HTML5 on consoles

[patsu]

They certainly could do this and may have already done this for blu-ray and TV products. One other point, The VUDU credit for the Sony Broadcast engine was Sony BE Korea. Korea is where Sony blu-ray and TVs are produced, mostly by LG.

Samsung went the Adobe route and uses Air 2.5 for TV in their 2010 blu-ray and over 40 inch TVs. LG did not and probably uses the Sony BE engine or something similar or there are cross licences or who knows.

VUDU uses the Broadcasting Engine described here:
http://translate.google.com/transla...04&ucode=0000060001&hl=ko&ie=UTF8&sl=ko&tl=en

Note the familiar Broadcasting Engine logo. It's a IPTV solution.

 

[jeff_rigby]

VUDU uses the Broadcasting Engine described here:
http://translate.google.com/transla...04&ucode=0000060001&hl=ko&ie=UTF8&sl=ko&tl=en

Note the familiar Broadcasting Engine logo. It's a IPTV solution.

First, how did you find that?

Then, can you understand the translation. From what I gather the first part is about IPTV and the second part is about connecting external hard disks to the PS3 and copy protection.

Again even filling in gaps from other sources the article is OLD and targeted to an audience slightly out of the field so not a lot of information.

Thanks for the research.....

Speculation on Sony, a CE company, can be off target because we are thinking like PC guys.

So most likely Sony did produce their own Industry standard player with standard Hooks for 3.5 streams and did not use Adobe provided routines. Vudu uses a DRM tool produced by Sony and Netflix may download their own (no credits).

 

[patsu]

What research ?

I saw the "Broadcasting Engine" logo screen when I started up VUDU this evening. Saw your post and googled it.

Sony trademarked "Broadcasting Engine" on Oct 9 2007:
http://www.trademarkia.com/be-broadcasting-engine-77299558.html

The net talked about it too:
http://www.qj.net/psp/news/sce-patents-broadcasting-engine-unannounced-software.html

 

[jeff_rigby]

What research ?

I saw the "Broadcasting Engine" logo screen when I started up VUDU this evening. Saw your post and googled it.

Sony trademarked "Broadcasting Engine" on Oct 9 2007:
http://www.trademarkia.com/be-broadcasting-engine-77299558.html

The net talked about it too:
http://www.qj.net/psp/news/sce-patents-broadcasting-engine-unannounced-software.html

That explains it, I looked but set a time limit of 1 year for Google search of the Sony BE. No news since 2007. assumptions If I had known this I would not have disagreed with Shifty.....Re the Sony provided and coded player.

Quite interestingly, SCEJ also patented a new trademark known as the Broadcasting Engine. Reading its accompanying description, it seems that this particular engine is more for hardware rather than software. The patent mentioned that it will be dealing with cellular phones, video cameras, DVD players, and video game machines among others.

The description for the Broadcasting Engine further revealed that this product will be used for downloadable media. It should be remembered that Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer mentioned before that they are currently devising a way that will allow all Sony products to interact with each other.

Cell patent, purchasing of the Cell plant, BE engine = DRM and player Cell optimized Since 2007 with SONY waiting for others to catch up....gesh Sony ahead of everyone.....

(Speculation) 2011 LG products with the Sony label have a Cell processor and are more powerful allowing a custom OS that supports the Cell and Google TV. No need for Air as it would have Android apps.

And with the cell, Sony products will have the digital ecosystem mentioned. With the Cell in these products, Wireless HDMI is not needed with any Sony media source able to play on any Sony display over both wired and wireless networks and we can also have distributed processing.

 

[patsu]

Other than Flash run-time, Sony doesn't really need Adobe AIR.

I found out that Sony switched to Adobe's Content Server DRM for their eBooks in 2009, mainly to consolidate the eBook library. I don't know the differences between Adobe's Access DRM and their Content Server DRM, perhaps Adobe will make the latter compatible with UltraViolet as a natural next step (Since Adobe's Access DRM is already compatible).

They may need to beef up the Content Server DRM though. It's already broken in sometime ago.

 

[jeff_rigby]

Other than Flash run-time, Sony doesn't really need Adobe AIR.

I found out that Sony switched to Adobe's Content Server DRM for their eBooks in 2009, mainly to consolidate the eBook library. I don't know the differences between Adobe's Access DRM and their Content Server DRM, perhaps Adobe will make the latter compatible with UltraViolet as a natural next step (Since Adobe's Access DRM is already compatible).

