| Microsoft whitepaper on Internet Protocol (IP) set-top boxes |
by Bill Wittress and Olivier Fontana (Sep. 9, 2003)
Foreword
This Microsoft whitepaper provides an overview of the market opportunity and product requirements for Internet Protocol (IP) based TV set-top boxes, reviews the technology requirements of such devices, and discusses the suitability of Windows XP Embedded and Windows CE for various categories of set-top box designs.
Internet Protocol (IP) Set-Top Boxes
Windows CE .NET 4.2 and Windows XP Embedded -- Scalable Software Platforms for Building Flexible, IP Set-Top Boxes
by Bill Wittress, Product Manager and Olivier Fontana, Product Manager
Microsoft Windows Embedded Devices Group (EDG)
Abstract
Network IP set-top boxes deliver interactive, personalized video content to a television through an IP connection. To provide secured, high-quality content, an IP set-top box must be built on a flexible platform that supports industry-standard data transfer and networking protocols. The Microsoft Windows Embedded platforms provide the most complete set of technology, tools, and resources to flexibly deliver secured, standardized, and feature-rich devices to market faster. Windows CE .NET is the ideal operating system for mass market IP set-top boxes, supporting x86, ARM, SH, and MIPS processor architectures to provide a broad range of hardware platform choices. Windows XP Embedded is the ideal operating system for advanced IP set-top boxes that use an x86-based processor architecture. Componentized features in each operating system enable original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and service providers to selectively choose needed Windows features and rapidly develop and deploy customized IP set-top boxes ranging from basic to full-featured designs.
Introduction
An IP set-top box is a dedicated computing device that serves as an interface between a television set and a broadband network. In addition to decoding and rendering broadcast TV signals, an IP set-top box can provide functionality that includes video-on-demand (VOD), Electronic Program Guide (EPG), digital rights management (DRM), and a variety of interactive and multimedia services. IP set-top boxes can support in-demand features such as Web browsing, e-mail and viewing e-mail attachments, advanced multimedia codecs, home networking, personal computer connectivity, gateway functionality, instant messaging (IM), and real-time voice over IP (VoIP). These types of advanced functionality are in demand by end-users and enable incremental network operator service opportunities.
Current IP set-top box development is driven by service provider requirements and customer demand for new features. Priorities for service providers include the capacity to deploy, using minimal capital expenditures, new revenue-generating services and multimedia and entertainment-oriented applications on an IP set-top box to meet changing customer requirements over time. Service providers also need to ensure that copyrighted content is protected from unauthorized distribution. To accommodate these expectations, the IP set-top box operating system platform must be extensible and remotely upgradeable, and include both rich multimedia technologies and fundamental security features, such as access control.
The Windows Embedded family of operating systems, which includes Microsoft Windows CE .NET and Microsoft Windows XP Embedded, provides a scalable platform to build a wide range of IP set-top boxes. These IP set-top boxes will range from simple cost-effective devices providing basic broadcast TV experience, VoD, EPG, and Internet browsing, to full media centers that include DVD playback and recording, personal video recorder (PVR), and personal multimedia (music, pictures, and videos) repository functions.
This paper discusses today's IP set-top box industry trends, defines the types of IP set-top boxes currently available on the market, and describes the latest Microsoft embedded software solutions for IP set-top boxes. It provides a detailed description of the multimedia, security, and architectural features of Windows CE .NET 4.2 and Windows XP Embedded. Finally, the paper includes recommendations for how to select the appropriate Windows operating system that best suits your IP set-top box design and deployment needs.
Industry Trends
IP set-top boxes present new opportunities for network service providers to deliver revenue-generating home entertainment services. For example, users can consume videos and music, browse the Internet, play games, and use e-mail services-all through a single television interface provided by an IP set-top box. However, network service providers initially deploy services only to maximize current infrastructures and deliver clear, short-term return on investments. Additional services roll-out will be paced, in the future, mostly to match consumer adoption and demonstrated business models.
Supporting an agile, rich, and adaptive software-based service model requires a comparably suited IP set-top box operating system platform. To accommodate user and service provider demands, IP set-top box manufacturers must be able to selectively and cost-effectively accommodate simple to advanced features. For example, IP set-top boxes must increasingly incorporate integrated modems, hard drives, MP3 and DVD/CD players, and even home networking capabilities. Processing high definition video uses four to six times the bandwidth of standard video and thus requires the use of more efficient codec technologies, such as Windows Media Video (WMV) and MPEG-4 in addition to or as a replacement for the MPEG-2 codecs currently in use.
Changes in IP set-top box technology, particularly the addition of new features and services, are necessary to propel the industry forward. A discussion of these changes and how they impact the IP set-top box industry overall is provided in the following sections.
A growing industry
Today, content streamed through an IP set-top box is commonly delivered to the home by satellite or cable network. A recent phenomenon is the emergence of Internet Protocol (IP)-based set-top boxes. This category is gaining momentum because IP set-top boxes can deliver much of the same cable or satellite set-top box functionality while using existing and low-cost Internet and IP-based network infrastructures. Furthermore, building on the bi-directional IP infrastructure enables inherent support for a broader range of applications and interactive services. In-Stat estimates that the worldwide opportunity for IP set-top boxes, in both residential and commercial applications, will reach 8 million units per year by 2007. In-Stat also estimates that the average growth rate is almost 200 percent per year for the next three years. This growing industry is ideal for device manufacturers who can deploy a flexible solution to take advantage of existing networks. To ensure that the industry maintains or exceeds the current rate of growth, manufacturers and service providers are focused on cost-effectively providing customers with value-added features . . .
Read full whitepaper here
[Note: Download is in Microsoft Word (.doc) format.]
The above text and the full downloadable whitepaper are copyright © 2003 Microsoft Corp. All rights reserved. Reproduced by WindowsForDevices.com with permission.
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