MHPbox project primary objective is to offer part of the necessary infrastructure to emulate a digital TV screen and its remote control on a PC, allowing users to choose TV channels and execute the available applications that may come with TV programs. This infrastructure follows the MHP (Multimedia Home Platform) specification, which is an open middleware system designed by the DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) Project. DVB is an industry-led consortium of over 300 broadcasters, manufacturers, network operators, software developers, regulatory bodies and others in over 35 countries committed to designing global standards for the global delivery of digital television and data services.

The MHPbox project concepts keeps in mind to make it possible extensions to this initial scope, so it will enable enhancemants like: make it run on real Set Top Boxes; build a framework for Digital TV application developpers; complement the initial infrastructure so it will be able to be a real Digital TV receptor; add new services to MHP specification or make it compatible with others Digital TV standards.

MHPbox is a free Open Source project under LGPL license. Come and take part in our community!

The system consists of a MHP infrastructure to execute applications of digital TV on a PC, proceeding from a MPEG transport flow, that eventually access DVB services, its respective SI(Service Information) tables and archives of the data carousel.

MHPbox implementation includes:

  • Interpretation layer of MPEG transport flow.
  • APIs subset layer of DVB specification:
    • Access to SI (Service Information).
    • Service Selection API.
    • Acess to Applications database (org.dvb.application).
    • JavaTV (Sun).
    • HAVi.
  • Emulator:
    • TV Screen.
    • Remote Control.
    • Application Manager.

  • There is not yet an implemented middleware largely spread to make interface for digital TV applications in PCs.
  • Digital TV market demands tends to grow significantly in next years.
  • Commercial Set Top Boxes manufacturers may have interest in an open standard, low cost and reliable middleware implementation option, to adopt as embbebed software on its products.
  • There is still no standard Digital TV technology adopted by Brazilian government: MHP is an option.
  • Brazilian Government policies towards achieve "Digital Inclusion" (digital technology access) to most of population, favors the MHP standards for being an open and free specification; It tends to favor also OSS projects because of its low costs and access to voluntary participation. (Characteristics that may favor government finance and technical incentives to this kind of project).

    •