They may need to beef up the Content Server DRM though. It's already broken in sometime ago.

CES news:

How will the 3-D personal headset work? Content has to be protected from the players (Blu-Ray or PS3). Does it use a wireless or wired HDMI, Clumsy or encrypted wireless (WiFi)? First example of a Cell being used?

 

[scooby_dooby]

Actually it does as new features were documented as of Nov 5, 2010.

Actually it doesn't! OSMF is a framework, not an enhancement to the runtime.

Any updates are probably improvements to support the new API's / fixes released in the most recent version of Flash Player.

 

[jeff_rigby]

Actually it doesn't! OSMF is a framework, not an enhancement to the runtime.

Any updates are probably improvements to support the new API's / fixes released in the most recent version of Flash Player.

Don't some of the new features in Flash media server 4.0 streams require multiple buffers not envisioned in the original OSMF framework which would require small code changes. Didn't commercial blocking detection require changes to the framework. How about scraper detection?

There are defined plugins that are industry standard for the encryption engine, encryption routines, Player, Flash memory that the OS uses to pass information to the DRM (Digital Rights Manager) etc. that were defined in the last two years for Ultraviolet compatibility.

Some of the above are older standards passed through to the new specs.

 

[patsu]

CES news:

How will the 3-D personal headset work? Content has to be protected from the players (Blu-Ray or PS3). Does it use a wireless or wired HDMI, Clumsy or encrypted wireless (WiFi)? First example of a Cell being used?

The one shown in CES 2011 ?
Wired (See last picture in the following link)
http://www.sonyinsider.com/2011/01/07/hands-on-with-sonys-3d-head-mounted-oled-glasses/

The article suggested it's HDMI. No Cell needed for this app. The innovation is in the display technology. Regular BR player will do.

 

[scooby_dooby]

There are defined plugins that are industry standard for the encryption engine, encryption routines, Player, Flash memory that the OS uses to pass information to the DRM (Digital Rights Manager) etc. that were defined in the last two years for Ultraviolet compatibility.

Not sure. What I do know, is that no new FMS, or Flash Player features would require that your video player is based on OSMF.

The point is that OSMF simply uses lower level API's that already exist, nothing is stopping someone from building their own framework, or using one of the dozen's of VideoPlayer's built before the existence of OSMF. It's really just an abstraction layer.

In short, it's a meaningless factor as to the viability of streaming with Flash on PS3, building a video player from scratch is freakin peanuts, compared to the cost of re-writing the entire runtime!

 

[jeff_rigby]

CES News: LG has a new line of 2011 TVs, and Blu-ray players and Set top box with a Webkit HTML5 browser and Apps. It uses a motion controller similar to the Move.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/trade-shows/ces/lg-challenges-google-tv-boxee-with-smart-tv/

Both LG and Sony are using the same Broadcom motion controller chip.

http://www.slashgear.com/hillcrest-and-broadcom-make-motion-remotes-simple-with-new-bt-chips-05123376/

On-Line web demos of the Smart TV interface show much thought. Very easy to use! Much better interface than Google TV's.

 

[jeff_rigby]

CES News: LG has a new line of 2011 TVs, and Blu-ray players and Set top box with a Webkit HTML5 browser and Apps. It uses a motion controller similar to the Move.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/trade-shows/ces/lg-challenges-google-tv-boxee-with-smart-tv/

Both LG and Sony are using the same Broadcom motion controller chip.

http://www.slashgear.com/hillcrest-and-broadcom-make-motion-remotes-simple-with-new-bt-chips-05123376/

On-Line web demos of the Smart TV interface show much thought. Very easy to use! Much better interface than Google TV's.

http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/01/sony-bravia-3d-hdtv-lineup/

LG announces a line of Web Enabled platforms with Webkit browser, 720P Skype and Applications. Platforms include TV, BLu-ray player and Set top box.

Sony releases a line of Web enabled TVs with Opera Browser, Opera Widgets and 720P Skype.

http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/01/sony-bravia-3d-hdtv-lineup/

The Sony TV's appear to be following a new IPTV standard for TVs called HbbTV

http://media.opera.com/media/b2b/Opera_HbbTV.pdf

Opera Devices HbbTV option implements OIPF, CE-HTML and CEA-2014 compatibility in order to support HbbTV applications, delivered over broadband, broadcast or hybrid. It also implements an HbbTV-compliant application manager and DSM-CC and AIT
modules.

