Formed as a joint venture between Thomson Multimedia and Sun microsystems in 1994, they have been providing solutions for the digital TV market. OpenTV 1.0 was released in March 1996.

The OpenTV middleware consists of authoring tools, a suite of interactive TV applications, and utilities for deploying TV applications into the broadcast streams. All are designed to fit within 350 – 560Kb of flash memory. This allows OpenTV applications to be executable on a variety of different set top boxes consistent with different chipsets. The foundation of the OpenTV middleware is the embedded operating system, which is compatible with many RTOS kernels like pSOS, VxWorks, Nucleus and OS9.

Users of OpenTV consist of:

Sky Digital – Sky implemented version 1.2 of the OpenTV middleware stuck, which was used to power the Sky Guide EPG system alongside the various interactive services that could be downloaded to the subscriber’s STB, known as a digibox.

Some providers have adopted OpenTV using the BSkyB framework (Foxtel, Sky Italia, tataSky)

Various OpenTV applications used by Sky plc

In 2008 Sky deployed a rewritten version of their Sky Guide built using OpenTV EN2 which was exclusive to SkyHD set tops

Chorus Ireland – A cable operator in the Republic of Ireland, used OpenTV for its middleware stack alongside Nagravision encryption.

TPS – French digital satellite provider that launched in 1996

Telia Cable – Swedish cable operator that adopted OpenTV in 1997

Tele Damark Kabel TV – adopted OpenTV for its cable service

Echostar – on selected Dish Network receivers

First launched in 1996 in France for the Canal+ service, this was one of the first mainstream interactive TV middleware solutions. Subsequent versions of Mediahighway have been designed to be forward compatible with DVB-MHP standards.

The hardware manufacturer is responsible for implementing the driver stack for the set top box. Canal+ has written an API that can run applications through the middleware/ virtual machine layer. The programming language that is used by Mediahighway is Pantalk. Overtime Canal+ has added additional features such as Java, HTML and MHEG support for ONdigital, to allow Freeview interactive services to run.

ONdigital – launched in 1998 and used middleware that had been adapted from Canal+, Mediahighway. ONdigital provided over 30 digital TV channels delivered via digital terrestrial, through a common antenna.

Canal+  – Digital satellite service in France, of which ONdigital was based upon

Originally founded by Oracle and Netscape, Liberate have multiple solutions for cable operators to deliver interactive services and middleware, originally known as NCI Navigator (Network Computers Incorporated), Liberate was spun off from Oracle, which then became the Network Computer division. Network computers are embedded RISC-based PC’s/Terminals without a hard disk, designed to be permanently connected to an internet or network connection. Liberate also provide back end software for cable headend

TV Navigator – also known as eNavigator, supports HTML/Javascript and HTTP, and various RTOS used in set-top boxes. It is reliant on two-way communication which limits it to cable providers.

Providers

NTL – Cable & Wireless launched their digital service in 1999 and used Liberate TV navigator to launch web based interactive services which were deployed and delivered through the cable network through the subscriber’s TV. Cable & Wireless later merged with NTL in 2000, who also adopted the Liberate middleware for its interactive services. Like Telewest, they went through a series of upgrades to the core middleware, receiving an upgrade to liberate 1.2 in 2002 (2004 for original NTL customers) and began merging both networks together.

Telewest – Launched their digital service in 1999, and later implemented interactive tv in late 1999/ early 2000. The initial interactive offering was built around Liberate 1.1, which was deployed alongside a Pace-built EPG. Upgraded to Liberate 1.2 in late 2002 which saw the EPG being designed and replaced with the liberate designed EPG, which then allowed for red button interactive services (enhanced TV). NTL merged with Telewest to form Virgin Media

AOL – used the Liberate middleware for their AOL TV services, which was designed to be a competitor to Microsoft’s WebTV.

References & reading

Betanova (BetaResearch)

Developed and used in Germany by Betareaserch/Kirch Media and used by Premiere (Now Sky). This was the default middleware used on the Dbox2 for both cable and satellite versions and was used in conjunction with the Betacrypt conditional access system. Used on Nokia, Sagem & Philips Dbox2. The Dbox standard was supposed to be inoperable with multiple providers for both cable and satellite, allowing one box to receive multiple services from different providers, although the cable and satellite standards were different and required new hardware if the customer wished to switch from satellite to cable.

Betanova v2 Screenshots & Information

Betanova v3 Screenshots & Information – This release supported DVB-MHP