Got a thirst for concert tickets? Try H2O

By Susan Rush
From The September 13, 2002 Edition Of CED Broadband Direct

Based on the OpenTV H2O interactive TV application, OpenTV has teamed with Ticketmaster to develop a t-commerce service that will turn televisions into virtual ticket agents.

The companies have joined forces to enable iTV subscribers to search for and purchase tickets for concerts, sporting events, and other events using their televisions.

The OpenTV H2O platform translates online content developed in HTML and JavaScript to an iTV application, which in turn will enable set-top boxes that are unable to support an embedded Web browser to offer the content.

"OpenTV H2O provides content developers and network operators with an opportunity to take advantage of existing Internet technologies to create compelling interactive TV content on existing thin set-top boxes," OpenTV Europe's General Manager Mickey Kalifa said. Operators would not need to upgrade or exchange their existing set-top boxes powered by OpenTV middleware to use OpenTV H2O, according to Kalifa.

The application is being demonstrated this week at the IBC 2002 show in Amsterdam.