Set-Top Box and TV Content Delivery Applications

Project Background

Our client, a globally-active Internet and TV provider, offering channels packages for US, Canadian, European and Asian audience. He asked Sibers to build several digital tools for content delivery to end-users, as well as facilitate discovery.

Solution

Phase one involved constructing a plug-in for PC, smartphone, tablet, and TV streaming. The plug-in extracts videos from the client’s server, and through a media server application renders them on the end-user’s device of choice. For example, an end-user can use his game console to stream videos directly to his TV.

Phase two, the project’s main phase, consisted of Sibers assisting with firmware design for the client’s custom-built Android set-top box, making it compatible with the aforementioned plug-in. By using an API to pull data from the client’s servers, a set-top box user is able to see all available content and watch live TV, video on demand, listen to music and, last but not least, use all the Android applications available through Google Play. Applications requiring touch inputs can be experienced by connecting a keyboard and mouse to the device.

The project’s next phase saw Sibers develop several mobile applications that fit with the existing ecosystem, i.e. a remote control for the set-top box. The applications also allow users to see a list of channels, access videos on demand, view the TV Guide and content descriptions, and much more.

To complete the ecosystem, Sibers developed two native applications for iPhone and Android which contain most of the above-mentioned features.

Tech highlights

• .NET Framework
• Java (Android SDK)
• SQlite
• Apache Ant
• Holo Everywhere
• ActionBarSherlock
• Google Gson
• SOAP
• ProGuard
• UIKit
• Foundation
• MPMoviePlayerController
• SOAP-based server
• UITableView
• Video mirroring to external display

Results

Our collaboration with the client started in 2010, and is still going strong. Thanks to our work and the huge variety of available content, thousands of subscribers worldwide can enjoy the client’s services.