Xperi, the company behind DTS, IMAX Enhanced and TiVo, will enter the Smart TV market in mid-2023 in partnership with an undisclosed TV maker.
Which TV maker is courageous enough to launch yet another TV operating system? During its Q2 earnings call, Xperi declined to reveal the name but confirmed that it is a "leading tier 2 provider that makes multiple TV sets under multiple brands", according to a report by Next TV.
Xperi CEO Jon Kirchner calls it a "landmark win" and said that the first Smart TVs powered by the TiVo Stream operating system will launch in the middle of 2023. The company will focus on "tier 2" TV makers in Europe and in the US.
The company is currently offering a TiVo Stream 4K box based on Android TV, but for the Smart TVs it will shift to a new approach.
- "We're moving to a Linux-based OS that will enable TV makers to have a best-in-class UX and great content and discovery, along with access to a monetization platform as we move downstream that will generate meaningful economics not just for us, but for the manufacturers as well," Jon Kirchner told Next TV.
An alternative to Amazon, Google & Roku
Xperi acquired TiVo two years ago for $3 billion and acquired Dutch video software company Vewd earlier this summer for $109 million.
Kirchner claims that 40% of the smart TV market is looking for an independent and more customizable TV operating system as an alternative to Amazon, Google and Roku's TV operating systems – Fire TV, Android TV / Google TV and Roku OS.
The Smart TV market is already convoluted. Other TV operating systems include Apple's tvOS, Hisense's Vidaa, LG's webOS, Panasonic's My Home Screen, Philips' Saphi, Samsung's Tizen, and Vizio's SmartCast.
Details about the first TiVo Smart TVs will be announced later. If we had to guess, we would say that IMAX Enhanced and DTS audio support are likely features.
- Source: Next TV
