More and more people are looking for ways to combine the convenience of television with access to the Internet. They may want to browse media libraries, use video or news portals or look online to find a missed episode of their favorite TV series and play it right there on the TV screen. Devices that allow for this kind of media consumption are increasingly appearing in the market. One of the drawbacks of web-surfing via TV is that the content always needs to be adapted to the end terminal on which it’s played. This means that the manufacturer decides which contents can be posted to its portal, and which technical requirements need to be fulfilled. For content providers, this means they need to fulfill the requirements of the various portals and must tailor their contents accordingly. And finally, the end customer is confronted with a vast number of devices and technologies. All of which makes the decision to purchase a new TV set even more complicated. Added to questions of aesthetics and price are considerations such as: What Internet content can I receive? How convenient can I access it?

NetRange MMH, one of the leading companies in interactive TV and innovation partner of FOKUS, demonstrates a White Label Portal for TV environments. The portal is based on CE-HTML, a format language that can be used to write online content for applications in consumer electronics. Using the device-independent White Label Portal, NetRange MMH and FOKUS show how Internet applications can be selected, activated and used – regardless of the manufacturer of the device.

Registering your car via TV

In the future, Internet-capable TVs will also make it possible to conduct administrative business from the living-room easy chair – thanks to the new identity card that will be introduced on November 1, 2010. Under contract with the German federal ministry of the interior, FOKUS is operating the test and demonstration center for the new ID card. The center gives future users in management and industry an opportunity to test services and functions.

At the IFA, FOKUS developers will be demonstrating how to use the new ID card in connection with a TV set and a set-top box: The new system will give owners a secure and trustworthy way to verify their identity – before viewing age-specific content, for instance. The ID card ensures correct and secure address verification for online shopping apps, too. Even the trip to the department of motor vehicles is a thing of the past. Thanks to the eID function on the new ID card, citizens can securely prove their identity and apply for registration permits through the official registration portal. In Berlin, all of the technical requirements for electronic car registrations have already been fulfilled. Questions of a more organizational nature still need to be resolved, such as: how a new car-owner is to actually get the new license plates, or how to submit the vehicle registration document when changing registrations. Beginning November 1, residents of Germany’s national capital with a new ID card can use the service – but initially only at Berlin-area Mercedes-Benz dealerships.