RayV’s Player is applicable for computers with Mac, Windows and Linux operating systems, smartphones based iOS or Androids, Game Consoles and Connected TVs.
Licensed Streaming
All content streamed through the player is licensed by RayV. In fact, the platform developed by the company is not intended for direct marketing to viewers. RayV is targeting companies that deliver video broadcasts, such as cellular companies and content providers.
RayV delivers end-to-end services, including infrastructure and customized players. It charges providers by the user and currently streams 200 channels to over seven million people in the United States and Europe.
RayV has recently announced that it will be signing a partnership with LG, to integrate the player in LG devices.
The Tel-Aviv based company is backed by Magma Venture Partners, Accel Partners and Ron Zuckerman. According to Israeli website Calcalist, the startup has raised approximately $40 million.