Espial TV Browser Powers the Sharp® Smart TV Experience

Delivers Advanced Web Browsing to Sharp^® AQUOS^® HDTVs in Japan, China, and North America

OTTAWA, June 20, 2012 /CNW/ - Espial, a leader in on-demand TV software and solutions, today announced that the Espial TV Browser has been selected to power new Sharp^® AQUOS^® LED TVs in Japan, China, and North America, offering consumers the most advanced Smart TV Web experience based on the open source momentum of WebKit and HTML5.

Sharp set rigorous requirements for its browser evaluation process, including a customizable user interface, HTML5 standards support for open web browsing, and advanced graphics for compelling content — all using a single browser — spanning different broadcast standards and multiple geographical markets. For Sharp, selecting a single high-performance browser was the key to lowering its cost of ownership and speeding time to market in terms of development, deployment, and support.

The Espial TV Browser met Sharp's demanding criteria by delivering advanced Web browsing capabilities, enabling desktop browser performance on next-generation Smart TVs. Consumers can now experience advanced graphic capabilities through HTML5 support such as CSS 3D Transforms and Canvas; fast responsive interfaces with an optimized JavaScript engine; and additional features such as websockets and geolocation.

For consumer electronics manufacturers, the Espial TV Browser is optimized for regionalized broadcast content delivery, including HbbTV in Europe, CE-HTML in North America and BML and NetTV/acTVila in Japan. A customizable, intuitive user interface supports local language requirements, Web content, and broadcast television for each region. With a high-speed JavaScript engine separating Espial from other proprietary browsers, operators can rapidly deploy personalized and compelling multimedia services and applications.

"We're proud to partner with Sharp, a pioneer in leading-edge consumer electronics devices," said Jaison Dolvane, president and CEO of Espial. "The Espial TV Browser was designed to support the challenging browsing requirements of today's connected TVs, so it is the perfect solution for providing a unique television experience across such a vast geographical footprint."

The Espial TV Browser is easily portable across chipsets and devices, an important requirement for Sharp AQUOS LED TVs, which are based on variety of chipsets from multiple manufacturers. The browser's comprehensive software development kit simplifies integration with middleware media players, video plug-ins, and Javascript extensions, adding further support for a rich, interactive user experience.

More information about the Espial TV Browser and the company's other products is available at www.espial.com.

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About Espial (www.espial.com)
Espial is a leading supplier of digital TV and IPTV software and solutions to cable MSOs and telecommunications operators as well as consumer electronics manufacturers. Espial's middleware, video-on-demand, and browser products power a diverse range of pay-TV and Internet TV business models. Over 10 million licenses of its patented software are in use across the world. Espial is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada and has offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Visit www.espial.com or contact via phone at [phone]. 

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