Okko Smart Box

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• Online video (market of Russia) Online movie theaters
• Digital television in Russia

2020

Take away the smart boxes presented by Sberbank for remote study from Kurgan school students

Parents of some Kurgan school students in November, 2020 complained in VKontakte social network that the smart boxes presented to children in September told to return, reported the Ura.ru^[1].

The school issued smart boxes. Asked: "It is not necessary to return?". The school answered: "It is gifts for study". And now wrote to all that returned — Ilyana Layk published a post in the Incident Kurgan group.

In comments other residents of Kurgan wrote that they faced the same problem: "There passed month and told that prefixes need to be handed over urgently. I consider that this mockery at children", Elena Menshchikova wrote.

It turned out that teachers of one of schools were not trained for work with digital prefixes (a photo - MK.ru)

In regional Department of Education to the Ura.ru portal commented that within the "Digital Platform of the Personalized Education for School" program 206 sets of smart boxes were admitted to 14 schools. They turn on the keyboard and a prefix which allow to turn in the presence of the Internet the TV into the interactive module of training based on the school digital platform (SDP) developed by Sberbank.

Unfortunately, not all teachers underwent this training with respect thereto the equipment issued to school students was not involved in school No. 38. Therefore the decision to redistribute the equipment to those schools at which it is used for designated purpose is made — the portal cites words of representatives of department.

The director of this school Natalya Drevnitskaya noted that teachers and school students work at the Дневник.ру platform and introduction of the new platform is not planned.

And in the press service of Sberbank which provided smart boxes, said that the bank donated to the region sets of smart boxes and is not an operator on their distribution needing to families at the regional level. The region independently defines the list of families.

The governor of the Kurgan region Vadim Shumkov in August, 2020 hoped that "the school digital platform, smart boxes which will be transferred to children^[2] will allow them to gain in new academic year stronger knowledge"^[3].

Sberbank began to sell the Okko Smart Box media prefix at the offices

The Okko Smart Box media prefix can be purchased at 1900 offices of Sberbank across all Russia now (except for the Far East and Eastern Siberia). The request is made out directly in department, the order is brought by the courier — to the specified address or to pickup location. Delivery date — 2–4 days. Sberbank reported about it on August 11, 2020.

Okko Smart Box became the first physical product of an ecosystem of Sberbank provided in its branch network. It was possible to purchase a prefix only online earlier. The price at the same time remained the same — 2990 rubles. Sberbank brought this device to the Russian market in February, 2020, and it was very popular: the first batch was sold out in only two days.

The compact 4K-media prefix opens access to the directory of movies, series, animated films and other content of Okko online movie theater and also video on the Internet and to mobile games which it is possible to play on the big screen of the TV now. Besides, the gadget allows to watch 160 TV channels without installation and setup of the antenna thanks to service of Internet broadcasting of Smotryoshk from Livestream company.

Advantage of the device — intellectual voice search: to find the necessary content, Microphone on the panel is enough to click and to pronounce its name or a key word.

Thus, Okko Smart Box turns any TV — even if it does not support technology of Smart TV — in the universal center of entertainments which instantly finds any video on demand (VOD, video on demand).

Konstantin Kruglov, CEO SberDevices:

Okko Smart Box is a convenient and easy way to expand possibilities of your TV. We created this prefix that already in a couple of minutes of people could begin to use it, without thinking of how to connect it. Thanks to extensive network of offices of Sberbank Okko Smart Box it is possible to purchase literally near each house now.

Yana Bardintseva, CEO of multimedia service Okko:

Users very much highly appreciated functionality of Okko Smart Box – the prefix with voice search opens additional opportunities for TVs and does library of 70000 units of content of Okko even closer. I am sure that now when the device can be purchased in Sberbank branches, Okko Smart Box will become even more popular, and the number of subscribers of Okko will increase.

Vasily Palatkin, the director of the department of sales and service in VSP channel of Sberbank:

Okko Smart Box is our first experience of sales of a physical non-bank product in offices of bank. We already tested design of the device, received regenerative feedback and saw that the product attracts a keen interest. The media prefix will be suitable for all family, it is multifunction, convenient and extremely simple in use.

After the Putin's approval Sberbank began distribution of 25 thousand gadgets to schools of 43 regions

Sberbank on a grant basis will transfer to 43 regions sets for distance learning on the school digital platform, reported TAdviser in bank on July 31, 2020. The equipment which is included in the packages – the Smart Box media prefix developed by the company of Sberdevaysa should allow pupils of schools to master objects and within the training program, and is profound on the school digital platform which the bank develops through the whole country with assistance of the Ministry of Public Education of the Russian Federation.

