NextGuide for iPad intends to get you to stop using the grid guide
Believe it or not, most people still start their TV watching routine by hitting the guide button and browsing. After that, they might check to see what's on the DVR, and eventually make their way through the streaming options available on their smart TV or game console. Dijit Media wants to change that with the new NextGuide iPad app which sets out to answer the age old question of "what am I going to watch next?" Essentially this hyper personal guide knows whats on TV, what your friends are watching and lets you easily filter by things like category, Facebook likes or even keywords in the metadata. Discovering content is the key theme here, but integration with other services like Rotten Tomatoes and the ability to schedule recordings on your DVR are also in the cards -- currently scheduling recordings only works with DirecTV, but we're told more are on the way. Although from the same company, NextGuide doesn't work with the Beacon so you'll need to keep using the Dijit remote for the majority of your remote needs, but both products will live on even though Dijit's focus is on NextGuide, for now.
Dijit Introduces NextGuide for iPad, the Hyper-Personalized Guide for Streaming and Live TV
Dijit Media, Inc, today launched NextGuide™, a "hyper-personalized" guide for streaming and live TV that helps answer the question "what should I watch next?" and transforms the way people discover TV shows and movies for viewing either on the TV or on their iPad™. NextGuide combines listings from any live TV service with movies and TV shows that can be found and played on services including Netflix and iTunes, with rich searching capability, alerts, and one-click watching. The app also has powerful social features, and uses a person's Facebook friends' interests and their own profile to make recommendations. Unlike any other guide or listing service, NextGuide can not only assist in finding a show, but also launches shows directly into other viewing apps such as Netflix. NextGuide also gives DIRECTV customers with a DVR the ability to initiate recordings onto their home DVR for timeshifted viewing.
"In 2012, the concept of watching 'TV' can include anything from live or recorded movies, TV shows, and sporting events from cable or satellite providers or streaming services including Netflix. Further, viewing these shows has shifted from just the living room to the consumers' device of choice (TV, iPad, smartphone, etc.). To add to the confusion, there are pay TV subscribers, cord cutting, binge viewing. This type of fragmentation is bound to get even more chaotic in the future," says Jeremy Toeman, CEO of Dijit. "We set out to create an app experience that helps the viewer reclaim control by getting away from old concepts, like 'the grid' and focusing instead on people, and how they consume media. We put you in control of your own guide that gets to know you, not just a spreadsheet of content. And we give you an amazingly rich and intuitive browsing experience that actually helps you find the things you care about in a fun, easy and enjoyable way."
The NextGuide App.
NextGuide creates a mosaic, tiled experience built out of TV shows and movies relevant to you, and is designed specifically for the iPad. Each screen represents a category, such as Comedy or Drama, and users simply slide from screen to screen to browse listings. The user is in complete control, adding or removing categories as they'd like, creating their own personalized categories around their interests. New users start with suggested categories, such as "Football" or "San Francisco" or "Lady Gaga" or "Charlie Sheen", and can customize from there. NextGuide automatically scans these interests, and delivers alerts whenever there are new episodes of matching content.
"We frequently hear the complaint '500 channels, but nothing to watch', or in the case of streaming services, 'thousands of movies and TV shows, but nothing I haven't already seen'" added Toeman. "12,000 hours of shows beam through someone's cable or satellite feed every day – the problem is finding the good stuff. With NextGuide, we focus on someone's interests, not their channels. Want to know when Jon Hamm hosts SNL? Our app makes that association for you when you favorite Mad Men. Live in New York City? We'll tell you if Anthony Bourdain is in a show that was filmed there. Love the Montreal Canadiens hockey team? We'll find their game highlights on the NHL Network. The truth is, there's tons of great content on live TV and via streaming services, but it's just become too hard to find. We think we've created the perfect app to fix that."
NextGuide Features & Benefits:
NextGuide alerts you when what you care about is on TV including your favorite actors, bands, teams, live concerts, sporting events, interviews, appearances and more.
NextGuide automatically finds the TV shows and movies your friends watch, without having to remember things or write them down.
NextGuide puts all your favorite channels into a single view, escaping the "grid" with rich box art and easy manipulation of content (to easily add or remove shows that are not of interest).
NextGuide lets you create a category about anything; from your favorite actor to your hometown, to your favorite sports team. All in addition to typical genres or categories like Comedy, Drama, etc...
NextGuide searches all your media sources to find where your favorite shows are on air and online.
NextGuide lets you hide shows or movies that are not of interest to you so you can focus on discovering the ones you want to see.
NextGuide automatically alerts you to new shows and season premieres across all networks so you won't miss a moment of the things you want to see.
Availability
The NextGuide app is free to download from the App Store. NextGuide is exclusively designed for iPad™, and is retina-optimized.