This is apparently a IPTV (2009) standard of which a subset might become standard on Game Consoles like the PS3.

http://www.opera.com/business/solutions/devices/tv/

 

[BRiT]

In some markets Microsoft and AT&T offer IPTV for the XBox 360. It's not available in my area, so I can't offer any direct feedback on it, other than it will be nice when all consoles and content providers enable it.

 

[Demirug]

I like to see some benchmarks of these devices. With WebKit and Opera they should have the featureset for RIAs. But without more details about the used hardware and the implementation it’s hard to say if they have enough power.

 

[jeff_rigby]

I like to see some benchmarks of these devices. With WebKit and Opera they should have the featureset for RIAs. But without more details about the used hardware and the implementation it’s hard to say if they have enough power.

For the Sony, it's an Opera lite browser without embedded video support; just pictures and text. So I guess no Flash support also. For the LG it's a webkit browser.. but I don't know about playing embedded video.

I believe both the LG and Sony models have identical chipsets.

The news is the HbbTV standard which Opera is adhering to in a line of CE Web browsers and TV front ends which is in the Sony products.

If the TVs have, and they do have, support for streaming video then they have the power to display embedded video, why the arbitrary limit.

LG and Samsung also have products that can be considered a digital ecosystem. LG with appliances that talk to each other over a web and Samsung with multiple CE products TV, Blu-Ray, tablet, cell phones.

 

[Demirug]

I was more interested in JavaScript/HTML performances values as the audio/video elements would make use of the special hardware anyway.

 

[jeff_rigby]

I was more interested in JavaScript/HTML performances values as the audio/video elements would make use of the special hardware anyway.

Specifically, the Company announced that Hillcrest’s patented Freespace(R) MotionEngine is now integrated with Broadcom’s new BCM35230 digital TV system-on-a-chip (SoC) and Broadcom’s new BCM20730 single-chip Bluetooth(R) solution, enabling a turn-key, cost-effective, and fully-featured motion control solution for connected televisions. In addition at CES, Universal Electronics, the world’s leading manufacturer of TV remotes, will showcase a new Freespace and Bluetooth-enabled TV remote control, utilizing the world’s first single-chip, digital-output, 3-axis MEMS gyroscope from InvenSense, that is compatible with the new system from Broadcom and Hillcrest. The demonstrations will include a TV user interface optimized for motion pointing, which includes Hillcrest’s HoMEcast(TM) video application and a Webkit browser engine.

BCM35230 chipset

A high powered dual core CPU and graphics processing unit (GPU) with 1400+ DMIPS for an uncompromised connected TV experience

Industry leading video processing with advanced functionality including 120Hz, frame rate conversion, de-interlacing and super resolution to enhance the viewing experience with Internet, broadcast and/or Blu-ray content

Integrated connectivity and support for worldwide broadcast standards that provides a cost effective global platform for Internet TV

A 40 nanometer design that includes advanced video and audio decoders and excellent connected TV support such as OpenGL® ES 2.0 for Flash 10

Broadcom's new SoC solutions provide playback of DivX Plus HD H.264 video in an .mkv file container using the USB slot or streaming from the home network via Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) for easy viewing in the living room. In addition, both SoC platforms enable consumers to enjoy special DVD-like features, including automated chapter points, enhanced trick play, and multiple video, audio and sub-title tracks.

 

[jeff_rigby]

http://snap.sonydeveloper.com/about/

Sony’s Networked Application Platform is a project designed to leverage the open source community to build and evolve the next generation application framework for consumer electronic devices.

The developer program gives access to a developer community and resources like SDK, tools, documentation and other developers.

The foundation upon which this project is base comes from the GNUstep community, whose origin dates back to the OpenStep standard developed by NeXT Computer Inc (now Apple Computer Inc.). While Apple has continued to update their specification in the form of Cocoa and Mac OS X, the GNUstep branch of the tree has diverged considerably.

SNAP has a re-architected display model and backend based on Cairo evolving toward COLLADA over time. Our look and feel also includes navigation metaphors derived from standard Sony UX constructs such as our XrossMediaBar.

The GNUstep core libraries strictly adhere to the OpenStep standard and OPENSTEP implementation.

https://collada.org/mediawiki/index.php/COLLADA

COLLADA is a COLLAborative Design Activity for establishing an open standard digital asset schema for interactive 3D applications. It involves designers, developers, and interested parties from within Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) as well as key third-party companies in the 3-D industry. With its 1.4.0 release, COLLADA became a standard of The Khronos Group Inc., where consortium members continue to promote COLLADA to be the centerpiece of digital-asset toolchains used by the 3-D interactive industry.

