This fast growth in revenue will in large part result from the large number of households that will have networked TVs. By 2015, 6 in 10 TVs shipped worldwide will have a network connection (Ethernet, Wi-Fi or both) and  70 percent of those will come with an embedded app platform and app store.

Embedded app stores will be the method for bringing apps to the TV, but other approaches are also being pursued, including full, video-optimized browsers, such as Boxee, Kylo and Oregan Network’s Onyx Media Browser. Cable MSOs and IPTV service providers are also rolling out their own network-based apps platforms by leveraging industry-standard technologies like EBIF and Tru2Way. In some cases, service providers are also embedding third-party software, such as ActiveVideo Networks’ Cloud TV platform leased with set-top boxes to enable greater app functionality.

The most widely distributed embedded app platforms in 2010 include Yahoo’s Widget Channel, as well as those from Vudu (recently acquired by Wal-Mart) and DivX. But major mobile app platform providers Apple, Google and Microsoft are all eying connected TVs as fertile ground for extending their mobile franchises. Google, for instance, recently began work with Sony and Intel on an Android-powered Google TV platform, though no date of introduction has been announced.  Apple’s iPad is fueling rapid development of media-related apps for its iTunes App Store platform that could eventually become the foundation for a revamped Apple TV strategy.

The report, entitled “TV Apps: Evolution from Novelty to Mainstream” is the first report to look exclusively at TV apps and associated platforms, with in depth forecasts of TV app units and revenue through 2015. The report includes an in-depth analysis of major players, platforms and business models for TV apps. The report can be found at GigaOM Pro and is available – along with hundreds of other reports – all for just $79 per year.  Check out GigaOM Pro risk free with a 7 day free trial today.

About GigaOM Pro
As part of the GigaOM Network, GigaOM Pro delivers actionable insights on emerging markets by curating the most relevant news, providing big-picture analysis and in-depth original research reports, and offering interactive engagement with technology insiders. Visit GigaOM Pro today at http://pro.gigaom.com

The company today announced that it was releasing what amounts to an embedded version of Windows 7 to OEM manufacturers for use in systems other than PCs. The Media Center is front and center among the elements Microsoft trumpets in its announcement, noting that it can be used in set-top boxes, connected media devices and consumer TVs.

No devices have yet been announced that use the feature, but it likely won’t be long before we hear about them. Among its many advantages, Media Center 7 lets users gather content from a variety of sources, including your personal collections, the Internet, broadcast television and more. It is, in other words, a DVR with multi-media functionality. And it has been widely praised in the tech world.

The reason it hasn’t caught on more is most people don’t have a PC hooked up to their TV and streaming through other devices, while not hard, isn’t intuitive to the average consumer. Putting it directly onto consumer devices, though, could present a huge challenge to services like Boxee and Tivo.

SANTA MONICA, CA — 04/27/2010 — RadioactiveGiant, a leader in business development and marketing in emerging media, announced today the release of its first series of branded TV apps slated for distribution this summer across internet connected video devices, including disc players, game consoles, media extenders, set-top boxes and connected television sets.

Identifying the need for engaging interactive content in the connected living room, RadioactiveGiant is working with content producers, brands and platforms to develop interactive entertainment properties to be distributed across connected video platforms. The first series of branded TV apps announced today includes: Badvertising®, featuring homemade commercials as well as funny and memorable commercials from the 1930’s and 40’s to today. Ninja Stars®, featuring gaming related entertainment and industry news. Egotopia®, modern men’s related interests, cars, gadgets and style. As well as Mixmod®, a music app featuring user-generated remixes and mash-ups.

“We’re a great partner for content producers seeking new business models, brands crossing-over into on demand media and platforms hungry for great interactive content — this is an amazing time with opportunities to connect entertainment and information with modern consumers in their living rooms and on their TV’s” said Albert Sandoval, CEO and Founder of RadioactiveGiant.

Sales of connected devices are forecast to increase by nearly 80% in 2010, with network connected televisions and Blu-ray disc players at the top of the list. Connected Blu-ray disc players alone forecast shipments of 28 million over the next year. These figures are contained in a report from IMS Research on Market Opportunities for Internet Video to the TV. The report concludes that there could be 473 million households able to view internet video on their televisions by 2015.

