Digia Plc is showcasing Qt, the leading cross-platform application and UI development framework at IBC (Hall 14, stand 14.H05) with several demonstrations of DTV/STB development.
Qt enables DTV and STB platform and content providers to produce scalable, beautiful and fluid UIs without compromising on user experience or performance. On-stand demos will demonstrate Qt running on a fully-featured STB reference design based on Broadcom BCM97445C and Entropic 7588 hardware. The example highlights the power of Qt Quick and QML in an STB environment and also the flexibility available by employing Qt WebEngine to run HTML5 applications getting the best of both user experience and performance in one application.
Best of Both Worlds for STB/DTV Industry with Web & Native Capabilities
Software development velocity has become a central competitive issue in the broadcast industry. Telecom operator software teams have been forced to choose between HTML5 strategies, which promise faster service rollout, and native UI technologies, which can provide superb UI quality and performance. Qt includes QtWebEngine, an HTML5-ready browser runtime based on the Blink core and integrated with the Qt Quick UI technology. It allows web documents to be shown within a Qt application or for an entire UI to be made with HTML5. A set of powerful Qt/C++ APIs lets users bind HTML5 UIs directly into the native backend of their code, for instance, to access an embedded device.
Alternatively, developers can use Qt Quick/QML technologies to produce the user interface and HTML5 for the dynamic web content and parts that will be re-used in a separate browser environment. This approach brings a number of advantages including the ability to make a hardware-accelerated native UI with the QML high-level language. Because QML is designed for modern, touch-based UIs with animations, transitions, graphical effects and gesture navigation it can deliver a much richer user experience than older, pre-smartphone/tablet techniques.
Qt Lets Operators Control Their Own User Experience
Not only does Qt enable STB/DTV players to create amazing and powerful UIs, its commercial license provides operators with the ability to develop unique and fully-controllable user experiences where they can keep their revenue, gain value and create their own value-driving ecosystems. This is a key competitive advantage for operators looking to standout from the pack and breakaway from building their devices on top of the highly used Android and iOS platforms. Qt’s native development capabilities and commercially licensed technology enabling full control of STB deployments gives operators a solid opportunity to develop their own connected services while keeping hold of their UX and building their own business models.