There you are, sitting on your couch, engrossed in a mean streak of fruit ninja just as the first X Factor winner is being announced. Lately, it seems that no matter how dramatic, exciting, or suspenseful the TV show I’m watching may be, the games on my iPhone will distract me. This phenomenon has lead people in the TV industry to consider how to regain their viewer’s attention. Their solution: the second screen.

The idea behind second screen experiences is that if you are already on your phone, iPad, or computer, you may as well be using it for something related to the show. For example, VEVO has been having Ask:Reply sessions with celebrity guests where fans can ask the talent a question directly through their webcam. Pictured below, fans had the chance to speak with Joe Jonas, and get their 30 seconds of fame because the webcast was being streamed live to thousands of viewer.

Other programs like The Glee Project use videoconferencing for after-show opportunities. Again, fans can interact with the show’s talent, asking questions via webcam, twitter, or chat. They can show their support or dislike of the contestants, discuss the result of the competition or just meet the celebs – the possibilities are endless.

You don’t need to be a cable network to incorporate second screen experiences into your show. Say you have a blog where you give advice on makeup, travel, or how to navigate a fantasy football league. Using Watchitoo, you can create a more interactive experience with your fans by live-streaming a videoconference. Your fans can be dragged onto the stage to ask their questions and become part of the show! Increased interactivity with fans can only strengthen their loyalty to your brand.

Of course, this is only one way to utilize the Watchitoo solution for a second screen experience. A great example of an alternative use would be the work we do with CBS Sports. Otis Livingston hosts an online web series that complements his TV show. On the show, two guests try to convince a jury of 9 fans which two sports players of the week is the better athlete. This allows the CBS sports team to interact with viewers outside of the TV show’s allotted time and makes the fans an integral part of the show’s content.

So as you can see, Watchitoo is a great solution for the second screen experience. There are many ways to utilize the technology to increase brand awareness, fan interactivity, and recapture your target audience’s attention- no more competing with Angry Birds.

Watchitoo today unveiled Playground (www.plground.com), a breakthrough Web-based videochat platform that lets businesspeople hold meetings, presentations and sales calls “face to face” without ever leaving the office.

Playground has several clear advantages over competing offerings: up to 25 participants can convene online; no one has to download anything; application- and document-sharing are built right in; and it’s branded as a business tool, so your customers know you’re serious.

“We think Playground is a better way for businesses to collaborate,” said Rony Zarom, CEO of Watchitoo. “Whatever your size, a serious business needs a serious business tool. You can access Playground directly, find it in your ISP’s value-added service menu or experience it in customer service applications.”

The cloud-based solution combines HD video conferencing with collaboration around nearly any form of rich media, including presentations, documents, videos, images, etc. The cost-effective, easy-to-use platform is ideal for sales presentations, consultations, training, recruiting or online meetings.

Playground is available three ways:

• At our website – Any consumer or businessperson can be up and running with Playground in minutes at www.plground.com.
• Through ISPs – Providers will offer Playground as a value-added service bundled with voice, video and Internet service.
• In customer support applications – System integrators and value-added resellers will bundle Playground into customer relationship management software so consumers can chat live on Playground with customer service agents.

Although Playground is targeted to small and medium businesses, many others can find tremendous value in the videochat service. Health care providers can use it to consult with patients and colleagues. Financial services advisors can provide personal counsel to clients. Educators can give students, wherever they are, an easy way to study in groups.

The cost for Playground starts at $3.80 per user per month. A free version with limited features will be available at our website (www.plground.com), as well.
Playground is a lightweight version of Watchitoo’s full-featured, Web-based streaming, conferencing and collaboration platform for brands, TV producers, event organizers and others who want to increase engagement with their audiences and extend their reach. Up to 25 individuals or groups can participate live simultaneously via Watchitoo while hundreds of thousands can view and follow the conversation, using social tools to interact with their friends and fellow viewers.

For more information, visit www.plground.com.

We are excited to power the UNREAL™ live chat with founder Michael Bronner and his son Nicky on Wednesday, October 3^rd at 1pm PT/ 4pm ET. Michael will discuss the latest manifesto video that was launched last week, the brand and the mission to unjnk the world™.

Joining the Bronners are 8 influential bloggers, including Kimberley Blaine (@TheGoToMom), Leah Segedie (@bookieboo), Beth Blecherman (@techmama), Windsor Hanger (@windsorhanger), Amy Lupold Bair (@ResourcefulMom), Casey Benedict  (@caseybenedict), Yolanda Machado (@SassyMamainLA) and Margie Kelly (@healthy_child).

You can participate or follow the conversation, pose questions, text comments and post to their Facebook and Twitter followers through the Watchitoo platform, http://www.facebook.com/unreal.

Join us for the live chat October 3rd at 1pm PT/4pm ET

www.facebook.com/unreal

or Register to put on your calendar http://getunrealvideo.eventbrite.ca/

Want to learn more about the Jeff Probst Show?….Tune in today at 4pm ET via Watchitoo.

Jeff Probst will be discussing his new show and answering fan questions live Tuesday, September 11th at 4pm ET/1pm PT. The interactive live chat, powered by Watchitoo, will give fans the chance to chat and ask Jeff  questions ‘face-to-face’ via webcam.

Join us for the live chat on
the Jeff Probst Show Website or Facebook page
today at 4pm ET / 1pm PT

Watchitoo today introduced a new device that enables broadcast studios to upgrade Web video quality and pipe the improved video streams to TV.

The Watchitoo Channel Encoder 1000 (WCE-1000) is a server/hardware combination that can turn a Web video stream into an HDTV-quality product by treating it like an in-studio camera feed. For the first time, producers have the granular control they need over frame rate, pixel resolution and audio quality.

This capability is especially powerful in combination with the Watchitoo interactive streaming platform, which enables up to 25 people to join a group video chat via their webcams. Producers can now handle each participant – as well as any content under discussion – as a separate composite video feed. Or they can take all the feeds.

The WCE-1000 has major implications for organizations using Internet content for TV or Web TV. It enables them to:

• Provide true HDTV video and audio quality from Internet video streams;
• Pick individual participants from a group videochat and present them to viewers however they wish;
• Separate video from audio for quality engineering;
• Silence redundant audio; and
• Easily send the output to the Web, TV or both.

“Viewers demand high-definition-quality media on the TV and Internet,” said Watchitoo CEO Rony Zarom. “With the WCE-1000, they will no longer suffer through the low-quality Web video feeds they’ve seen on television and streaming sites. Higher-quality video, and more control over how it’s presented to the viewer, will tremendously benefit social TV on the Web, cable and the broadcast networks. The result will be driving more viewers to great content. The boundaries between the Internet and the television are blurring, and we’re helping drive that revolution.”

How it works

The WCE allows producers to connect and screen remote virtual participants through the Watchitoo platform control room. The technical producer can control the remote participants’ source stream, using the WCE-1000 control panel to set frame rate and bandwidth to obtain the best possible feed. The server’s administration/configuration screens enable the producer to set resolution and frames-per-second (FPS) output.

The multi-stream feeds are then pushed through the Watchitoo content delivery network, outputted to the WCE-1000, and encoded through Watchitoo hardware that feeds into a network studio switcher (via HDMI – HD/SDI). Studio producers can then switch and broadcast the Watchitoo feeds to television and/or Web as desired.

The WCE-1000 is a turnkey solution that includes a server, customization and training. It is available now. For more information, contact +1 (212) 354-5888 or sales@watchitoo.com.