“It has never been this easy to get all your entertainment in one place, on the big screen, in HD, right at your fingertips. And the beauty of TiVo Premiere is that finding what to watch is just as fun as the watching the TV shows themselves. We accomplished it by using pictures and graphics to make the whole television guide experience come alive in a way that it never has before,” said TiVo’s President and CEO Tom Rogers. “TiVo Premiere is your new cable box, it’s your movie box, it’s your web box, and music box; it’s the one box that can give you access to almost anything you want, whenever you want it. We’ve taken millions of pieces of content and organized it for you in a way that makes so much sense you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.”

Why Premiere Is Revolutionary:

It’s the One Box: TiVo Premiere is your new cable box, movie box, web box, and music box; it’s the one box that gives you access to everything you want to get on your television and all with one remote. It’s a true one stop shop for entertainment.*

Broadband and Broadcast Integration: Premiere’s search functionality offers users the ability to find programs from many sources — whether it’s a digital premium channel from cable, a funny outtake from YouTube or a movie from broadband sources such as Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, or Blockbuster On Demand, plus options from the Web all brought together into one unified and simple experience.*

Browse Baby Browse: Premiere is at its best when you want to browse, discover and explore the almost infinite array of TV options. Every show, from every source, is organized by category or topic. With a full-screen menu that includes a rich display of movie posters & TV show logos for exploring, it’s simple to stumble upon interesting things to watch or record. Plus, consumers have never before had the option to browse by specific movie collections on their TV. For example, browse thru Oscar® Award winning movies or Emmy® Award winning television shows with one simple click of the remote.

Six-Degrees of Separation: Premiere will settle debates over “where have I seen that actor before?” far faster than a trip to the laptop ever could. Just click on a show or an actor and consumers will be able to view entire entertainment resumes and cast lists, quickly and easily. Before you know it you’ll find associations from one favorite actor to another that you never dreamed existed, fueling the discovery process even more and likely getting you hooked in the process.

Easy to Use HD Layout: We’ve kept the easy navigation, but significantly cut the number of screens you have to visit by utilizing the extra room high-definition affords. The experience was built for HD television sets and by creating a two-column and three-column layouts we reduce the number of screens, helping you to get to what you want more quickly.

Set-top box built on Adobe® Flash® Platform for the Digital Home: Premiere is built on Adobe Flash software, a pathway to future user-generated experiences and development opportunities, which have not been available before on a set-top box. Premiere is built on multi-core architecture that greatly facilitates future development of third party provided applications.

We Listened: By popular demand Premiere includes an on-screen disk space meter that shows how much room is left to record, a built in 30 second scan, and a new video window that lets you watch your favorite show while navigating the TiVo menus.

Room to Record: The TiVo Premiere box has up to 45 hours of HD storage space or up to 400 hours of standard definition programming capacity. And for those who want even more options the TiVo Premiere XL box holds up to 150 hours of high-definition or up to 1350 hours of standard definition programming.

Even More Content: A brand new relationship with Pandora means in the coming months, Premiere as well as TiVo Series3™, HD DVR, and Series2 customers will be able to listen to their personalized Pandora radio stations on the best speakers in the house. A new relationship with FrameChannel brings the best of the web directly to the TV offering users access to nearly 1,000 content widgets of personal and commercial content, ranging from Tweets, photos and status updates to news, weather, sports scores and stock quotes. FrameChannel acts as a personalized channel on your television, transforming your TV into a constant stream of real-time news and information with the content that matters to you most.

Speaking about its strategic marketing alliance with TiVo that was announced last year, Mike Vitelli, President of the Americas for Best Buy, said, “This is an important step toward achieving our shared vision to transform the digital home entertainment experience and redefine customer service. Through TiVo we can continue to strengthen relationships and interact with our valued customers even after they leave our stores, which is invaluable in a rapidly evolving digital media environment. Cable companies do a great job of connecting customers to content, but TiVo takes the complete digital experience to the next level.”

“We are proud to be leading the cable industry in the adoption of this groundbreaking approach to advanced television. TiVo will bring a whole new way for our subscribers to experience television with TiVo’s DVR and broadband television offerings,” said RCN President & CEO Peter Aquino. “I’m very pleased to report that based on our field test results, we will begin to roll out TiVo as our primary advanced box in all of our markets, one by one, in the second quarter of this year.”

