RDK is expanding the support given to DVB technologies. The Comcast-Time Warner-Liberty Global-backed organisation is adding DVB Service Information (DVB-SI) elements to its Reference Development Kit, which it hopes will lead to greater acceptance in DVB markets, and follows a significant contribution by Arris.
The RDK is a pre-integrated software bundle that provides a common framework for powering customer-premises equipment (CPE) from TV service providers, including set-top boxes (STBs), gateways, and converged devices. DVB-SI provides RDK-based devices with critical, in-band table of contents and data required for Electronic Programme Guides (EPGs) and other key services.
Notably, in-band DVB-SI provides a high degree of data reliability for TV service providers that operate one way networks, or that are in the process of transitioning to two-way networks, a common situation across Europe and other global regions.
Arris has extended the RDK Media Framework (RMF) to support a common method for extracting DVB streams, and also provide an open source reference DVB implementation that can be adopted and extended by DVB-based operators and suppliers. This new RDK capability adds to previously supported DVB components such as teletext and subtitles released last year.
“Given the RDK’s global reach and appeal, it was imperative to deliver DVB-SI functionality to support legacy networks,” said Steve Heeb, President and General Manager of RDK Management. “Thanks to a dedicated working group led by Arris and Liberty Global, operators in Europe and other parts of the world can more easily adopt the RDK across their markets.”
“ARRIS is fully committed to the success and adoption of the RDK in Europe, and around the world,” said Larry Robinson, President, Customer Premises Equipment at ARRIS. “We’re very proud to have helped drive the process and development of a DVB-SI solution that will have widespread applicability to our customers, prospects, and the broader RDK community.”
The RDK software is available at no cost to RDK licensees in a shared source manner, and RDK community member companies can contribute software changes and enhancements to the RDK stack.
