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"Second screen" apps allow mobile devices to communicate with "smart" TVs. The open-source Connect SDK promises to work across multiple mobile OSes and TV OSes. But what are the actual uses?
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P. Douglas Reeder [email protected]
“Second Screen” Apps Using the Connect SDK
Columbus JavaScript User GroupSeptember 17, 2014
Motivation
❖ “Smart TVs” much less interactive than computers
❖ One set of preferences per app (typically)
❖ Search is laborious
❖ No e-mail/tweet from friend that knows you
❖ “Smart TV” interfaces are clumsy at best
❖ Most people in front of a TV have a mobile device nearby
What It’s Not
❖ Screen mirroring (ala AirPlay Mirroring or Chromecast tab mirroring)
❖ Additional Display
❖ Local Media Streaming (ala Play on Roku or AirPlay streaming)
Development & Testing
❖ Half a dozen native libraries required
❖ Setup takes a day, not an hour, unless you’re very familiar with Android or iOS development
❖ Testing: buy hardware for any platform you really care about. (Chromecast $35) The only emulator available is for webOS, and that appears to be buggy.
Compatibility - Mobile OSes
❖ iOS, Android, or Cordova (Phone Gap) for both.
❖ No announced plan for Windows Phone nor web app (Firefox OS, ChromeOS)
Compatibility:TV OSes
8 platforms:LG webOS
ChromecastApple TV
RokuFire TV
LG Smart TV ’13LG Smart TV ’12
DIAL
23 features:Apps
MediaSystem Controls
TV Controls
Compatibility - TV OSes
Broad support for
❖ Launching app with known ID
❖ Throw video from URL, Pause, Stop
❖ Throw YouTube video (& possibly Hulu, NetFlix)
❖ Throw audio from URL
❖ Throw photo from URL
❖ Throw URL (web app) to browser?
Demonstration
Use Cases
❖ Game using mobile as tilt controller, e.g. Wii game (TV-centric)
❖ Progress through sequence of videos on tablet, optionally displaying on TV e.g. Reading Bear (mobile-centric)
❖ Run web server on phone, display photos on TV, e.g. Zap Photoshare (mobile-centric)
❖ Multiplayer real-time strategy, displaying player-private info on mobile (joint)
❖ Collaborative editing, e.g. Subethaedit, Etherpad (joint)
UX Gotchas
❖ Must be on same Wi-Fi network: Ok for home, work, close friends. Poor for Meetup, meeting at client’s.
❖ FireTV & DIAL TVs can only “Launch My app” & beam YouTube - easy to exclude from list, but leaves user frustrated.
❖ Mobile apps must be downloaded from app stores
❖ Some games are much easier if you can always glance at the map
Conclusions
❖ This might be the tipping point where users expect devices to work together (like VCRs and TVs did)
❖ Or maybe it won’t catch on, and companies will re-impose their walled gardens
http://connectsdk.com