Coming in May, a new TiVo Wireless N adapter, that allows for faster downloads and faster streaming of content, at speeds that are especially helpful for multi-room viewing (MRV) transfers. Coming later this year, consumers will also have access to a groundbreaking, slide-out QWERTY TiVo remote. The compact peanut shaped remote gives a faster experience, especially when utilizing text entry. With Easy plug n’ play installation, extended range utilizing Bluetooth and backlit programmable buttons the remote will quickly become a must have accessory.

TiVo Premiere Box Specifications:

• TiVo Series4™ architecture
• Supports digital cable, high-definition digital cable, antenna (ATSC) and Verizon FiOS
• Outputs: HDMI, Component video, Composite video, Optical audio, Analog audio
• Video output modes include: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
• Inputs: CableCARD™ support, Cable coax, Antenna coax, Ethernet
• Ethernet connection, USB 2.0 ports (2), E-SATA support for external storage
• TiVo Wireless N and G Network Adapter support
• ENERGY STAR® certified
• 320 Gigabytes
• Records up to 45 hours of HD programming or up to 400 hours of standard-definition

TiVo Premiere XL Box Specifications (all specs not listed are the same as above unless noted)

• One Terabyte storage
• Records up to 150 hours of HD programming or up to 1350 hours of standard-definition
• Backlit, programmable, and learning remote
• THX®certified, ensuring optimal audio and video reproduction and enables seamless integration with other THX components
• TiVo Premiere XL box is the first HD product to feature THX® Optimizer™, a video calibration tool that lets users fine tune color, black levels and other settings to improve picture quality. Hailed by critics for its ease-of-use, the exclusive THX Optimizer for TiVo Premiere XL box is found in the My Shows menu of the TiVo service. A pair of THX Optimizer Blue Glasses, designed for adjusting Color and Tint settings, is included with the owner’s manual.

TiVo Premiere and TiVo Premiere XL boxes will be available in retail nationwide in early April. They are also available for pre-order today at tivo.com for $299.99 and $499.99 respectively.

*TiVo service is required and sold separately. Cable and Netflix subscriptions required for cable and Netflix programming, respectively and are not included in TiVo service subscription. Additional fees may apply for other broadband content. Broadband programming sources subject to availability and may change without notice.

“This is a watershed moment in the development of our iO digital cable service, because it represents the extension of innovative interactive applications, which had formerly been available only in select areas, across our entire customer base,” said Patrick Donoghue, Cablevision’s vice president of interactive television development and operations. “All of our nearly 1.1 million iO customers now have access to this groundbreaking functionality and compelling content, further leveraging the enormous capacity of our network and giving our digital cable service an even greater competitive advantage over conventional satellite providers.”

With the launch of ITV applications across its entire service area, all of Cablevision’s iO digital cable customers have access to the following services at no additional cost:

Metro Weather Interactive, featuring intensely localized weather information and forecasts, in addition to comprehensive reports on the region, nation and world. The fully-interactive service also includes detailed marine forecasts and advisories.

Metro Traffic Interactive, featuring local and regional traffic information including delay advisories, specific reports on area bridges and tunnels, road conditions and – in select areas – live camera shots of frequently traversed roadways.

iO Dashboard, an interactive information portal, with embedded video, that enables viewers to scan current news, sports and entertainment headlines, in addition to viewing personally-relevant traffic, weather, lottery and horoscope information.

iO Showcase, the innovative promotional channel designed by Cablevision to help iO customers identify unique and interesting elements of its digital cable service, including new on demand titles, subscription video on demand services, high-definition programming and other benefits.

Move ‘n Match Puzzles, an entertaining and educational puzzle game for young children.

The iO Games play-for-fun “Casino” package includes seven captivating interactive gaming favorites developed by Zone4Play, the leading developer and provider of betting and gambling applications for interactive television subscribers. As with all iO Games, free demos are available on a trial basis. Players draw iO-branded cards, throw dice and drop coins with a touch of the remote control. Top players are able to post their scores on leader boards that are visible across Cablevision’s service area.

