Telly (home entertainment server)


The Telly home entertainment server is range of computer systems designed to store, manage, and access all forms of digital media in the home. Based on Interact-TV's Linux Media Center software, it provides user managed libraries for music, photos, and all forms of video from recorded television programming to DVDs.
Expandable hard drive configurations accommodate growing libraries of home entertainment content and provide an alternative to Desktop and Laptop PCs for entertainment content. Networked configurations distribute content shared from all units throughout a network and allow recording at each location. Content on Telly systems appears to both Windows and Mac PCs as local networked volumes and can be accessed over the network. The Telly server web site provides management of and access to music, photos, and video.
Telly home entertainment servers use a trackball driven user interface and are offered with full high definition television outputs, built-in digital video recorder capabilities and a variety of other accessories. As a home entertainment server, Telly systems differ from traditional media center systems in that it is designed from inception to be configured and operated from a TV-based menu, and as a true server, permits integrated file sharing and secure volume managed expandable storage.

Key Features

Telly Servers are available in a range of models from small set-top sized to rack-mount systems. Each system contains a Linux OS and motherboard and one or more hard drives. All models may additionally have tuners and CD/DVD burners for both import and archiving owners content.

Video Functionality

TellyMinder
The TellyMinder is a small desktop computer designed to fit into any entertainment center and display pre-defined messages on a television screen. TellyMinder has a web-based interface that allows the sender to enter messages and then schedule these messages to be displayed at a specified time. Messages can include reminders to take a specific medication at a given time, appointment confirmations, or a simple check-in to see how someone is doing.
Once the message is displayed, the recipient can confirm the receipt of the message. If the message receipt is not triggered within a specified timeframe, the sender would receive an e-mail alert to notify them of possible problems so the recipient can be contacted directly.
The TellyMinder will also have a web-cam option so sender can check in on the recipient and get visual feedback on the recipient’s status. Future options include the ability to connect monitoring equipment via TellyMinder’s wireless networking so vital information including heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels can be monitored in real time. This would also allow TellyMinder to trigger emergency services if the vital information falls to unsafe levels.
TellyMinder leverages significant intellectual property rights in the following areas:
User Interface Library that combines broadcast quality graphics, animation and streaming media
Intelligent networked media management system
Enhanced television synchronization implementation over a TCP/IP network
Store and forward streaming of MPEG video over TCP/IP networks
TellyMinder uses a synchronization mechanism based on XML that allows content delivered over the Internet to be coordinated with the display of broadcast television. This dramatically improves the response time to the user, removing the objectionable download delays which can occur when information is requested over the Internet.
Software Architecture
The following are the core components of the TellyMinder software platform:
tmiGui – This layer of software developed for TellyMinder allows for the design of user interfaces that are television and entertainment centric. Building on the technical team’s extensive knowledge of broadcast graphics design, a sophisticated user interface toolkit has been developed.
tmiApplicationManager – This software layer developed for TellyMinder provides the management features required by applications such as where windows should be located and how applications should start and stop.
Networked Media Management – TellyMinder has an integrated small and fast database and a newly designed sophisticated, but low maintenance media management system.
Linux Operating System – The Linux OS is the current operating system that TellyMinder is built upon, although all of the current application programming interfaces in TellyMinder have been designed to be ported to alternate operating systems if the market dynamics dictate this is necessary.

History

Corporate Info

Interact-TV, Inc. is a Delaware C Corporation, founded in 2000 by a group of television professionals and was originally headquartered in Westminster, Colorado. Interact-TV, Inc. is currently a public company quoted on the OTC Markets under the symbol ITVI, and headquartered in Delaware.
Interact-TV was formed to develop software products that centralize both the Entertainment and Information experience. Interact-TV products blend Digital Media, Broadband, and Home Networking, then bring it to the end-user through a Television Interface. Interact-TV products focus on the increasing availability of broadband access to the home, and a pervasive demand for higher-value entertainment.
Its initial product, The Telly MC1000 Digital Entertainment Center, began shipping in 2002 as the first fully customizable and expandable digital entertainment system. This was the first integrated system to allow users to access most forms of digital entertainment including broadband Internet, cable and satellite television, digital audio and video entertainment, and digital home networking.
The Telly home entertainment server product line was continually enhanced and includes a complete line of servers, available through a network of dealers. The Interact-TV Telly product line established a prestigious business‑to‑business customer base including a significant partnership in November 2005 with Turner Broadcasting Systems for over 500 Telly product units and special software work for Video‑On‑Demand trials and services.
In 2009 Interact-TV, Inc. acquired Viscount Records, Inc. and Viscount Media Trust from the Medley family, in a deal structured by investment banker, Stan Medley. Shortly thereafter, Interact-TV, Inc. transferred all of its Telly properties operations to JDV Solutions Inc., a spinoff of Interact-TV Inc. Since late 2009, Telly Systems have been sold and serviced by JDV Solutions.
Since 2010 Interact-TV, Inc. has shifted its focus more to the production side of entertainment with the formation of Pocket Kid Records, and a Web Channel in 2010. Pocket Kid Records has been operating successfully with the band Dead Sara under contract and has had less success with the development of its Web-Channel and Telly Minder properties.

Home Entertainment Server Market Overview

Interact-TV introduced their first Telly server in 2001 and was the first commercially available system designed from the ground up as a general purpose home entertainment server. Built on top of a tuned Linux OS, these servers can run efficiently on energy efficient CPUs. Many models are fanless for near-silent operation in home entertainment environments or even bedrooms.
Windows Media Center Edition is built on top of a productivity centered operating system which is burdened by inefficient layers of legacy user interface. This approach confronts users with configuration and operational requirements ill suited to an entertainment oriented experience. Media Center Edition systems require high performance computing platforms which are usually power hungry and extensively fan cooled.
Apple TV is a solution which utilizes a 'media adapter' approach which places a TV enabled device on the home network to bridge the connection from desktop systems and to provide a conduit for content delivery from their iTunes Store. A similar 'media adapter' approach is also available for Media Center Edition systems from a variety of manufacturers. Such adaptations arise primarily from the difficulty of creating small quiet computers for lean-back environments which can run full entertainment software on top of lean-forward productivity oriented operating systems.

Operational Requirements

Telly home entertainment servers require an Internet connection for many features. Telly systems network over Ethernet to other computers and work with most cable set top boxes and both Dish and Direct-TV satellite via a simple infrared interface.