New LG & Philips HDTVs to Deliver a Wide-Range of Interactive Content with LodgeNet Integration

LodgeNet Interactive Corporation, a provider of media and connectivity solutions to the hospitality industry, announced at the LodgeNet Technology Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia that it has begun licensing its b-LAN (broadband local area network) technology to the two leading commercial TV manufacturers for inclusion in their newest high-definition (HD) television displays designed for the hospitality market.

 

Initial agreements with LG Electronics and Philips Electronics authorize those companies to develop and market HDTVs which include LodgeNet's communication technology. With this new agreement, the companies will embed LodgeNet's patented b-LAN technology into their television sets, enabling the delivery of a wide range of interactive content and functionality on a more cost effective basis, including centralized free-to-guest (FTG) channel management, video on demand content and interactive guest services. In addition to the agreements with LG and Philips, LodgeNet is also negotiating with other consumer electronics companies to make its b-LAN technology available.

 

LG Electronics, which signed the first license agreement in June, has shipped tens of thousands of hospitality HDTVs with embedded LodgeNet b-LAN technology, according to the company.

 

LodgeNet's b-LAN technology is the most widely deployed, cost effective communications solution enabling TVs to be centrally managed as networked devices rather than unconnected stand-alone units. This unique technology allows hotels and providers to manage TV configuration without a visit to each room and can enable a variety of other applications requiring communication to the TV set.