Akamai Technologies demonstrated a prototype second-screen system that presents complementary content on a smartphone or tablet that is synchronized with what’s happening on the main television screen.

To see the system in action at the NAB Show, watch a video on YouTube.

First users would need to sync their mobile device with their television. Akamai showed this using a QR code that could be scanned by the user watching the television. Every program on TV has a timestamp and content ID, which allows the mobile device to display complementary content just at the right time for the consumer.

“It’s something that can be synced in near-real time,” said Kris Alexander, chief strategist of connected devices and gaming at Akamai Technologies. “By the time somebody looks down from the primary screen it seems like the second screen is in real time.”

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