“The addition of these popular casino games will create additional momentum for a service that is already becoming popular with our customers,” Donoghue said. “We’ve developed a compelling interface and intuitive controls enhanced with incredible graphics that are as real to a casino floor as you can get on television. As we’ve seen with the success of iO Games’ Variety Pak, which we launched earlier this month, there is a lot of excitement and interest in this type of interactive entertainment.”

The iO Games “Casino” package includes Blackjack, Caribbean Poker, Roulette, Video Poker, Battle Royal, Slots and Keno. The iO Games “Variety Pak” and “Casino” are each available for unlimited play for the monthly subscription price of $4.95. In the coming weeks, Cablevision will make it even more convenient for iO customers to subscribe to interactive games services by adding the ability to upgrade using only a television remote control and on-screen prompts.

Nearly 700,000 iO customers were added in 2003, for a current total of nearly 1.1 million. Today more than 36 percent of Cablevision’s cable customers are iO customers, up from just 13.6 percent one year ago, reflecting the breakaway success of a service that was first offered on a limited basis in late 2001 and did not become available across Cablevision’s entire service area until late last year.

This dramatic consumer adoption of iO in 2003 was complemented by strong industry recognition, including Emmy Awards in two categories: “Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Television for an Interactive Television Service,” and “Outstanding Achievement in Advanced Media Technology for the Creation of Non-Traditional Programs or Platforms.”

iO offers customers access to more than 200 channels, including 50 premium movie channels, 45 channels of commercial-free digital music, more than 700 titles available on demand, an interactive programming guide, 14 high-definition programming services and groundbreaking interactive television applications. No other cable or satellite provider exceeds the breadth and depth of the iO service or gives customers more control over their television experience.

One of these people said Apple has already been testing a price of 99 cents—half the price of standard-definition TV episodes—for certain shows on its iTunes service and wants to finalize a deal to offer that price more broadly along with the iPad, which is expected to go on sale in late March.

A search on iTunes showed, for example, that episodes of MTV Networks’ comedy show “Wonder Showzen,” Viacom’s “Celebrity Paranormal Project” and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.’s “Children’s Hospital” drama series are currently on sale for 99 cents.

Some episodes of selected television shows have also been available for free.

The people familiar with the talks said the new pricing has not been finalized yet. A spokesman for Apple declined to comment.

The Financial Times reported on Wednesday that Apple could begin offering 99-cent pricing for TV shows along with the iPad.

The discussions are part of Apple’s broader strategy to overhaul its iTunes service. The Cupertino, Calif., company acquired music-streaming service La La Media Inc. late last year as part of a plan to offer consumers more ways to access and manage their music purchases.

On the video side, it has been in serious discussions with television networks since last fall to come up with more compelling pricing packages for consumers.

Apple currently offers TV shows for $1.99 for standard-definition episodes and $2.99 for high-definition episodes. For an entire season, consumers might pay $49.99 in high-definition for a popular television series. Several executives at media companies have acknowledged in recent months that Apple’s prices for video on iTunes are extremely high, but it’s also one of the reasons why media companies and cable operators have not felt threatened by the offerings.

As The Wall Street Journal previously reported, Apple’s initial discussions with the networks centered on a monthly subscription plan for a selection of TV shows.

People familiar said those talks appear to have stalled, though one of those people said that Apple hasn’t given up on that idea as an additional offering.

Beefing up its content offerings is crucial for the success of the iPad, which Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs has touted as the pre-eminent media and entertainment device.

One person familiar with the talks said that Apple met with at least one network as recently as last week to discuss the pricing. This person said the company was trying to “ignite the video part of iTunes,” which has been a small contributor to the service’s revenues so far.

In its quarter ended Dec. 26, Apple reported $1.16 billion in iTunes Store sales, iPod services and accessories.

The products, which are expected to begin shipping in the first half of this year, will bring the award-winning FLO TV mobile TV service to the cutting-edge mophie juice pack, letting consumers view their favorite live entertainment, sports and news from the world’s top entertainment brands on their iPhone and iPod touch.

“We are uniting our vision of advancing mobile TV across a range of devices and platforms with mophie’s unrivaled expertise in designing intelligent cases for Apple users,” said Bill Stone, president of FLO TV. “Together, our solution will be a true live mobile TV product available to iPhone and iPod touch users.”

