Introducing Apps

This article introduces Deltatre Apps (new) and AXIS Reference Apps (legacy), and highlights the key features.

What are Apps?

Apps are light-weight, flexible, and ultra-fast applications that take the capabilities of Presentation Manager and translate them into a front-end user experience.

Apps work seamlessly with AXIS Presentation Manager. Presentation Manager's intuitive controls configure what you want your users to see: pages, rows, lists of assets, and so on. Apps update as soon as you publish your changes, allowing you to seamlessly adapt your content and UI across multiple device types simultaneously.

Alternatively, use Presentation Manager as a presentation management tool to connect to your own front-end apps.

Deltatre Apps (new)

The new Deltatre Apps replace the existing AXIS Reference Apps. Deltatre Apps have been re-architectured and re-designed to improve how customizations and skinning changes are implemented, while enabling clients to easily benefit from roadmap updates. ‌They're flexible and built on a component-based structure allowing for easier standardization of common functionalities across platforms, reducing future build costs.

Designed to simplify integrations with third-party vendors for analytics, account and subscription management, and identity services, the new Deltatre App architecture has all bases covered. Choose from our pre-existing third-party integrations or integrate with your own preferred vendor. Tailor the solution to your specific needs.

In addition to the App re-architecture, key Deltatre App features include:

Platform-agnostic

The new Deltatre Apps are platform-agnostic, meaning they are no longer tied to AXIS Presentation Manager. They can be integrated with other backend CMS' or presentation management tools.

DIVA Player integration

The Deltatre Apps include a fully integrated DIVA Player out-of-the-box. This integration easily leverages the latest player features and technologies offered by Deltatre without additional custom development.

💡 Learn more in our DIVA help centre

Redesigned Electronic Program Guide (EPG)

The EPG uses the Presentation Manager EPG (Channel guide) page template and displays a grid format of on-air channels and their program schedules. The EPG covers seven days of forward scheduling data, allowing users to easily navigate and find upcoming content, enhancing their viewing experience.

💡 Read more in the EPG (Channel guide) article

New side navigation on TV platforms

Designed to support a single-level menu structure with configurable items on TV platforms.

💡 Read more in the TV side navigation article

Design system

The Design system improves the implementation efficiency of skinning and theming changes on projects. It includes the basic UI elements, which are mostly customized on the project-side (color, branding, fonts, logos, page margins, CTA styles, gradients, etc.).

💡 Discover more in the Design system article

AXIS Reference Apps (legacy)

The AXIS Reference Applications, also known as AXIS Ref Apps, are the legacy apps.

We'll continue to provide technical support for the AXIS Ref Apps apps for a defined period after the launch of the new Deltatre Apps, however, we'll be focusing only on Deltatre App roadmap developments.

What are the key features of the Apps?

Account registration and management

Set up the account page for registered users to manage their profile and account information. How each user navigates to the page, and how it appears, varies by device and by your specific configuration. Our device registration article explains how these settings are managed for end-user devices.

As well as managing their account and subscription information, the account page also allows users to access other items specific to them, such as their bookmarks, watched assets, and continue watching feeds (of which more below).

💡 Learn more about the account page in our article on this topic.

The video player

Deltatre App and AXIS Ref App users can consume content that they have entitlement to through their plan. AXIS Presentation Manager operators can enable free content (such as trailers) that can be viewed in the player without a subscription.

Compatibility notes: From Deltatre Apps 1.0, DIVA Player (version 5.8, without the End-of-Play experience) becomes the default video player for AXIS Ref Apps. As we continue to develop Deltate App versions, AXIS clients will be able to fully leverage all DIVA Player features, including the End-of-Play experience. From AXIS Ref Apps 6.11, clients can choose between the AXIS or DIVA video players — this is defined during the project build phase. Visit the DIVA help center for more information.

Example of DIVA's video player:

Search

Searching the Apps enables your users to discover content easily using the search bar. Enhanced search provides a customizable search API, providing users with an efficient and helpful user experience, predicting results as users enter characters, allowing them to jump straight to the content they want, or view all matching results in the search results page.

Find out more about how the search function works across the different apps, and which items are included in the search, by reading our enhanced search article.

Personalization

Personalization and segmentation capabilities are available on multiple levels within the Apps. These allow you to target content at users based on a variety of factors, including device type.

Users can follow their favorite team and persona assets in their app, allowing you to surface lists of related content to them based on things you know they're interested in.

💡 Read more about the follow feature in our following assets article.

What device types are supported?

Deltatre Apps (new) and AXIS Reference Apps (legacy) support:

• Responsive web (desktop, mobile, tablet)

• Responsive desktop

• Smart TVs

• Native mobile and tablet

• Games consoles

💡 For more details of supported device and software versions, visit our browser and device support article.

Responsive web (RWA)

Users who access your content on the web can benefit from a web app that quickly changes and adjusts to fit any screen size. Whether they're on a desktop computer or a handheld device, the content you want to showcase in the UI is always front and center.

Web TV

AXIS currently supports full-featured HTML Apps for Samsung Tizen, LG WebOS, Android TV, Fire TV, and Xbox One.

TV app users have access to features such as the ability to authenticate their account and register their device automatically, using TV pin-and-pair, as well as an on-screen keyboard optimized for TV.

Mobile and tablet

Apps support iOS, iPadOS, and Android mobile and tablet native apps, allowing you to make use of device-specific features when presenting your content, including the mobile navigation bar.

Have a look around this Help Center to learn more about the Apps and Presentation Manager. You'll then be ready to start using your content to create exceptional, personalized experiences for your users to enjoy!