Question 4/9 - Software components application programming interfaces (APIs), frameworks and overall software architecture for advanced content distribution services within the scope of Study Group 9
(Continuation of Question 4/9)
Motivation The design of the next generation set-top boxes and/or digital receivers for advanced content1 distribution services for consumer use will require the smooth integration of dozens of hardware and software components.
NOTE 1 – The ITU Terminology database defines "content" as "program material and related information of any variety".
Particularly, these software components will have to be built following proven architectural practices, will have to communicate with each other through clearly defined application programming interfaces (APIs) and will have to be integrated as much as possible in a reusable form. A set of portable, interoperable, and properly abstracted functional components for a specific scope, which is sometimes called "framework", is a useful tool to develop an advanced system. Integrated APIs play an important role in frameworks to facilitate faster development of products, solutions or projects within the specified scope. These frameworks should also follow precise rules and definitions that would enable their reusability and hence reduce the overall cost of such advanced systems.
The software component structure described above stands on the fact that a detailed knowledge and ability to control each API is of great importance; indeed, since some APIs can grow to take control of and supersede other APIs, and since even only one of such closed APIs in an otherwise open set-top box and/or digital receiver makes the entire box a closed environment, the control of practically all of the key APIs is of paramount importance.
A further purpose of defining these frameworks and APIs is to enable service operators to deploy advanced set-top boxes and/or digital receivers, while ensuring their ability to keep costs low, choose among flexible architectures, maintain a multi-vendor modular environment, and obviate the need to compromise on features and functionality.
The problem is not limited only to content distribution services. There are so many types of services such as linear-TV with trick mode, network PVR, user-generated content, and so on, and such new generation of services makes delivery of new interactive services possible via this mechanism. This in turn leads to the same need for well-defined and well organized software components structure.
It is of course also highly desirable that the specified APIs should conform to "open", published standards rather than to proprietary standards, and that they should incorporate well-defined mechanisms for adding extensions. However, adding extensions in an uncontrolled manner will lead to development confusion and incompatibility, to illegal superseding of other APIs and to the risk of addition of proprietary extensions.
It is thus important and urgent that APIs, frameworks and the overall software components structure to be used in the advanced content distribution services to next generation set-top boxes and/or digital receivers, be studied and specified to conform to the operating requirements delineated above.
Question Study items to be considered include, but are not limited to:
- What are the relevant advanced content distribution applications and the functionality that each API should be able to provide in order to meet the requirements? (APIs are required for the support of applications but are also required for downloading purposes, display purposes, for network control and for security).
- What specification of the open API or APIs can be recommended for use in each application, paying attention to their desirable interoperability with other APIs recommended for use in other services and their use in next generation set-top boxes for the reception of advanced content distribution services via interactive systems?
- What specifications can be recommended for the mechanisms to be provided in each recommended API, to allow its future extension to further functionalities?
- What are the appropriate frameworks, with a specified scope, that integrate sets of APIs in order to provide reusable functionalities, extensibility and interoperability?
- What is an appropriate architecture for the APIs and the frameworks dealt within this Question?
- What enhancements to existing Recommendations are required to provide energy savings directly or indirectly in information and communication technologies (ICTs) or in other industries? What enhancements to developed or new Recommendations are required to provide such energy savings?
Tasks Tasks include, but are not limited to:
- The preparation of new Recommendation(s) that will eventually fully specify all the open APIs, frameworks and overall software architecture recommended for use in the advanced content distribution services via interactive access networks.
An up-to-date status of work under this Question is contained in the Study Group 9 work programme (
http://itu.int/ITU-T/workprog/wp_search.aspx?sp=15&q=4/9).
Relationships - Recommendations
- J.200-series,
- ITU R BT.1699, BT.1722 and BT.1889
- Questions
- Study groups
- ITU T SGs 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16 (Question 13/16)
- ITU R SGs 4 and 6
- Standardization bodies
- ISO/IEC
- ETSI, DVB, and regional standardization bodies