COLLADA defines an XML database schema that enables 3-D authoring applications to freely exchange digital assets without loss of information, enabling multiple software packages to be combined into extremely powerful tool chains.

However, COLLADA is not merely a technology, as technology alone cannot solve this communication problem. COLLADA has succeeded in providing a neutral zone where competitors work together in the design of a common specification. This creates a new paradigm in which the schema (format) is supported directly by the digital content creation (DCC) vendors. Each of them writes and supports their own implementation of COLLADA importer and exporter tools.

The COLLADA schema supports all the features that modern 3-D interactive applications need, including programmable shader effects and physics simulation. It can also be easily extended by the end users for their own specific purposes. In other words, COLLADA is not designed to be a temporary data transport mechanism, but rather to be the schema for the source data for your digital assets. It is not designed as a delivery mechanism, but to be a content holder for any target platform. COLLADA's choice of language is XML, thus gaining many of the benefits of the eXtensible Markup Language including native support of international UTF-8 encoding. The COLLADA XML Schema document is publicly accessible on the Internet for online content validation.

COLLADA also includes COLLADA FX and COLLADA Physics.

The COLLADA project was initiated by Sony Computer Entertainment to create a standard Digital Asset Exchange format. It is the first time that major DCC tool companies, such as Alias, Discreet, and Softimage, are working together, along with other companies, bringing different experiences and expertise to create a common interchange format for the benefit of all users.

Major supporters of COLLADA include Sony Computer Entertainment, NVIDIA, ATI, Softimage, Autodesk, Google, and Intel. A number of game engines also support COLLADA, including OGRE, C4 Engine, AgentFX, Multiverse, PhyreEngine, and CryEngine.

http://www.infoworld.com/d/developer-world/who-killed-sony-snap-382

No sooner had Sony announced the SNAP program, the company withdrew it again. Just days after the initial announcement, Sony updated the program's Web page to read, "SNAP development is currently on hold. Please stay tuned for more details." So far, no further details have emerged and Sony has made no statement regarding its apparent change of heart.

Why did Sony put the brakes on SNAP? It has all the makings of a real developer whodunit.

Worth the read.

New 2011 Sony platforms have dropped Webkit in favor of Opera and HbbTV. Read the above link. Does this signal a massive change inside Sony. Is this related to the removal of Linux from the PS3?

 

[jeff_rigby]

And Shifty was right again: Native language apps and not cross platform other than using "C". Although this looks like the Android model.

Sony has frozen work on its little-known SNAP developer platform, originally billed as an application framework for “games, widgets (weather, news, traffic, etc), remote controls, social apps, media sharing apps, media players [and] home automation” on connected devices like the company’s Dash and Smart TVs. “SNAP development is currently on hold” the updated website claims, suggesting developers should wait for further information.

SNAP is planning to evolve into a complete software stack and ecosystem that will allow 3rd party applications to run on consumer electronics products. This Linux based software stack will include an operating system, device specific middleware, general Objective-C APIs, device specific Objective-C APIs as well as key device applications.

The SDK will provide the necessary tools to begin developing Objective-C applications for the Sony Application Platform. The SNAP architecture document describes the technical details about SNAP and its components.

The SNAP framework is still very young and many of its features are yet to be fully developed. Basic features like the database module, app browsing, app downloading, installation, launch and un-installation are implemented, but security aspects and platform resource management are not yet fully developed. Platform features like tuner control for TVs are being deferred until later.
Since we want SNAP to be very network centric, a core network module has been implemented which makes it very easy for SNAP devices to discover and communicate with each other. We hope this will open up a lot of new applications and fundamentally change the way CE products like TVs, Blu-ray Disk players and audio receivers will work with each other in the future.
We are also working on a brand new UI design tool which will dramatically change the way UI layouts and implementations are done. We really looking forward to this and will share it with you as soon as it becomes available.

 

[makattack]

Sortof... but not really. Chrome splits rendering on one core, and script execution on another other. Realistically you get one thread to render your game. For games, this means you hit a rendering bottleneck almost immediately, and won't get any help from additional cores.

What do you make of this direction for Chrome/Chromium/ChromeOS?

http://blog.chromium.org/2011/01/html-video-codec-support-in-chrome.html

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/11/google-will-drop-h-264-support-from-chrome-herd-the-masses-towa/

That's an interesting direction. Unfortunately, I encode all my videos in H264...