Allin's participation in the interactive media industry began in 1988! In that year, consultants from Allin began a project for Guestserve to develop the world’s first multimedia ITV system capable of supporting high quality graphics and sound, as well as interactive commercial transactions. The two initial sites for the system were the 3,200 room Las Vegas Hilton and the 2,800 room Bally’s Hotel.

Because this project began prior to the introduction of Windows NT, Allin's consultants had to develop a real-time kernel to handle the immense amount of graphics and sound the ITV system was required to manage. To keep costs low, they invented a dynamic resource allocation technique that provided each room with the processing power of a PC on an as-needed basis. This “thin-client” architecture made it possible to use low-cost in-room components and to leverage relatively few PCs to provide interactive services to thousands of users.

By 1996, the Guestserve system was installed in 80,000 rooms at over 100 hotels worldwide, including the Sheraton New York, Nikko/Essex House, the Embassy Hotel chain, and the world’s largest hotel, the 5,000 room MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Guestserve ITV systems offered conventional services such as pay-per-view movies, but also introduced new applications, including the first interactive credit card authorization, the first in-room TV gaming system, and the first in-room shopping. Allin software design and development formed the foundation for this system.

In 1994, Allin began the design and development of a new suite of applications targeted at the Cruise Line industry. Allin created the SeaVision System — the first fully operational digital ITV system. Like the Guestserve system, the SeaVision solution allowed passengers to a use a simple remote control to access a suite of services presented on TV screen menus. The menu screens were generated on Windows PCs installed in a broadcast center. Allin enhanced this architecture by networking the PCs to Windows NT Servers and to a SQL Server database that handled each transaction and interfaced with the ship’s Property Management System (PMS).

By 1996, the SeaVision ITV System supported more than 20 different interactive applications, by far the most sophisticated system in the world at that time. Applications include on-demand movies, reviewing and booking shore excursions, casino games, room service and shopping. In 1997, over 1.2 million passengers used the SeaVision System, representing about 40 million interactive sessions. That same year, about $48 million worth of shore excursions were purchased through SeaVision Systems.

In 1998, the Allin Interactive Media System was first installed in a new hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. Like the Guestserve and SeaVision systems, this installation used simple television sets and remote control units plus set top boxes to allow on-demand viewing of digitally stored programs. Patients could access a wide variety of healthcare content and entertainment.

A key feature for healthcare systems was that hospital patients could request programs related to their condition and treatment, and hospital staff were able to view training and continuing education programs.  One feature introduced with this installation was VCR-like playback controls – stop, start, pause, rewind and fast forward.

In 2000, Allin continued its unmatched record of providing ITV solutions by successfully completing the software design, development and installation of two full-featured Interactive Media systems for the two largest cruise lines in the world.

Today, Allin’s systems continue to successfully complete millions of dollars in transactions in installations all over the world. The Company offers complete turnkey solutions – system and software design, development, integration and support across multiple platforms including thin client and thick client solutions.