Welcome to vuTyme™
Premium Hospitality Television
There’s never been a better time for vuTyme!
vuTyme has earned the position of being one of the top five most deployed hospitality TV solutions in the world and the second most deployed solution in the United States. Starting deployments in 2011, vuTyme now serves over a quarter million US guestrooms. It has emerged as a leading solution that maximizes the in-room TV for guest engagement and entertainment, but also streamlines operations and generates revenue for the property.
vuTyme is sold directly to properties or sold to properties by their local cable, telco, and broadband operators, most of whom partner with vuTyme. vuTyme is a managed service using a cloud-based delivery model to deliver the most reliable and secure hospitality TV services available. Continue further to learn more.
vuTyme™ features for Hoteliers
Keep it Simple
Make it Personal
Keep it Current
A central goal of vuTyme is to neither overwhelm nor underwhelm a property with features, but to provide a “just-right” solution for the goals of each property. Features that entertain, inform, and enrich the in-stay experience, as well as generate revenue, can be easily scaled to fit the modern demands of individual hoteliers and chains.
Video Entertainment Features
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vuTyme has the ultimate flexibility to combine multiple video content sources into an easily navigable framework in the vuTyme user interface. Example include:
- Linear TV – Your choice of video content provider (cable, broadband, telco, satellite) for standard SD, HD, and UHD programming. Complete flexibility in channel lineup arrangement by property, area, location, or individual TV.
- Terrestrial TV – vuTyme can combine local over-the-air (OTA) content into the video stream and into vuTyme channel lineups.
- Multi-System VOD and PPV – One of the best video features of vuTyme is its ability to incorporate on-demand and pay-per-view content from a variety of sources simultaneously. Hoteliers can opt to use on-demand programming from their video content provider, their own 3rd party providers, and providers offered through vuTyme itself.
- Local Content Insertion – vuTyme can easily incorporate locally inserted content into its channel lineups. Local content includes any custom programming or videos that the property wishes to “insert” into the video signal delivered to TVs. Local content can be placed on any station number, and custom program titles and descriptions can be created allowing guests to view it in the guide.
- Efficient Content Search by Keyword and Genre
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No On-Site Equipment
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Except for a small-form set-back-box (SBB), no on-site equipment is required at the property. This simplifies the deployment and reduces cost and footprint. If vuTyme is deployed to smartTVs, the SBBs are not required.
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Communicate with Your Guests Using vuTyme™
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Messaging, Advertisements, and Emergency Alerting
Using the EzVu portal, property managers can send advertisements and messages to guests, a groups of guests, to the entire property, or to specific areas, rooms, or TVs.
- Messages are minimally intrusive and advertisements display in dedicated spaces within the guest user interface. Advertisements cycle in the Info banner upon channel changes.
- Messages and advertisements display for a specific date range and multiple messages and advertisement campaigns can run simultaneously.
- Emergency alerting provides another layer of alerting on top of the standard emergency alerts delivered by your video provider. Properties can select from a large list of pre-canned alerts and send them out within seconds to all TVs at the property.
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Promote the Property and the Location
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Through vuTyme, guests can navigate local area attractions and a property compendium that highlights locations within and outside the property. These are configured using the EzVu portal. Highlights include:
- Can be configured in multiple languages. Depending upon the language set by the guest or property, location information displays in that language.
- For local area attractions, a map displays directions to each attraction with a QR code that guests can scan to input directions into their mobile map application.
This feature can be used informationally or promotionally.
Promote Venues and Events with Digital Signage
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vuTyme offers a Digital Signage component that provides an elegant way to promote a property’s features, as well as inform guests and employees. Digital signage can be customized on any TV or group of TVs within the property. Example uses include directions, promotions, events, conferences, and more.
PMS Integration
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vuTyme is certified with key Property Management Systems (PMS) to support guest personalization and transactions. At a minimum, vuTyme’s PMS integration supports the following guest interactions:
- Guest name in user interface
- PPV/VOD purchases
- Folio monitoring and checkout
- Maintenance and room service requests
Our current PMS certifications include: Oracle’s Opera, Lodgenet/Megasys, Fidelio, and COMTROL systems. Note that the COMTROL certification supports over 30 other PMS solutions. Contact us for more information on our evolving PMS support, as well as our integration with other property systems that support in-room dining, activity reservations, and an array of other services.
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Your Choice of User Interface and Branding
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vuTyme offers three models of UI design we call Graphyne I, II, and III.
- Each design supports property branding throughout the UI.
- UIs can be co-branded to promote locations within a property with their own identities, such as restaurants, spas, VIP rooms, and more.
