Opera Software announces it is now able to offer a BBC iPlayer compatible version of its browser to the consumer electronics industry, for use on connected televisions, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes. The broadcaster allows users in the United Kingdom free access to favorite television and radio programs from the past week.

The Opera Devices SDK has been pre-ported to popular chipsets from a variety of silicon vendors and currently ships on millions of connected TV devices such as televisions, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes. By integrating the Opera Devices SDK in modern connected TV devices, manufacturers can make use of an out-of-the-box solution, to bring premium web-based TV services to the market. Adopting a web-standards-based approach for content development allows broadcasters to work in fast-paced research and development cycles, while maintaining relationships with device manufacturers seeking deployment of these services in a cost-effective manner.

Opera actively contributes to forging the building blocks of the Internet by participating in various Internet and technology-industry governing bodies and forums. Opera is a leader in the World Wide Web Consortium, with membership in a number of W3C working groups. By offering a version of its browser, which works with Bigscreen BBC iPlayer on TV devices, Opera enables portability of the browser onto various devices, without the need to rebuild them for each implementation. Additionally, it brings added value for the OEMs looking for short time-to-market with services popular for the end consumer.