Smart Box allows to use TVs as computers and to connect them to the platform. Sberbank says that information which is available on it will help teachers to organize effective training in the 5-9th classes, and to school students — to be engaged independently. Tasks are provided in different formats: in the form of texts, video, diagrams, interactive materials. Access to the program for all users free.

In addition to the Smart Box prefixes the wireless keyboard with the built-in touchpad also is a part of sets.

Algorithm of connection to Smart Box with an exit to the school digital platform of Sberbank (a slide from the presentation of Sberbank)

Everything, according to Sberbank, in regions 25 thousand devices in equal proportions according to the number of the connected schools will be distributed. Devices will practically come to all these regions at the same time.

The bank specified TAdviser that the agreements meaning transfer of these sets with some are already signed with some regions so far is not present, having added that existence of the agreement is not the compulsory provision. It is possible that the list of regions will extend further.

The first region, delivery to which Smart Box was announced by Sberbank, there was the Yaroslavl region. On July 30, 2020 the bank and the government of the Yaroslavl region signed the agreement on implementation at schools of the region of the innovative educational technologies. The document provides voluntary conveyance to schools of area of 600 sets for distance learning.

Sets will be received by 61 organizations from 13 areas of the Yaroslavl region and also the school students having a need for the household computer equipment. The government of the region is ready to organize process, says Sberbank.

Shortly before it the regional newspaper "Novgorod" reported that in August the Novgorod region will receive about 1 thousand Smarts Box of Sberbank as the participant of the "Digital Platform of the Personalized Training" program. According to the newspaper, teachers of 45 organizations of the region, on the initiative which selected the free platform of Sberbank New school are trained on its use and on work with the Smart Box device what will require the TV, the keyboard and Internet access.

Earlier in the same month the Pskovskaya Pravda newspaper wrote that in the Pskov region prior to the beginning of new academic year will distribute about 50 sets based on Smart Box of Sberbank. They will provide access to the educational platform of the children who do not have the house of own devices. Five schools of the Pskov region became participants of the program for implementation of the digital platform of the personalized education.

The beginning of deliveries to regions of Smart Box for schools was preceded by the meeting of the supervisory board of ANO Agency of Strategic Initiatives on Promotion of New Projects (ASI) held on July 9 by the president Vladimir Putin. At a meeting the president of Sberbank German Gref put forward the idea of use at schools of the Smart Box media prefix in connection with a shortage problem in some regions of technical means and the Internet for distance learning. He also showed to the head of state this device.

Putin, having listened to Gref, told the assistant, the former Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin, to contact the head of Sberbank and in more detail to discuss his offers. In more detail about it is in the block below.

Gref asked Putin to support the idea of delivery to Smart Box schools

The president and the chairman of the board of Sberbank German Gref during the meeting of the supervisory board of ANO Agency of Strategic Initiatives on Promotion of New Projects (ASI) which the president Vladimir Putin held in the video conference mode on July 9, 2020 put forward the idea of use at schools^[4]. The device was developed by the company of Sberdevaysa ("subsidiary" of Sberbank) and brought to the market in February, 2020.

There began Gref with the fact that the pandemic revealed a big problem – "this lack of technical means, absence of the Internet". The president of Sberbank provided data that "25% of schools have no Internet, a huge number of school students and schools have no necessary number of computers, tablets".

We long thought what can be made with it. In principle, we put this year on the market here such feature, it costs 3 thousand rubles. We have in the country a huge number of TVs, but they are not Smarts, 78% of TVs in the country not of Smart TVs. You insert this feature into the TV, and it turns the TV into Smart TV and, as a matter of fact, in the supercomputer because he unites to our "cloud", - German Gref's words on the Kremlin website are cited.

German Gref appealed to Vladimir Putin at a meeting of the supervisory board of ASI (a photo - a screenshot from record of a meeting)

Gref added that for today in Smart Box there are entertaining resources – movie theaters and so on, and since September 1 on it is going to place the educational platform.

And for 3 thousand rubles the child gets actually access to the educational environment and the supercomputer. On it it is possible to learn to program, all most modern educational content will be completely placed here, - German Gref told the president, showing the device on a video conferencing.

Since September 1, according to him, Sberbank makes a gift to schools: The bank will present 25 thousand such sets with keyboards to schools free of charge. There are voice services, the voice assistant, and completely everything will be placed in a cloud of Sberbank, Gref added.

