LG, Sharp and Philips join forces for connected apps

A group of connected TV manufacturers have jointly agreed to standardise the technical requirements for bringing web services to TVs.

LG, Sharp and Philips have committed to “define common technical requirements” for connected TV services.  They have agreed to use open standards including HTML5, CE-HTML and HbbTV. In addition, they will release a beta common software developers kit for developers to use to create a single app that can run on smart TVs from all three manufacturers. It will launch in October.

“This cooperation is nothing less than a watershed in the brief history of Smart TVs,” said Havis Kwon, president and CEO of LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company on the company’s UK blog. “By working in partnership with two innovators in TVs, we’ve taken a major step towards creating an app market every bit as inventive and dynamic as the one that exists for smartphones.”