Technology

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2. Cont. on demand
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3. Deferred TV
A range of programming languages come into question for the development of iTV applications on the client-side. These are presented in brief here. It is possible to distinguish between the universal programming languages (C and Java), programming languages with limited useability (MHEG, Actionscript, Javascript) and markup languages (HTML) on the basis of their possibilities.

 

C

This broadly used and processor-friendly imperative programming language is universally useable and offers all possibilities. Development in C demands professionalism.

The large majority of the applications integrated into the receiver device software (embedded applications) are written in C. In the past, C could also be used for applications for the globally utilised middleware OpenTV.

 

Java

This is also an imperative and universally useable programming language. Java also follows the principle of object orientation, which facilitates leading-edge software engineering. Various organisations have defined comprehensive libraries for Java, with which all forms of applications can be realised. Development in Java demands experience with embedded systems because the risk otherwise exists that the applications will lack in the requisite performance.

Java is also used for applications running on the operating system iOS. In Germany Java was the programming language for applications for the d-box II, the receiver device developed by the Kirch Group. With DVB-J a component of the MHP standard, the globally active DVB committee defined the programming of iTV applications in Java.

 

MHEG

This was a scripting language optimised for use in the field of iTV. It should result in high performance applications even on receiver units with the simplest of computer architecture. The functional scope was also defined for iTV. Unfortunately, programming in MHEG was highly cryptic.

MHEG was predominantly used in the United Kingdom. In Germany, the PayTV provider Premiere wrote its VoD applications in MHEG

 

Javascript

This is a script language which is used primarily for the development of dynamic web pages. The international standard HbbTV uses Javascript for its iTV applications. ITV-specific functions and access to functions of the receiver unit have been defined, too.

 

HTML

HTML can be used as markup language for rudimentary iTV applications. More important is using HTML for the embedding of script languages. HbbTV applications, for example, are based on HTML with embedded Javascript.

 

 

Harald Molina-Tillmann

Introduction to interactive television

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4. Return channel
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5. Encryption

8. Programming

6. Further technology
7. Runtime environm.
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1. TV transmission
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Quintessence
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8. Programming
9. API