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DigitalTV MHP Development Tutorials

Posted by Hemos on from the get-your-TV-on dept.

Cpt Kirk writes "For anyone wanting to get into digital interactive tv development using MHP, we've got a couple of tutorials online for you, check em out and let us know if they're helpful. Esgem MHP Resources"

2 of 13 comments (clear)

  1. Clarification (Clarified MHP ?) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Ok, sorry I hadn't created an account :-)

    If you want to e-mail me about this tutorial kirk.bateman@esgem.com

    The tutorial is for developers using the MHP (Multimedia Home Platform) for Interactive TV content, which is all based around the javatv xlets and some other related technologies.

    Basically, I've been working on some tutorials, since most mhp developers seem to have some problems with the slightly weird way it works. Anyway, Tutorial #1 is about modifying the way an HListGroup is drawn and Tutorial #2 (which probably should have been done first :-) is about the basics, a simple Xlet and explaining the Xlet class and XletContext class, a sort of get you started thing.

  2. Re:What? by JKR · · Score: 2, Informative
    Basically, MHP (Multimedia Home Platform) is about authoring and delivering applications to your set top box (or MHP-enabled TV) along with the MPEG video and audio streams. Java is the standard language used, as now mandated by the MHP specification, and HAVi provides the specification for the Java-based user interface classes - things like HListGroup, HTextButton etc.). I co-ordinated part of the HAVi specification for a period (the Java user interface code) up to the release of the HAVi1.1 specification.

    For example, the tired old stock-ticker applet running in real time alongside your news channel, or the navigator application that tells you what's on now and next (although this would probably be resident on the device.) are MHP apps.

    HAVi is more than that, though. HAVi is a firewire-based peer-to-peer network for home A/V equipment, enabling a "dumb" device like a CD-player to ask a "smart" device like a TV to display it's UI for it, on any TV in the house. I'm using "dumb" and "smart" here to refer to whether the HAVi device has a Java VM & display capability.

    It's interesting that the site chose HListGroup - it's the UI widget that caused more pain and suffering than all the others put together, because it's so much more complex than simple stuff like a button.

    Sadly, I'm not working on HAVi any longer. I'm sure someone here has current knowledge, though.

    Jon.