WHAT IS THE ITV PLATFORM
- The iTV Platform is a Technology solution incorporating open source technologies to enable the delivery of Interactive Television programming.
- The iTV Platform will incorporate many existing, international standards to deliver a solution that can be embraced by the broader interactive television Industry.
- To build the iTV platform a range of standards will be integrated deliver a prototype.
These standards may include (but are not exclusive to);
3.3 DVB-MHP
3.3.1 Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) is the open middleware system designed by the DVB Project. DVB-MHP has been ratified as a standard for existing Digital Broadcasters, in Australia and throughout much of the world.
3.4 TV-Anytime
3.4.1 “TV-Anytime” (TVA) is a full and synchronised set of specifications established by the TV-Anytime Forum. TVA features enable the search, selection, acquisition and rightful use of content on local and/or remote personal storage systems from both broadcast and online services.
3.5 ISMA
3.5.1 Founded in 2000, the Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA) is a global alliance of industry leaders dedicated to the adoption and deployment of open standards for streaming rich media such as video, audio and associated data over Internet protocols. The goal of its membership is to promote standards-based solutions that offer greater choice, flexibility, extensive cost efficiencies, and higher quality of service. The organization achieves this by providing the industry with technical specifications based on new and existing non-proprietary standards and testing solutions that enable multiple vendor, multiplatform interoperability with its product conformance program. ISMA collaborates with other trade associations and standards bodies to promote interoperable solutions across the entire content delivery spectrum.
3.6 Blu-Ray Disk Association
3.6.1 Blu-ray Disc is a next-generation, optical disc format that enables the ultimate high-def entertainment experience.
3.6.2 BD-ROM is designed not only for pre-packaged High Definition (HD) movie content but also as a key component of a consumer HD platform. As shown in Figure 1-1 below, the Blu-ray Disc (BD) platform is designed to provide access to HD content throughout the home via HD digital broadcast recording and HD playback functions.
3.6.3 BD-ROM also provides a fully programmable application environment with network connectivity thereby enabling the Content Provider to create highly interactive, updateable BD-ROM titles. This mode is based on a platform that is fully compliant with the J2ME Personal Basis Profile Java platform (PBP 1.0) and the Globally Executable MHP specification (GEM 1.0.2). It is known as “BD-J”. Content Providers are able to include interactive Java applications on a BD-ROM disc in various ways (one application for the entire disc, one application per Title, etc.).
3.7 Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)
3.7.1 The Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) a working group of ISO/IEC in charge of the development of standards for coded representation of digital audio and video. Established in 1988, the group has produced MPEG-1, the standard on which such products as Video CD and MP3 are based, MPEG-2, the standard on which such products as Digital Television set top boxes and DVD are based, MPEG-4, the standard for multimedia for the fixed and mobile web, MPEG-7, the standard for description and search of audio and visual content and MPEG-21, the Multimedia Framework.
3.8 Darwin Streaming Server
3.8.1 Darwin Streaming Server, the open source version of Apple’s QuickTime Streaming Server technology that allows to send streaming media to clients using the industry standard RTP and RTSP protocols. Based on the same code base as QuickTime Streaming Server, Darwin Streaming Server provides a high level of customizability and runs on a variety of platforms allowing you to manipulate the code to fit your needs.
3.9 Linux
3.9.1 A significant amount of the technology platform will be designed to operate on the Linux platform. The Preferred Operating System is Red-Hat Linux, subject to licensing agreements.
- The iTV Platform is a largely Open Source Platform designed to connect interactive content publishers via a channel platform, on compatible TV connected devices.
- The iTV Platform generates Revenues from the use of the iTV platform by 3rd parties. Key Revenue drivers will include, but is not exclusive to;
5.1 A Per Minute Video Usage Charge from Server to End-User device
5.2 A Per MB Data Distribution Charge from Server to End-User device
5.2.1 Product and Service charges in connection to the deployment of technology and content services to customers.
Intellectual Property Protection Strategy of The iTV Platform.
- Licensing.
The Service will use a specific license, for distributing the Open Source software package free of charge. Certain elements of the software platform will require licensing from relevant license holders, however it is likely that this will be minimal.
The Licenses will allow the use of the software components, by third parties who would like to adopt the standard for their device. Although the Standard is available free of charge, the company will not be able to use the trademarks of The iTV Company (or other entity) in association to the promotion of compatibility with the platform; unless, they would be license holder pays for relevant standards validation by the company.
- Data Distribution, Tracking and Control Mechanisms.
The Service will utilise a monetisation system, that both provides the location of an iTV Asset to the network and a method to pay / charge for the use of the system. This will be facilitated through a domain name, that will use a sophisticated Distributed Billing Engine that will identify what transactions are being processed, by who and what specifically.
The systems, in-order to interoperate need to register with this domain in-order to become functional / active.
The data-generated will be an encrypted string that will be send from one device to another across the network upon initiation of each and every transaction.