“mophie’s juice pack line has delivered superior rechargeable external battery life to Apple users,” said Shawn Dougherty, vice president of mophie, designer of the world’s thinnest Apple-certified external battery/protective case and other Apple-certified accessories. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to elevate our intelligent case design through this creative product collaboration and deliver the ultimate mobile television experience for iPhone users.”

The agreement between mophie and FLO TV reflects the growing demand for mobile television and FLO TV’s commitment to bring its award-winning service to any small screen. The new products integrate mophie’s intelligent case design with a built-in FLO TV receiver that allows iPhone and iPod touch users the ability to watch live television at the flip of a switch. Consumers can also utilize the device as back-up battery power in between charges.

Service not available everywhere. Programming subject to change / blackout restrictions. Service subscription required. “Live mobile television” means the FLO TV service transmits channels in real time; no downloading, sideloading or buffering.

About mophie
mophie is an award winning accessory company consistently praised for its creative designs and innovative solutions. mophie was proud to be the first ever “Works With iPhone” certified battery by Apple Inc. Its products can be found in Apple Stores and major retailers worldwide and onwww.mophie.com. Follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mophielovesyou.

About FLO TV
The FLO TV service combines the best content, an intuitive user interface and a superior multicast network to deliver a true quality TV viewing experience for consumers. FLO TV offers full–length simulcast and time–shifted programming from the world’s best entertainment brands, including ABC, ABC Entertainment, ABC Family, ABC News, ABC Sports, Adult Swim Mobile, CBS, CBS College Sports, CBS News, CNBC, COMEDY CENTRAL, Disney Channel, Disney Channel Original Movies, ESPN, ESPNEWS, ESPN 2, FOX, FOX News Channel, FOX Sports, FUEL TV, MSNBC, MTV, NBC 2Go, NBC News, NBC Sports, nickelodeon, Playhouse Disney and SOAPNet. Based in San Diego, Calif., FLO TV Incorporated is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated. Further information is available at www.flotv.com

Reinforcing the company’s open strategy in this space, Yahoo! also broadly released its Widget Development Kit (WDK) today, enabling developers to create TV Widgets and effectively reach millions of consumers. ”Consumers are in love with their televisions, watching more TV, and demanding Internet connectivity to further enhance their viewing experience,” said Arlo Rose, senior director of Yahoo! Connected TV. “Yahoo! is leading the connected TV market by bringing a rich variety of Internet content and services to the living room — incorporating video on demand, social networks, games, online shopping, and more — making it easy for consumers to personalize their TV viewing experience.”

New Partnerships To Expand Distribution for the Yahoo! Widget Engine

Building on the company’s existing distribution partnerships with Sony®, LG Electronics®, VIZIO® and Samsung® across North America and Europe, Yahoo! is expanding the availability of the TV Widget experience globally by embedding the Yahoo! Widget Engine in an even greater number of television models and a variety of new consumer electronics devices. New partnerships and noteworthy developments include:

● VIZIO’s XVT Series Connected HDTVs with VIZIO Internet Apps incorporate the Yahoo! Widget Engine and will be available at retailers throughout the U.S. in Q1. Taking unique advantage of the Yahoo! Widget Engine, VIZIO’s Connected HDTVs provide consumers with unprecedented choice, convenience, and control of an ever-increasing array of Internet content and services, as well as intuitive and simple access to the TVs’ settings through the Widget dock.

● Hisense International Co, Ltd., a world leading provider of flat panel TVs, household appliances, and mobile communications, announced a partnership with global Internet brand Yahoo!® Inc. to integrate the Yahoo! Widget Engine into Hisense Internet-Connected TVs that will ship across the U.S. and Europe.

● ViewSonic will provide customers with an interactive, connected TV experience via the ViewSonic VMP80 media player. Powered by the Yahoo! Widget Engine, the ViewSonic VMP80 media player will enable current HDTV owners to view movies, TV shows, Web videos, and photos; and to go shopping, play games, and more with TV Widgets. The VMP80 media player will ship in Q1 2010 for an estimated MSRP of US$159.