- In many cases, vuTyme customizes a UI to support the brand standards of a property to include look and feel, but to also implement specific features and arrangement within the UI.
- vuTyme supports a vuTyme-Lite mode which can be enabled within any UI. vuTyme-Lite offers properties a reduced, low bandwidth feature set to simplify their deployment and offers a low-cost option.
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Manage Your Guests’ Experience – The EzVu Web Portal
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vuTyme’s EzVu Portal gives properties control over their hospitality TV solution to actively manage the guest experience and promote the property. Hoteliers have the choice to use the EzVu portal at no added charge. Highlights include:
- Monitor, triage, and correct guest TV issues as well as manage guest-made settings (closed captions, display language, parental control, and more).
- Configure interactive features (local attractions, hotel compendium, digital signage, guest surveys, etc.).
- Send targeted messages and advertisements to the property, area, room, or individual TV.
- Send emergency alerts.
- Print channel lineup cards.
- Engage with housekeeping staff using the EzVu housekeeping feature that allows staff to use the TV to enter housekeeping status and the EzVu portal to monitor room states. This feature can also integrate with a PMS system if desired.
vuTyme™ features for Guests
Entertain Me
Tell Me What I Need & Want to Know
Give Me a Voice
vuTyme delivers an incomparable experience to guests, allowing them to optimally engage with the property and location, and offering a level of personalization guaranteed to enhance their stay.
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Elegant User Interface (UI), Interactive Guide, Multi-Language
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- vuTyme offers three primary user interface options, all of which deliver an unmatched and consistent ease-of-use. These proven UIs provide elegant navigation and search capabilities for TV, VOD, and PPV programming, and offer guests a variety of settings control (parental control, UI, audio, and CC language, wakeup channel, and more).
- vuTyme’s multi-language features allow you to set the display language which translates the entire user interface into your desired language. Guide information, VOD data, and concierge information are also translated (if provided by the hotel and video service provider at that location).
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Screen-Casting
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With vuTyme, you can use your mobile device to cast content from a multitude of mobile applications to the in-room TV without the need to download any application. Example mobile applications include Netflix, ESPN Mobile, YouTube, Hulu, Pandora, Crackle, Vudu, and many hundreds more.
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Informational and Concierge Features
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Stay informed and enjoy more of the hotel and local area using a variety of concierge features. Examples include:
- Local Weather and News
- Local Attractions and Hotel Compendium – Local Attractions provide a map with a scannable code to input directly into your mobile map application. Hotel Compendium provides pictures and descriptions of hotel activities and venues.
- Folio View and Checkout
- Messaging and Emergency Alerts
- Concierge – If enabled by the property, you can order meals, schedule reservations, request services, and other hotel interactions.
Most informational and concierge services are translated into the language selected as your display language.
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Take a Break Without Missing a Program – vuTyme™ DVR-Lite™
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DVR-Lite is one of vuTyme’s most popular features that allows you to pause live TV, rewind, and resume a program at a later time. Other highlights include:
- DVR-Lite uses a secured SDHC card for recording.
- The lifespan of the SDHC card is ensured by vuTyme’s patented SDHC longevity algorithms, saving operational costs over time.
- DVR-Lite is “content-safe” by encrypting recorded content and marrying the SDHC card to a specific SBB (it cannot be removed and used in another device).
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Video Entertainment Features
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Enjoy any combination of video entertainment as summarized below. Depending on the capabilities of the TV and the content available, video content can be provided in SD, HD, and UHD formats.
- Linear TV – Standard television as is common in the at-home experience.
- Terrestrial TV – vuTyme delivers local over-the-air (OTA) content to vuTyme channel lineups.
- Multi-System VOD and PPV – One of the best video features of vuTyme is its ability to incorporate on-demand and pay-per-view services from a variety of sources simultaneously. This may include video from the service provider, content from the hotel or 3rd party partner, or content from vuTyme content partners. From one central location, you can easily navigate and search all combined content.
vuTyme™ for Operators
Increase My ROI
Lower My OPEX
Appeal to My Commercial Customers
vuTyme delivers an incomparable experience to guests and answers the demands of hotels and other commercial properties. By providing the most scalable and operationally efficient commercial TV solution available, vuTyme ensures significant revenue gains for operators and a platform for future growth. Operators include cable, broadband, telco, and satellite service providers.
