CES 2014: SeeSpace Puts Second Screen Content on the Main Screen

SeeSpace is coming out of stealth mode at the International CES show, hoping to interest TV insiders in a new kind of second screen experience. The company has created InAir, shown at left, a device that plugs into a home’s cable box and HDMI-equipped television. It automatically detects what’s on the screen and presents relevant information, as well as the viewer’s own social network feeds, on the left side of the screen. Using a smartphone app with a buttonless remote, viewers can select from that content and expand it.

A SeeSpace viewer might call up a list of technical terms when watching a science show, for example, or display a revolving 3D graphic of what’s being presented. Sports viewers could call up detailed stats or take part in online betting. Viewers can call up a keyboard on their phones to write tweets while watching a program. It moves typical second screen content to an attractive onscreen motion menu.

Co-founder and chief creative officer Dale Herigstad describes it as an augmented TV experience under the control of the viewer. It combines relevant online content and puts it in a controlled inline space. There’s no need to look a the smartphone remote, since it has no buttons; viewers select by scrolling their thumb. The company is demoing 2D and 3D onscreen interfaces. The 3D creates an interesting sense of space for the viewer, with menus floating above the video. For Herigstad, ease of use is key.

“We’re trying to build something where there’s a very simple way to get something done,” Herigstad says.

SeeSpace has been bootstrapped by its four founders so far, but has launched a Kickstarter campaign to gain the $100,000 it needs for its planned August consumer launch in the U.S. and Europe. Before it gets there, it will need to convince service providers and networks to create relevant contextual content, so viewers have some reason to use the device. So far the company has no deals to announce. SeeSpace will launch a drag-and-drop development kit, so that content providers can create onscreen elements easily. The InAir consumer device should sell for around $99.

The company is also talking to second screen apps and connected TV makers about partnerships. The company is talking to Zeebox, for example, about adding Zeebox contextual info to SeeSpace. TV makers could integrate the SeeSpace menus into their own technology, so that viewers would be able to see them without an add-on device. In that case, the TV companies would have more control over the type of information offered, and could track viewer clicks to learn more about their preferences.

With simple and attractive menus, SeeSpace is creating enhanced content that anyone can enjoy.

The SeeSpace interface.