● MIPS Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for digital consumer, home networking, wireless, communications, and business applications, today announced plans to develop an optimized Yahoo! Widget Engine for MIPS-Based™ digital home devices. MIPS will develop an optimized reference platform running the Yahoo! Widget Engine for digital TV and set-top box applications. Leveraging this reference implementation, MIPS® licensees will be able to quickly develop devices incorporating Yahoo! TV Widgets.

● Sigma Designs announced plans to support the Yahoo! Widget Engine on its media processors, which will enable manufacturers to easily support Yahoo! Connected TV in a wide array of consumer electronic devices, including Blu-ray players, network players, AV receivers, and cable/IPTV set-top boxes.

WDK Now Widely Available for Developers and Publishers; Offering Instant Scalability

With thousands of developers in the process of creating TV Widgets, and to further the company’s open strategy in this space, Yahoo! is making its Widget Developer Kit (WDK) broadly available for developers and publishers who want to extend their brand, services, and content to a mass market. Beginning today, anyone can download the WDK and quickly create, deploy and monetize exciting and engaging TV Widget experiences. Leveraging a rich set of application programming interfaces (APIs), developers can write widgets using simple JavaScript and XML, producing rich Internet applications to deliver dynamic content to millions of television sets and other consumer electronic devices globally.

For more information on the WDK and to begin developing TV Widgets, visit: http://connectedtv.yahoo.com/developer

Slate of New TV Widget Providers Bring Thousands of Content Sources to Consumers

The Yahoo! Widget Gallery continues to expand, enabling consumers to access their favorite TV shows on Amazon® Video on Demand, play music on Pandora®, check sports scores on USA Today®, shop on eBay®, play games, or catch up with friends on Twitter™ and Facebook®, all while watching TV. Joining leading consumer brands like CBS®, Showtime® and Blockbuster®, a sample of recently introduced Widgets will provide consumers access to a personalized selection of music, video, news and information.

● CNBC: The CNBC widget allows viewers to interact with CNBC’s real-time stock quotes direct from the NYSE and NASDAQ, real-time watchlists to track favorite stocks, and other key analytics.

● NBC: View NBC’s show schedule, view full screen photo galleries and catch up on your favorite shows with up-to-date quick text recaps, cast bios, and more.

● Napster: Subscribers can browse, search, preview, and listen to Napster’s entire catalog of music on-demand, as well as enjoy custom radio stations, playlists, and Billboard charts.

● RadioTime: Create your personal selection of music from up to 100,000 radio stations.

● Sky News TV: Delivers breaking news by text and images to users’ TV sets. It includes seven categories of news: top stories, U.K. news, sports, business, world news, showbiz news, and politics.

● Dailymotion: Access one of largest Web video sites in the world through your TV.

● The Weather Channel: Enables consumers to stay up to date with the current conditions, the five-day forecast, and access regional radar, all accessible in a simple interface with the ability to look up and save multiple locations.

● Betfair: The world’s biggest betting community provides sports enthusiasts with an online entertainment experience to enhance their sports television watching in the U.K.

● My-Cast Weather: Provides animated Nexrad radar, hourly to seven-day forecasts, StormWatch, cloud information and more across the United States. Yahoo! has also worked with leading video, data and photo aggregators to provide consumers access to their vast libraries of thousands of content sources.

● FrameChannel: Provides consumers with over 1,000 content channels from FrameChannel’s collection of leading photosharing, social networking and content partners, including BBC News, People.com, EW Picks, Deutsche Welle, Crave, Digg.com, Facebook, Twitter and much more. Browse and configure hundreds of channels to create your personalized TV Widget.

● Brightcove: The Leading online video platform for publishing and distributing video on the Web now makes it easy for media companies and marketers to create immersive, branded video experiences for Internet-connected televisions. Some of the TV Widgets that consumers can expect shortly include: Slate V, This Old House, AllYou.com, My Home Ideas, My Recipes, Southern Living, Real Simple, Coastal Living, Sunset, Cooking Light, Wine Spectator, TheStreet.com, The Hollywood Reporter and Cars.com.

● Zinc: Enables users to enjoy high-quality Internet video, providing a simple and consistent way to browse more than 100,000 professionally produced videos from hundreds of different websites, including Amazon, Netflix, those of major networks, and more.