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vuTyme as a Managed Cloud Service
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vuTyme is deployed as a cloud service from where all key service elements of vuTyme are delivered. These vuTyme elements are managed using the vuTyme Manager web portal and include the following:
- Activate Properties, Enable and Configure Features
- Define Channel Lineups and Tuning Information
- Configure Guest UI, Property, and Operator Branding
- Manage Metadata Imports (VOD, PPV, IPG) and Firmware Downloads
- Configure and Monitor PMS Integration
- Remote Real-Time Monitoring and Diagnostics of the Entire Deployment
- Extensive Deployment Reporting
vuTyme’s cloud-based design is thoroughly vetted in large production environments to accommodate the many nuances encountered with prolonged use. Any number of local or global changes to programming, features, or even the physical plant are easily accommodated by vuTyme. Other deployment benefits include:
- No On-Site Equipment – No data center footprint
- World-Class Security – vuTyme uses enterprise-class security tools and operator mandated practices
- Top-Tier Reliability – fault-tolerant, fail-over redundancy
- Remote Real-Time Monitoring and Control – server processes, client processes, data imports, networks, set-back-box (SBB) health
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vuTyme™ Enhanced Services for Operators & Hoteliers
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To simplify your operations, vuTyme offers a pick-list of cost-effective services to offload the time spent on the day-to-day management of vuTyme. In addition to the standard 24×7 after-sales support, vuTyme’s enhanced services include the following:
- Installation Support Services – vuTyme conducts site surveys, proposes solutions, and conducts the property installation.
- vuTyme Configuration Services – vuTyme builds all hotels, enables desired features, defines channel lineups, configures interactive features (local attractions, digital signage, etc.), and defines guest UI and branding.
- Daily Monitoring Services – Optional service where vuTyme actively monitors the operational state of all deployed SBBs, tuning errors, and more. Upon discovery of an issue, vuTyme support diagnoses and resolves the issue, or escalates if needed.
- Provisioning & Logistics Services – Provisioning services is a cloud-based service where vuTyme provisions all SBBs to make them install-ready for operators. This involves authorizing CableCARDs, billing systems provisioning, and more as specific to operators. Logistics services include CC insertion/pairing, SDHC card insertion/test (for DVR-Lite), install desired client firmware version, serial number changes, and labeling/packaging customizations.
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Ecosystems Support
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A key pillar of vuTyme is its ability to operate in virtually any hotel ecosystem. The same is true for operator ecosystems as summarized below:
- Deployable over QAM/RF, DOCSIS, IP, Fiber, WiFi
- Support for multiple DRM and conditional access (CableCARD, Verimatrix, Pro:Idiom, AES Fixed Key, PlayReady)
- Operates on multiple vuTyme set-back-boxes (SBBs) and 3rd-party platforms (such as LG SBBs and smartTVs). vuTyme has also been ported to operator-selected SBBs.
- vuTyme is one of the very few hospitality TV solutions that manufacture their own SBBs and can quickly customize a platform as needed.
Beyond Hoteliers – Additional Commercial Markets
vuTyme is an innovative product for the wider commercial market that uses everything provided by vuTyme for hospitality, but adds tailored features to support the following verticals:
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vuTyme for Healthcare
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Healthcare includes hospitals, medical offices, retirement communities, rehabilitation centers, and others. Features include:
- Large print user interface to support the visually impaired and distant wall-mounted TVs.
- Various pillow speaker remote controls that combine nurse call, room lighting, full TV control, push-button closed captioning, and more.
- Prescriptive video allowing healthcare facilities to upload videos and prescribe videos to specific patients and monitor if they have been watched. This feature is ideal for pre- and post-surgical scenarios. vuTyme can also integrate with pre-existing video systems used by healthcare facilities.
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vuTyme for Multiple Dwelling Units (MDUs)
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MDUs include Condominium communities, apartments, secured communities, timeshares, and other specialty community properties. Highlights include:
- Combined terrestrial TV and local content insertion into channel lineups
- Two-way messaging between residents and staff, emergency messaging, maintenance messaging
- Enhanced digital signage
- Events and meeting notices
- Interactive property information, maps, and local area information
- Security features including CCTV monitoring of the property on the in-room TV
vuTyme™ in the Future
vuTyme is very selective in terms of what features to implement over time to provide the most practical and in-demand hospitality TV solutions. Future vuTyme initiatives include the following:
- UI-based control over room (lights, clock, alarm, drapes, thermostat, and more)
- Guest personalization via PMS (room temp settings, tune to favorite TV station, focus on favorite movies/genres, set light levels, and more)
- Voice activated control of the TV and in-room experience
- Digital pay options for the hotel stay and experience (for example, Apple Pay, Samsung eWallet)