Nikola Kuzmanovic

Google's android as an application environment for DTV decoder system

This paper presents an approach of using Googles Android software stack as an application environment for digital television (DTV) sets and set-top boxes. Expanding Android software stack to support DTV decoder devices and developing universal TV and set-top box applications for Android environment enables rapid software development and shorter release time for next generation products. Paper describes the process of porting complete Android software stack (Android Linux kernel, system drivers, user space libraries, Android specific libraries and programs) to a DTV decoder platform with Linux kernel and available stable device drivers; implementation of extensions to support DTV channel search, memorizing, playback and recording. Performance and features of final system will be presented.

A proposal for second screen DTV and remote control application

Usage of handheld devices such as tablets and smartphones as the second screen devices in television is becoming more popular. The main reason for that is great improvement and development of those handheld devices as well as television popularity. In this paper, the system architecture and framework of the second screen features are presented. The paper focuses on implementation of mosaic content list as well as other digital television services such as Electronic Program Guide, Teletext, Personal Video Recording control or live TV on the second screen.

Hybrid broadcast broadband TV implementation in java based applications on digital TV devices

HbbTV (Hybrid broadcast broadband television) is an open standard for network-enabled TV sets. It is a European initiative for providing both broadcast and broadband content delivery on TV sets and set-top boxes. HbbTV standard adds a new aspect to the experience of watching TV by providing interactivity to plain TV broadcast. The content to be delivered is the HbbTV application. HbbTV application presents a combination of web content and live digital TV broadcast. In this paper we present one solution for integration of HbbTV standard into Java applications which are being developed for DTV devices. We present modifications to the underlying operating system, JavaScript plug-ins, and DTV-related modules which are necessary to be implemented in order to have the HbbTV features enabled. We also present performance measurement comparing our solution to an embedded Linux one and one commercial solution.

Remote control android application for second screen DTV environment

Living room is a shared space, in which families carry out their daily routines. The proliferation of personal devices (handhelds or laptops) has modified traditional family behaviors including watching television. Great improvement of hardware performance for handheld devices such as tablets and smartphones is the main reason of their increased usage as a second screen device and their newly acquired popularity with digital TV vendors. In this paper, one proposal of system architecture and SW framework for a second screen concept is presented. The paper focuses on implementation of DVB multimedia second screen broadcasting, providing live TV and mosaic content as well as other digital television services such as: EPG, teletext, subtitles, PVR, and remote controller for the TV or STB on the second screen.

Second screen user experience: A new digital television frontier

Availability and increased hardware performance of handheld devices with high resolution screens encourage users to exploit them as the second screen while watching television. Second screen is a term that refers to an additional screen of a handheld device such as a tablet or a smart phone, with an operating system capable of running desired installed applications. Desire to make additional DTV information available to the user which can be presented on the second screen tends to push the limit of digital television in that direction. This paper presents a framework to distribute and present both premium and free-to-air television content. The framework is based on server/client architecture and includes: TV remote control, streaming of television services, additional content (Electronic Program Guide, reminders...), data protection of streamed services to client devices. The system architecture consists of a media server and its clients. Media server is a Set-Top box with Android OS. Main duty of media server is to receive and process DTV content received from broadcasters and distribute the content to clients (second screen devices). Client application is developed on various OS/Platforms: Android and iOS. Multimedia content can be streamed using supported protocols: HTTP, RTP/RTSP, and adaptive streaming protocols (HLS and MPEG-DASH). Streamed content is protected using DTCP-IP. The main objective of the paper is to describe the utilization of before mentioned standards in a framework to use the DTV data and functions beyond the scope of the main TV screen. The client application also implements the remote controller GUI in order to use one device to control the TV.

Java implementation of DTV services on the Android platform

This paper gives an overview of both specification and implementation details for integration of DTV services into the Android OS, using Java programming language. Since Java programming language is the language of choice for application development in the Android OS, we have proposed and implemented DTV services in this programming language. Java cannot be used to implement the entire DTV services functionality, so the native library has been developed to implement performance critical parts. The proposed Java API offers Java developers a wrapper around the native implementation, which encapsulates all relevant data structures and functions regarding DTV content manipulation. We have demonstrated our proposal on four key elements of DTV services: channel list, EPG, teletext, and subtitles.

A proposal for VMS extension of Android based DTV STB

This paper presents one solution of the video media server (VMS) extension for an Android based digital television (DTV) set-top box. Proposed VMS extension will provide simultaneous live playback and personal video recorder (PVR) functions on various DTV services, as well as adaptive streaming of DTV content on second screen devices over MPEG-DASH protocol. Furthermore, VMS can be controlled by second screen devices.

Proposition for mosaic video playback on Android based DTV devices

This paper presents a proposition for mosaic video playback on Android based DTV devices. Mosaic is a software solution that relies on rendering multiple video streams on one display, where each sub-picture presents one video stream (e. g. DTV service). This approach also provides an enhanced method that can display and navigate through a large number of digital television programs, supplying the viewer with a real-time overview of the currently visible channels from the channel selection dialog. Feasibility of the proposed solution is demonstrated through an implementation on Android based platforms such as DTV decoder systems and set-top boxes with multiple decoders and multiple tuners.

Implementation of RVU client for Android-based devices

This paper describes an implementation of RVU client on Android based devices. RVU represents a protocol based on client-server architecture and uses UPnP and DLNA to establish communication and share content. The key benefit of RVU is the user interface (RUI) implementation, an approach that enables content service providers to deliver consistent user interface to all RVU client devices in a “Connected House” domain, significantly improving quality of service. RVU introduces concept of “thin client” which only renders content and handles user inputs, while all CPU intensive work is done on a server side.

Implementation of remote control protocol suitable for DTV second screen applications

Constant hardware improvements of handheld devices (e.g. tablets and smartphones) and the fact that they are already present in almost every home, makes them a target platform for becoming the second screen of a digital TV (DTV) device. This paper presents one solution of remote control protocol suitable for resolving problems regarding content sharing from DTV set-top box to second screen devices and remote control of the host DTV device. The goal of this protocol is to enable handheld device owners to enjoy seamless integration with their TV-based entertainment experience.