Netflix, YouTube Take On AirPlay with Second Screen Protocol

Netflix and YouTube have combined efforts to launch DIAL, “a protocol that helps developers of second-screen apps to discover and launch applications on smart TVs and connected devices.” DIAL is already seeing support from Samsung, Sony, Hulu and BBC and “could become a key piece in efforts to establish an open alternative to Apple’s AirPlay,” according to GigaOM.

DIAL stands for “discovery and launch.” It’s allows for “DIAL-enabled second screen apps [that] will be able to discover DIAL-ready first-screen devices in the same network and launch apps on them,” explains the article.

According to Scott Mirer, director of product management at Netflix, the company started to create a second screen experience in the fall of 2011.

“At about the same time, we learned that the YouTube team was interested in much the same thing — they had already started to do some work on second screen use cases. And so we approached them on collaborating,” he said.

“We also felt that having two major video services define and promote DIAL would help get it more widely adopted as a common solution to a common problem, versus taking a proprietary approach,” he added. “It’s been a productive partnership and we’re confident that we’ll get wider adoption because of it.”

“DIAL is also getting some support from content services and app makers,” reports GigaOM. “The project launched a registry on its website for companies that want to take advantage of DIAL much in the same way Netflix and YouTube want to, and the first ones to sign up include the BBC, Hulu, Pandora and Flingo. There are also efforts underway to bring dial to Chrome, which would make it possible to launch apps on your TV straight from your browser.”

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