● 1Cast: This personalized video service delivers up-to-the-minute news video from leading programmers and broadcasters across the Web.

The new over-ear Beats Spin headphones combine sophisticated construction and advanced sonic technologies to deliver the power, extra durability and sound isolation that until now has been lacking in professional headphones. Beats Spin headphones are tailored for use by working DJs, producers, engineers and musicians, both in the studio and onstage.

Dr. Dre noted: “Our first headphones delivered what we wanted: to hear the music the right way, the way I do. Now we’re introducing headphones that let you use them the way I do. We created headphones that are specifically designed for the people on the frontlines: engineers, producers, djs…I basically wake up with headphones on….trust me, these are the shit.”

“The DJ and recording engineer are ground zero of making and presenting music to the world. We believe we have created the perfect headphone to marry those two worlds,” said Jimmy Lovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records.

Noel Lee, the Head Monster, noted: “To create Beats Spin, Monster and the Beats by Dr. Dre team conducted in-depth research with many of the industry’s top professional recording artists, engineers and DJs to find out just what they wanted in a great headphone. One of the things we heard most from them is that they need a super-durable headphone that could be counted on for repeated use. In addition to making this and other specific professional concerns a top priority, our engineers worked hard to develop a headphone with impeccable sonic performance that would be ideal for everyday use by anybody who is truly serious about their music listening. The result is a first-of-its-kind high-performance headphone with a host of extremely useful innovations that will literally change the way pros think about their headphones and how they use them in their work and their leisure time.”

Beats Spin new and innovative features and capabilities include:

Unprecedented Durability: To create a headphone capable of standing up to the rigors of rough and repeated professional use, every aspect of Beats Spin headphones was designed for rock-solid durability. Most importantly, all components of the all-important headphone hinge are made of metal, unlike the plastic components used by other pro headphones.

Sound Isolation: To recreate the quietness of an isolated recording studio listening experience, Beats Spin headphones feature a variety of ambient noise-isolation capabilities, allowing consumers to hear the music clearly, even in the noisiest environments.

On-the-Fly Mixing and Sharing with Monster Patented Input/Output Jacks: For musicians or engineers working in the studio, as well as DJs spinning in a club, the art of creation involves a great deal of on-the-fly improvisation. That’s why both Beats Spin earpieces feature specially designed Monster patented jacks that can serve as both inputs or outputs. This unique configuration frees users to quickly and easily send and accept signals from a soundboard or share their creative mixes with fellow artists.

“No More Tangle” Cord Management, Plus ControlTalk™: Beats Spin solve the problem of tangled cable with several key modifications. First, they feature a long 6-foot cord, and unlike many professional headphone models, which utilize 9- or 12-inch coiled sections, the coiled section of the Beats Spin cable is just 3” long (expandable to 1-foot). This allows users just the right amount of coil for long reaches, but avoids the high tangle properties of longer coil cables. Beats Spin also offer a second cord option for added flexibility in everyday use as well – Monster’s super-convenient ControlTalk headphone cable*. ControlTalk can be used with iPhone™ and iPod® for music playback control as well as to take hands-free calls with iPhone and many smartphones. The cable’s integrated high-grade microphone and answer button lets users access their music and answer phone calls without having to reach into their pocketbook, backpack or pocket.

Comfort: Everything about Beats Spin, from their oversize plush ear cups to their extra wide band are designed for total wearer comfort.

Ear Cups That Swivel and Can Be Removed for Cleaning. Both ear cups swivel back easily for greater artistic freedom and flexibility and can be easily removed for washing. This same swivel mechanism also plays a role in helping make Beats Spin headphones super compact when folded away for storage

* The ControlTalk remote and mic are supported by iPod nano (4th and 5th generation), iPod classic (120GB), iPod touch (2nd generation), and iPhone 3GS and newer, but not all, Blackberry models. The remote is supported by iPod shuffle (3rd generation). Audio is supported by all iPod models. Requires software version 1.0.3 for iPod nano (4th or 5th generation), 2.0.1 for iPod classic (120GB), and 2.2 or later for iPod touch (2nd generation). Support for Blackberry varies by model. Subject to change.