A lot of the cheap players only do BD 1.0, so when the DRM war ratchets up, they will not play new content.
WRONG on several counts. First, no player model introduced after October, 2007 can be profile 1.0, it has to be at least 1.1. Second, the profiles have nothing to do with DRM. Any player can play any movie, other than to the extent that some (predominantly older) models may need a firmware update.
Correct. As stated elsewhere in this thread, cable/satellite operators want completely portable apps, not even ones which have to be recompiled based on the underlying processor (ignoring the security risks inherent in a non-sandbox model). Apps which can be will be written to the Java TV API's, or as HTML/JavaScript. Apps which need direct hardware access or higher performance will be written as native code.
Probably will have to join their organization to get access to the code, and, at minimum, buy a license to get access to the full api to develop your apps for it.
This API is really not aimed at application developers - that's what DVB-MHP and OCAP are for, since portability and security are paramount considerations for applications being carried into your settop box. This API is designed to make it easier for chipset vendors to provide drivers to make their silicon quickly integratable into the settop box, and at standardizing a porting layer to make it faster for the middleware vendors (Liberate, OpenTV, etc.) to port their middleware. A few apps may live at this level where performance or direct hardware access dictate, but the cable and satellite industry want most of the apps to be written as Java xlets or HTML/JavaScript, whichever is appropriate.
I believe this API was defined by Convergence, who have joined the TV Linux Alliance. If good ideas exist in the former I imagine they'll show up in the latter...
Sun has a lot at stake here as well. Most of the application standards in the digital TV space are Java TV-based (OpenCable, DVB-MHP, ATSC-DASE). They can't get the Java piece out without a sufficiently robust operating system underneath, however. This Alliance should ensure that happens, without any dependencies on MS.
I'd suggest Motorola has a great deal at stake here. They developed the DCT-5000 years ago, and the hardware was ostensibly ready in 1999. The only software effort they put any resources into was WinCE, however, and due to Microsoft's inability to deliver their MSTV software there are hundreds of thousands of DCT-5000's sitting in warehouses, undeployed. The TV Linux Alliance provides an excellent vehicle for getting Linux up and running on the box in a way that will allow Liberate, OpenTV, and others to quickly port their middleware and make the boxes useful.
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A lot of the cheap players only do BD 1.0, so when the DRM war ratchets up, they will not play new content.
WRONG on several counts. First, no player model introduced after October, 2007 can be profile 1.0, it has to be at least 1.1. Second, the profiles have nothing to do with DRM. Any player can play any movie, other than to the extent that some (predominantly older) models may need a firmware update.
Java ME was open sourced shortly after SE. See the mobile and embedded community at java.net.
Correct. As stated elsewhere in this thread, cable/satellite operators want completely portable apps, not even ones which have to be recompiled based on the underlying processor (ignoring the security risks inherent in a non-sandbox model). Apps which can be will be written to the Java TV API's, or as HTML/JavaScript. Apps which need direct hardware access or higher performance will be written as native code.
Probably will have to join their organization to get access to the code, and, at minimum, buy a license to get access to the full api to develop your apps for it.
This API is really not aimed at application developers - that's what DVB-MHP and OCAP are for, since portability and security are paramount considerations for applications being carried into your settop box. This API is designed to make it easier for chipset vendors to provide drivers to make their silicon quickly integratable into the settop box, and at standardizing a porting layer to make it faster for the middleware vendors (Liberate, OpenTV, etc.) to port their middleware. A few apps may live at this level where performance or direct hardware access dictate, but the cable and satellite industry want most of the apps to be written as Java xlets or HTML/JavaScript, whichever is appropriate.
I believe this API was defined by Convergence, who have joined the TV Linux Alliance. If good ideas exist in the former I imagine they'll show up in the latter...
Sun has a lot at stake here as well. Most of the application standards in the digital TV space are Java TV-based (OpenCable, DVB-MHP, ATSC-DASE). They can't get the Java piece out without a sufficiently robust operating system underneath, however. This Alliance should ensure that happens, without any dependencies on MS.
I'd suggest Motorola has a great deal at stake here. They developed the DCT-5000 years ago, and the hardware was ostensibly ready in 1999. The only software effort they put any resources into was WinCE, however, and due to Microsoft's inability to deliver their MSTV software there are hundreds of thousands of DCT-5000's sitting in warehouses, undeployed. The TV Linux Alliance provides an excellent vehicle for getting Linux up and running on the box in a way that will allow Liberate, OpenTV, and others to quickly port their middleware and make the boxes useful.