“End-to-end” iTV solution based on embedded Linux
Sep 18, 2003 — by LinuxDevices Staff — from the LinuxDevices Archive — 2 views
MPEG-4 specialist Envivio has teamed with set-top box provider STiNO Media AG and embedded Linux distributor TUXIA on an end-to-end MPEG-4 interactive TV (iTV) solution using the open architecture of Linux and MPEG-4 standards.
The solution integrates Envivio's MPEG-4 player with the STiNO s-box 4000 set-top box driven by TUXIA's Linux-based iTV Middleware “TUXIA Appliance Synthesis Technology” (TASTE) 3.6. Combined, the Envivio MPEG-4 system, STiNO s-box 4000, and TUXIA TASTE middleware demonstrate “an enhanced iTV end-to-end solution, from encoding to decoding,” the companies claim.
STiNO calls its s-box 4000 STB the 'Porsche' of the digital streaming set-top box market. The device features a VIA C3 800 MHz CPU in combination with Sigma's MPEG-4 decoder chip solution. STiNO says the s-box 4000 contains optimized hardware for high-performance MPEG-4 streaming and web browsing. Because of its open hardware and software platform, it can now also support DVB-S and DVB-T applications.
An Envivio MPEG-4 player is built into the s-box 4000 for compelling interactive TV playback, Envivio claims. Broadcasters can use the open-standard Envivio 4Caster MPEG-4 real-time encoder, 4Sight MPEG-4 streaming server (for video on demand), and 4Manager MPEG-4 management and control system at the cable headend to distribute and manage the interactive content and offer additional MPEG-4 value-added services, according to Envivio.
The TUXIA's TASTE software technology, with its TUXIA Synthesis Environment (TSE) platform builder kit, is fully customizable and configurable, enabling developers to build iTV applications, according to TUXIA. By using Linux OS and an XML-based GUI on a Mozilla web browser, the componentized TSE platform builder kit shortens the time of development and time-to-deploy, TUXIA claims.
Hannes Eisele, CEO at TUXIA, said the solution results in “reduced bandwidth, higher-performance, and new complementary interactive applications and revenue opportunities.”
Franz Hintermayr, CEO, STiNO Media AG, called the combined effort “the highest performance end-to-end MPEG-4 Linux-based solution in the broadcast marketplace.”
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