stb media player | set top box media player

PeerTV’s line of PeerStation STBs is driven by a highly optimized version of the embedded Linux OS (Operating System), tailored to the needs of the streaming media market. On top of the standard Linux OS services, PeerTV has built a complete set of media and UI related technologies as well as features needed to control and configure the STB.

These layers are exposed to application developers mainly via JavaScript based APIs, as depicted in Picture 1:

Picture 1 - PeerTV’s embedded Core Technology

>> Click to enlarge picture

OS AND LOW-LEVEL APIs:

Provide to ported applications the needed low-level APIs (Applications Programming Interface) to function as media Linux applications. The Linux OS part follows the 2.6 standard in all relevant areas such as file, network and peripherals support. Media APIs are provided by the core SoC technology (SigmaDesign’s), further wrapped and adapted to the needs of high-level applications by PeerTV.

ADVANCED FILE / NETWORK MEDIA PLAYER :

PeerTV’s Media Player, designed as a multi-format / multi-protocol solution, covers a wide range of source-types, delivered as either file or network stream. PeerTV’s player technology, currently deployed in tens of thousands of sites all over the world, provides a solid basis to Internet media services. The technology fully answers the needs for TV-targeted media delivery, both in terms of stability as well as quality, up to streamed or downloaded HD content - the target of modern digital media services.

ENHANCED HTML BROWSER:

Developers wishing to construct modern GUI (Graphical User Interface) use embedded browser technology delivering highly efficient implementation of common standards, including powerful features replicating the capabilities of modern browsers consuming ten times more resources on desktop machines. Control of media playback, as well as access to additional display / system services, is provided via an extensive JavaScript based API (‘Core APIs’) fully documented and demonstrated by PeerTV’s Core APIs SDK (also denoted as the ‘JSTV’ APIs).

* Note: Please refer to the Core APIs SDK section for further details.

REMOTE UPGRADE AND MAINTENANCE SUB-SYSTEM:

PeerTV’s core embedded technology includes a sub-system that allows full upgrade and remote maintenance of almost any aspect of the Set-top-Box, including replacement of embedded flash memory contents, remote inspection and setup of almost any key parameter and even remote invocation of diagnostics modes, if necessary. The sub-system can be used both in simple mode (remote FTP-based upgrade or via local USB Flash disk), as well as in advanced TR-069 mode where standardized procedure defined by the networking industry are used to monitor, configure and upgrade the set top box.

UPNP A/V MODULE:

PeerTV can provide an optional module supporting the latest version of the UPnP standard (1.5), allowing quick integration with home-network resources such as PC resident media and UPnP based network attached storage. The UPnP module is accessible via JavaScript code for simplified handling of various complex setup and communication scenarios.

DOWNLOAD SUB-SYSTEM:

PeerTV can provide an optional background media download module comprised of a download client supporting popular protocols (HTTP and Bittorrent P2P), working in conjunction with the Download Agent which provides rich control and monitoring API to remote or local application via HTTP / request response protocol (the Download sub-system is optional and requires specific request and agreement before it is delivered to interested developers).

THE MX WIDGETS-SET:

PeerTV has created a pre-programmed set of JavaScript-based widgets encapsulating critical UI capabilities as easy-to use modules, exposing simplified API (HTTP request / response based) to controlling applications. The MX Widgets Set is supplied as part of the MX Gateway product and together provide a dramatically shortened time-to-market to new services wishing to deploy modern digital-TV style UI without the cost of developing one from scratch (please refer to the MX Gateway section for further details).