In Hotels, Next Generation interactive Television (NexGen iTV) offers a combination of entertainment and information services, internet access on the television and other hotel services, all together on the in-room-TV screen with a simple, intuitive remote control and an integrated cordless keyboard. The entertainment services include analog or IP TV channels, internet access and video streaming from the internet, music stations on the internet, video on demand and music on demand from the hotel’s servers.

In the case of hospitals, the TV screens in patient rooms can give access to the patient records, after the necessary authentication by a doctor through user identification.

Important features of the interactive entertainment system:

• Television channels both on coax cable and those provided on an IPTV platform, enabled through a bespoke remote control
• Internet Access on the same TV screen, with a cordless keyboard
• Internet Radio providing access to music streaming channels on the Internet
• Video on Demand: a hospital can provide videos for healing, videos on Yoga or exercises etc.
• Music on Demand: a hospital can provide music for relaxation or as part of therapy
• Hotel information such as restaurants, banquet halls, in room dining menus and other hotel facilities
• Hospital facilities such as Pharmacy, different specialised clinics,
• Signage applications in the hotel lobby or waiting halls of a hospital
• Other information services such as currency conversion, world clock, maps etc.
• NexGen-iTV software would support connectivity options for the guest's equipment such as an iPod, laptop or a game box. The NexGen-iTV software will provide a plug-n-play experience. This feature is optional.
• Folio review: View of the room bill generated in real time from the Property Management System or a Hospital Information System.
• Guest Excel-One Touch Service: The hotel's guests can use the intuitive user interface on the TV to make service requests such as laundry pick up, room clean request, pillow request, water bottle etc. or place complaints such as defective lighting, defective AC, defective door lock etc. This can be extended to a one touch service center on the room's phone too, with certain additional hardware to integrate with the hotel's PABX or IPPBX system. One of the important features of the One Touch Service Center is that it alerts runners on SMS (extra hardware required for SMS messaging) regarding the pending guest requests and complaints and escalates to the house keeping manager or even the GM of the hotel by email and /or SMS, when the service requests or complaints are not closed in a timely manner.
• Ability to push text messages to the guest rooms, from the PMS or a Hospital Information System
• A Custom and attractive user interface on an iDevice or Android device, if the hotel desires. This is optional. Or the hotel may choose to provide the regular remote control and cordless keyboards to the guests.
• Flexibility to integrate with the in room control systems for lighting, temperature and drapes, if the hotel desires. The guests can then control from the custom remote control provided by NexGen, through the TV's user interface or iDevices's user interface. This is optional.

Benefits to the Hotels:

The return on the investment (ROI) made by the hotel on the NexGen iTV is based on the revenue from the following heads:

• Increased internet usage due to the NexGen iTV's unrestricted browsing capabilities on the TV and the Internet access charges paid by guests on the iTV, primarily driven by video streaming.
• Promotional activities on the iTV, such as food, beverages, events at the hotel etc.
• Potential advertising opportunities of luxury goods that a Hotel may want to endorse
• Video on Demand
• The intangible benefits from the overall service quality experience, due to the One Touch Service Center, which alerts runners on SMS regarding the pending guest requests and complaints and escalates to the house keeping manager or even the GM of the hotel, when the service requests or complaints are not closed in a timely manner.

Benefits to the Hospitals:

The return on the investment (ROI) made by the hospital on the NexGen iTV is based on the following tangible and intangible benefits:

• Internet usage due to the NexGen iTV's unrestricted browsing capabilities on the TV and the Internet access charges paid by guests on the iTV, primarily driven by communication needs and video streaming.
• Promotional activities on the iTV, such as food, beverages, health check up, etc.
• Potential advertising opportunities of relevant goods that a Hospital may want to endorse
• Video on Demand, providing videos for healing, videos on Yoga or other relaxation methods, videos on counselling etc.
• The intangible benefits from the overall service quality experience, due to the One Touch Service Center, which alerts runners on SMS regarding the pending patient requests and complaints and escalates to the house keeping manager or even the GM of the hospital, when the service requests or complaints are not closed in a timely manner.

The architecture of the interactive TV and IP-TV system developed by us is given below. The STB shown is an IP Set Top Box capable of delivering full High Defintion broadcast video in both MPEG2 and MPEG4 formats: