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Contents 3
Introduction 1
Industry Trends 2
Microsoft Strategy for IP Set-Top Boxes 6
Windows Embedded IP Set-Top Box Platform Overview 9
How Do I Choose the Right Operating System for a Windows Embedded Set-Top Box? 16
Summary 17
For More Information 18
References 19
Introduction
An IP set-top box is a dedicated computing device that serves as an interface between a television set and a broadband network. In addition to decoding and rendering broadcast live TV signals, a set-top box provides functionality that includes video-on-demand (VOD), electronic program guide (EPG), digital rights management (DRM), and a variety of interactive and multimedia services. Set-top boxes can support additional features such as Web browsing, e-mail and viewing e-mail attachments, advanced multimedia codecs, home networking and PC connectivity including playback and rendering of content stored on the PC (photos, music, and personal videos), gateway functionality, instant messaging (IM), and real-time voice over IP (VoIP). These types of advanced functionality are in demand by end-users, enable incremental network operator service opportunities, and allow set-top box manufacturers to easily offer a large range of differentiated devices.
Current set-top box development is driven by service provider requirements and customer demand for new features. Priorities for service providers include the capacity to deploy, using minimal capital expenditures, new revenue-generating services and multimedia and entertainment-oriented applications on a set-top box to meet changing customer requirements over time. Service providers also need to ensure that copyrighted content is protected from unauthorized distribution. To accommodate these expectations, the set-top box operating system platform must be extensible and remotely upgradeable, and include both rich multimedia technologies and fundamental security features, such as access control.
The Windows Embedded family of operating systems, which includes Microsoft Windows CE 5.0 and Microsoft Windows XP Embedded, provides a scalable platform to build a wide range of set-top boxes. These set-top boxes will range from simple, cost-effective devices that provide a basic live-broadcast TV experience, VoD, EPG, and Internet browsing, to full media centers that include DVD playback and recording, digital video recorder (DVR), and personal multimedia (music, pictures, and videos) repository functions.
This paper discusses today’s set-top box industry trends, defines the types of set-top boxes currently available on the market, and describes the latest Microsoft embedded software solutions for set-top boxes. It provides a detailed description of the multimedia, security, and architectural features of Windows CE 5.0 and Windows XP Embedded. Finally, the paper includes recommendations for how to select the appropriate Windows operating system that best suits your set-top box design and deployment needs.
Industry Trends
IP-set-top boxes present new opportunities for network service providers to deliver revenue-generating home entertainment services. For example, users can consume videos and music, browse the Internet, play games, and use e-mail services—all through a single television interface provided by a set-top box. However, network service providers initially deploy services only to maximize current infrastructures and deliver clear, short-term return on investments. In the future, additional services roll out will be paced for the most part to match consumer adoption and demonstrated business models.
Supporting an agile, rich, and adaptive software-based service model requires a comparably suited set-top box operating system platform. To accommodate user and service provider demands, set-top box manufacturers must be able to selectively and cost-effectively accommodate simple to advanced features. For example, set-top boxes can incorporate hard drives, MP3 and DVD/CD players, and even wireless home networking capabilities.
A key business constraint in the adoption of IP-TV services is the available bandwidth down to the consumer. Traditional digital broadcasting video codecs (coders-decoders) based on MPEG2 are, in most cases, not providing a sufficient compression ratio to enable high-quality standard definition TV (SDTV) video streaming through typical broadband connections such as DSL. High-Definition TV (HDTV) streaming, which requires four to five times more bandwidth than SDTV, is, in most cases, just plain impossible with current broadband capacity.
The introduction of new codecs (in particular Windows Media 9 Series) that can deliver broadcast-quality TV signals using only one-third the bandwidth that MPEG2 uses, allows the delivery of single SDTV in many current DSL plants. With limited DSL plants upgraded with technologies like ADSL2 (asymmetric digital subscriber line) or ADSL2+, the delivery of multiple TV signals to the home, including HD signals, becomes feasible.
Windows Media 9 Series has been proposed as a standard to the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMTPE) under the name VC1. Another standard that will eventually deliver sufficient bandwidth improvements, especially for SDTV, is the MPEG4 AVC, also called H.264, codec. Regular, main profile, MPEG4 codec will not bring sufficient improvement over MPEG2 to be an viable solution.
Changes in set-top box technology, particularly the addition of new features and services, are necessary to propel the industry forward and to maximize average revenue per subscriber (ARPU). A discussion of these changes and how they impact the set-top box industry overall is provided in the following sections.
A Growing Industry
Today, content streamed through a set-top box is commonly delivered to the home by a satellite or cable network. A recent phenomenon is the emergence of Internet Protocol (IP)-based set-top boxes. This category is gaining momentum because IP set-top boxes can deliver much of the same cable or satellite set-top box functionality while using existing and low-cost Internet and IP-based network infrastructures. Furthermore, building on the bi-directional IP infrastructure enables inherent support for a broader range of applications and interactive services. IN-Stat estimates that the worldwide installed base for IP set-top boxes will reach 14 million units by 2008. IN-Stat also estimates that the average growth rate is almost 80 percent per year for the next three years1. This growing industry is ideal for device manufacturers who can deploy a flexible solution to take advantage of existing networks. To ensure that the industry maintains or exceeds the current rate of growth, manufacturers and service providers are focused on cost-effective ways to provide customers with value-added features.
Set-top Box Device Segmentation
Windows CE 5.0 and Windows XP Embedded have distinct applications as they relate to IP-based set-top boxes. Windows CE 5.0 is more flexible in terms of the hardware it supports, while Windows XP Embedded is designed for more advanced, multi-purpose devices such as set-top boxes that include advanced gaming capabilities and home media center features. Both offer solutions designed to scale to meet the multiple and customized needs of IP media delivery and applications.
Mass Market Residential IP Set-top Boxes. Windows CE 5.0 is the recommended choice for IP set-top boxes that are used in common residential and commercial applications. The highly componentized operating system is designed for small-footprint devices, and the applications are appropriately scaled to run on the various supported processors. Windows CE 5.0 offers low-cost device development and deployment with a scalable licensing model, delivers robust applications and functionality, and is recommended if you need maximum flexibility to integrate a set-top box into an existing network.
Targeted, Advanced Set-top Boxes. Windows XP Embedded enables developers to take advantage of the power of Windows in componentized form. Applications that run on the desktop can easily be deployed on a Windows XP Embedded-based device, speeding time to market. Windows XP Embedded is optimal for set-top boxes with x86 processors that have a need to replicate PC-like functionality and run applications that require high-end functionality such as gaming, complex video overlays, and alpha blending; and specific desktop applications including rich e-mail clients. Windows XP Embedded enables network operators to quickly and easily deploy set-top boxes for specific applications.
Componentized Platforms
For each Windows Embedded set-top box software platform, a key feature is the ability to incorporate only the components necessary while creating a rich user experience. Windows Embedded platforms are delivered as a granular set of operating system components, so manufacturers can pick and choose from an extensive set of features and device drivers in one integrated package. This means that manufacturers are able to deliver the features that their customers want while ensuring that the operating system footprint does not exceed design requirements. Moreover, device manufacturers can deliver a full-featured solution without negotiating multiple, separate licenses with individual parties, for example, for a browser, e-mail client, media player, or audio and video codecs. Furthermore, the Windows Embedded platforms provide integrated, end-to-end tool sets that easily accommodate third-party applications.
IP Technologies: The Key to Success
Because the set-top box industry is still being defined, network operators and users request many different types of applications. In addition to the standard decoding of television signals, customers request more and more services and applications—Windows Embedded operating systems are uniquely positioned to deliver matching solutions. To be successful, an operating system must deliver more than a bare-bones real-time kernel. It must provide three core elements: a robust and open operating system; a large set of multimedia applications and codecs; and a large range of internet, networking, and communication applications and features to enable the deployment of new value-add services.
Open and Robust Operating System
Windows CE 5.0 is a real-time operating system for which more of 2 million lines of source code are provided. It offers support of all major industry standards in the field of networking (TCP/IP, SNMP, and SOAP), device drivers (USB 2.0 and Ethernet), or wireless (802.11x and Bluetooth).
Windows XP Embedded has all the capabilities and support for protocols, devices, and technologies that Windows XP Professional has, i.e., the widest available to date.
Windows Media® Player allows you to view high quality, full motion multicast (for live broadcast TV), unicast streaming, or local playback video with a familiar set of controls. It is also fully customizable in order to deliver a genuine TV experience.
Windows CE 5.0 and Windows XP Embedded support the latest Windows Media Technologies, including Windows Media Series 9 and Digital Rights Management (DRM) 7.1. (DRM 7.1 client also supports streams coming from a DRM 9 server in an IPTV scenario.) They also support the MPEG-4 (main profile) decoding compression standard. Audio decoding in Windows XP Embedded includes Dolby® Digital (AC3), MPEG-2 Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), and MPEG-2 BC Layers I and II. Both Windows CE 5.0 and Windows XP Embedded support Windows Media Audio (WMA) and MPEG-1 Layers I, II and III (MP3). MPEG-2 and MPEG4 AVC support is provided by third parties for Windows CE 5.0.
Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM) helps companies manage access rights to copyright-protected content so that the digital and video content users enjoy is protected from unauthorized use. Not only is the service provider’s content protected, but the privacy of customer transactions and choices is likewise secured. Windows Media Digital Rights Management is not only used for IPTV services, but also with various Internet download or streaming video and audio services such as MovieLink, CinemaNow, and Napster 2.0.
Microsoft DirectX® 8 provides superior graphics rendering and performance and an abstraction application development layer for authoring multimedia applications that run on both the desktop and the device.
Extensive Internet and Application support Superior Browsing Capabilities
Windows CE 5.0 and Windows XP Embedded include Internet Explorer 6. Windows XP Embedded provides the desktop version of this feature, which provides the world’s most powerful and full-featured Web browser. Windows CE 5.0 includes a compact version of Internet Explorer 6 that includes a special TV-mode feature (“TV lens”) that includes, among others, tab-based navigation and fixed screen layout support to allow distance browsing with a remote control.
Rich Application Functionality and Software as Services
Software as a service is a business model that allows network operators to increase revenue by deploying software that enables new services, which can be monetized. Some of these services can be implemented by tapping into existing back-end infrastructures. Others are new services that are layered on top of the operating system as unique local applications. Each type of solution enables the cost-effective delivery of services unique to a set-top box. Some of these services include:
Home Networking and PC connectivity. Using the standard UPnP AV toolkit provided in Windows CE 5.0, the manufacturer can enable easy sharing of home digital media (pictures, music, and home videos) between the PC and the TV, in the easiest way possible, building on Microsoft Windows Media Connect Technologies.
Video on Demand. Video on Demand (VOD) enables customers to view videos on their own schedule rather than at a predetermined time. VOD is similar to DVR except that the content is stored on a cable provider’s server or “head end,” rather than on the client or user’s device.
Electronic Programming Guide. An Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) enables a subscriber to navigate through programming listings and descriptions, an essential service as the number of channels available through pay-TV increases rapidly. The program guide is typically a standard feature in digital pay-TV and resides on most existing set-top boxes deployed today. (EPG is also sometimes referred to as IPG, or interactive program guide.)
E-mail and Internet Access. An advanced digital set-top box with a keyboard can serve as a method for a subscriber to access e-mail and browse the Internet.
T-Commerce. Similar to e-commerce, t-commerce enables viewers to purchase goods and services through a TV using a remote control instead of a keyboard. This service has proven appeal in certain demographics where subscribers do not feel comfortable with computers but like the convenience of shopping from home.
Enhanced Programming. Enhanced programming involves having informative content presented on screen while a viewer is watching a program. Ideally, the content is integrated with the program and is designed to promote an interactive experience, like play-along game shows or fantasy sports.
Voice over IP and Instant Messaging. Voice over IP (VoIP) and Instant Messaging (IM) are only recently available to set-top-boxes. VoIP and IM enable client/server and peer-to-peer real-time voice and text communication, enabling users to place and receive calls, establish IM buddies, and talk back and forth during a program that they are watching from different locations. IM can occur across a large range of devices using the existing MSN/Windows Messenger installed base: PCs, Smart Phones, Pocket PCs, and other IP-set-top boxes.
Updating Services Intelligently. When deploying set-top boxes, the software must be easy to update over time to ensure a positive return on investment. Updates increase efficiency in maintenance and increase customer satisfaction. Instead of rapid obsolescence, the devices can continually be refreshed to ensure that users have the latest applications.
Digital Video Recorder. Digital Video Recorder (DVR) is an interactive TV recording application that records broadcast TV programs, encodes and stores the content on a disk drive in digital instead of analog form, and enables customers to manipulate the program, for example by fast-forwarding or editing it, just as if they were playing a DVD or VCR. DVR functionality is expected be a key driver of set-top box shipments in mature, digital, pay-TV market segments.
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