OVERVIEW

tmira solutions has developed a universal interactivity language based on XML that can be edited by people with Web design knowledge. Therefore, this language reduces the development, testing and maintenance costs, because all source code is in XML standard language.

tmPlayer is an application developed in Java-MHP that acts as an abstraction layer between XML language and STB middleware. tmPlayer is a microbrowser able to translate XML to MHP at execution time, similarly as a Web browser does, parsing html pages independently from the underlying operating system. tmPlayer provides:

• A more efficient solution, because only one application is loaded, and the services are XML pages parsed by this application.
• Totally compatible, tmPlayer  interact with native MHP applications.
• Easies the integration with external data sources (Web, CMS, FTP,…).
• Affordable for any graphical designer with Web design skills, reducing dramatically development times and costs.
• Scalable solution, it can be extended with Java plugins.

Another important feature is that tmPlayer enables the development of interactive applications multiplatform. tmira solutions has developed several version for tmPlayer available for: MHP, GEM, GINGA (SBTVD), WebTV(IE, FireFox, Opera), IPTV(Amino, ADB), DVB-H (CBMS-Webcasting/Datacasting, OMA-BCAST), and MHEG-5 is under development. Enabling that one interactive application can be broadcasted in multiple platforms, due to the fact that tmPlayer XML language is independent of the middleware.

tmPlayer is a micro-browser XML-based that is broadcasted permanently and is able of representing any type of interactive service from only XML files. tmPlayer allows defining representation and navigation wide range of interactive services with XML files.

tmPlayer allows to define the following elements on XML files:

• Text / Text styles
• Scrollbars
• Images
• Containers
• Popups
• Menus of texts or icons
• Buttons
• Forms (edit text, selection list, tables)
• TV position
• Multiple backgrounds
• Transparencies
• Banners
• Animations
• Sounds
• Access to XML from multiple carousels or through the return channel via http/https.
• E-mail sending
• Use of plugins
• Return channel configurations
• Secure communications through the return channel (TLS/SSL)
• Use of XML from different carousels and http/https servers.
• Interface for Smartcard and Javacard

tmPlayer XML language has been designed to speed up the process of creation and testing interactive TV applications.