The DigiHost software development kit (SDK)

Digisoft’s DigiHost Service Delivery Platform empowers IPTV operators to captivate and attract customers by providing compelling, one-of-a-kind revenue generating interactive services and applications. 
The Digisoft.tv DigiHost Service Delivery Platform includes a software development kit (SDK) that provides a complete toolset for creating real world interactive television (iTV) applications enabling operators to launch distinctive new SD and HD services and increase the average revenue per user (ARPU) without increasing the CAPEX. The SDK enables operators to:

• Rapidly design and develop cutting edge, revenue generating iTV applications.
• Customise existing applications for state-of-the art deployment on TVs, PCs and a variety of portable client devices.
• Realise new market potential quickly and reliably with a short development cycle and easy-to-use Java libraries and CSS-style DigiScript.

Our SDK is powerful, user-friendly, and includes a client application development library, the public DigiHost Platform Application Programming Interface (API) for building interactive, multi-channel iTV applications, and DigiScript for stylising and designing high-quality, low bandwidth graphics very quickly.

iTV applications and services are generally made up of multiple components such as components for client devices, components for servers located at head-end or data centres, and components for external server integration that fetches or sends data provided by content servers, financial institutions, and mobile gateways. All of these service components can be developed using the DigiHost SDK whereby multiple applications are combined to form one or more services.

The DigiHost SDK is divided into a three-tiered hierarchy model: client, server, and integration tiers.
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SDK Client API

• Highly optimised client-side Java object library containing over 400 objects and interfaces.
• Library features include many visual components, viewer identity control, and meta-data handling.
• Utility classes include configuration tools and return channel management classes.
• CSS-style scripting language and tools (DigiScript) for fast and powerful user interface development.

DigiHost Platform API

• Makes use of inherent features in the operating system and middleware contained on the set-top box or client devices used to deploy interactive applications.
• Server-side Java object library features include application modeling, broadcast and configuration control, and data flow.
• Integration
• Involves external content providers that feed video, financial data, PSTN, SMS, MMS, etc.
• Integration library features include external server integration gateways with scheduling.

Integration

• Involves external content providers that feed video, financial data, PSTN, SMS, MMS, etc.
• Integration library features include external server integration gateways with scheduling. Go to the top

An iTV future you can build upon

Using the DigiHost Service Delivery Platform helps reduce the overhead of multiple installations and third-party application development costs, and minimise disruption caused by repeated installations. Applications that operators and their development teams build and adapt today may continue to evolve because the public DigiHost Platform API allows all future interactive applications to avail of the DigiHost Service Delivery Platform for viewer management and other external integrations.

The DigiHost SDK provides tools and sample code to enable rapid development and deploy iTV applications as quickly as possible. The feature-rich SDK libraries are independent of each other and provide full flexibility thereby enabling developers to work with any combination of the SDK components to provide new functionality to iTV subscribers and viewers.

Examples of services that can be developed using the DigiHost SDK are listed as follows:

• Efficient graphical user interfaces for enhanced viewer experience.
• Targeted, localised, dynamic content.
• Viewer identity management and authentication.
• Secure payment.
• Event logging and profiling.
• Viewer-level service customisation (preferences).
• Multiple language diffusion.
• Application measurement and metering.
• Instant messaging to mobile phones.
• Application configuration from a central management workstation.
• Application favourites for any viewer.
• Return channel management.
• Scheduled application deployment and auto-starting. Go to the top

DigiHost SDK architecture

The DigiHost Service Delivery Platform avails of a J2EE-based server that is highly scalable and able to distribute and manage applications. The following illustration depicts services, applications, and client devices on which interactive services can be executed.