Sezmi Packs TV, On-Demand, and Online Video

Sezmi—which until recently went by the name “Building B”—has unveiled what it’s calling the first “TV 2.0” offering, combining standard television, DVR capabilities, on-demand viewing, Internet video, and social networking capabilities into a single viewing platform. The goal is to offer highly personalized features by leveraging both over-the-air and broadband video source (both from a service provider and generally available via the Internet), and combine them into a single integrated video experience. The company also says it’s developed an indoor antenna technology that would let users easily set up receivers anywhere in the home without having to set up an external antenna to bring in over-the-air programming.

“Sezmi focused on the television consumer and built an entirely new television offering from the ground up to meet the needs of viewers that want a premium experience at an affordable price,” said Sezmi CEO Buno Pati, in a statement. “We have rallied support across multiple industries and are excited to work with our partners to offer a new and differentiated TV choice to consumers.”

Rather than merely rolling out as a retail solution consumers can pick up at a local electronics store, Sezmi is looking to partner with 3G and DSL providers to offer their proprietary set-top technology as a video solution for providers looking to complete their so-called “triple play” service offerings. Sezmi says it’s working wards a commercial launch with broadband providers and retailers later this year. However, Sezmi’s currently plans are to go to market on a city-by-city basis, working with broadband providers who would lease the boxes to consumers are part of their subscription package. The Sezmi system would use local over-the-air reception for broadcast networks like NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox, rely on broadband-delivered video from service operators for on-demand movies and content, and trot out to the Internet to pull down video from publicly-accessible sites. Sezmi will also incorporate social networking features; for instance, users will be able to share their playlists and participate in community show ratings.

However, Sezmi’s offering would differ from traditional DVRs and cable-company PVRs in offering an experience that can be customized down to the individual user—the kind of demographic focus advertisers love. Users would actually sign into the device when they turn it on; that, in turn, would bring up their own customized playlists, recordings, and preferences.

The Sezmi device itself will pack a 1 TB hard drive, include eSATA and USB ports for connecting additional storage or media devices. Sezmi hasn’t revealed what sort of channel lineups will be available—that may vary by operator, but Sezmi says it plans to work with content providers wherever possible—but plans to launch with a a lineup and price comparable to current basic cable services.

Although Sezmi says it is designing the system to be completely user-installable, no one knows how the consumer market might respond to a service that pulls video from so many diverse sources and tries to incorporate them into a single viewing “universe.” On the other hand, consumers are certainly frustrated by divergent, conflicting, and difficult-to-use video solutions available now: if Sezmi really can put a smooth interface on all that and give people what they want, it may be a hint of things to come.

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