We would just ask you to look, maybe, at things of this sort because in each family there is a TV, at schools there are many television panels. And, if there would be a support on expansion of infrastructure at schools, we would be ready to render them the charitable help considerably of the big sizes in order that to buy such things. And then the bigger number of schools and school students is considerable would get access to educational resources and, as a matter of fact, to supercomputer capacities, - the head of Sberbank addressed Vladimir Putin.

One more request of German Gref addressed to the president during the meeting was connected with the law on experimental legal regimes in the field of digital innovations in Russia which the State Duma already adopted in the first reading. It extends including to online education.

We very much would ask you to give assignment to turn on based on today's meeting there entirely all education, not only online education which would allow to do experimental schools on which we could work new approaches to training of children, - German Gref's words are cited on the Kremlin website.

He explained that an education system – rather conservative, and it is impossible to experiment on a large number of schools or entirely on an education system. The fulfilled model at first on group of schools which are ready is necessary and want and after these models would be fulfilled, it would be possible to extend some elements to all education system gradually.

And if such assignment was given, we would work, we already have amendments, we with all together pronounced it, and we to the second reading with assistance of the government could formulate and enter all this, - the president of Sberbank addressed Vladimir Putin.

Putin, having listened to Gref, addressed the assistant, the former Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin, having asked it to contact the head of Sberbank and in more detail to discuss his offers, including also work on the bill about which he told.

Availability undressed with games for the big screen

On June 11, 2020 Okko reported that they together with SberDevices released the next version of software for the Okko Smart Box media prefix. Now the section with games is available to all owners of the device to the big screen, search of content in English and connection of external audio of devices on Bluetooth. Software updating will concern all Okko Smart Box devices: just purchased prefix will load necessary updates at start, already active — automatically.

The device is available on Beru's marketplaces! and Ozon. Within the special action the price is reduced up to 2,990 rubles.

Emergence of the section with games which "Red Ball 4", "2048" and "Masters of spheres" already entered became key change in the provided software of Okko Smart Box. Now, in addition to viewing video content, the prefix can be used as the small and available center of entertainments for all family. Each of three games — adaptation under the big screen of already existing and popular mobile applications. For games it will not be required to connect any additional devices, as the controller the panel from the prefix acts.

The game section of Okko Smart Box will be replenished with popular games of different genres.

In addition to games, the firmware received a number of improvements which made management of a device even more conveniently. Among other things there was a recognition of names of units of content in English — now it became simpler to find and include the favourite video blog or clips by foreign contractors using a voice. Besides, the HDMI-CEC technology which allows to switch on and off the TV the panel from a prefix is implemented. And comfortably to watch the favourite movie, without disturbing people around, now it is possible to connect to the device and wireless bluetooth earphones.

Beginning of sales

On February 18, 2020 it became known of the first device developed by the company "Sberdevaysa"  Sberbank ("daughter"). It is about the prefix created for online movie theater Okko.

Okko Smart Box will be connected to Wi-Fi, the user will be able to watch content of Okko online movie theater, YouTube and 160 channels. There is an opportunity to write programs for the postponed viewing. The device can be managed voice commands via the microphone in the panel.

"Subsidiary" of Sberbank of Sberdevaysa provided the first device

Prefixes are manufactured in China, but very many devices were delivered to Russia even before the outbreak of a coronavirus and a stop of factories, the head Sberdevaysov Konstantin Kruglov told RBC.

It will be possible to purchase the device at first only on a marketplace of Beru. According to the marketplace website, the cost of the device is 1500 rubles. The subscription to Okko (a packet of Light) and 160 channels for three months is included in the price. 20 broadcasting channels will be available free of charge regardless of a subscription to additional services.^[5]

The managing director of Okko Yana Bardintseva called Smart Box the most available prefix with voice search in the Russian market.

After start of sales the issue of a device output in physical retail will be resolved. Konstantin Kruglov did not exclude that within the experiment the device can be ordered in Sberbank branches.

The Okko Smart Box prefix became the first publicly known device from the company. Before Sberdevaysa made only gadgets for internal use. Now the company is focused on production of devices for life using speech technologies. 

It can be devices both for a b2c segment, and for b2b: smart devices can be necessary for almost each company of an ecosystem of Sberbank — Kruglov reported.

According to him, the company can work also for external customers, but the priority is given to the companies of an ecosystem so far.

Шаблон:Online video Subject

Notes