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MIPS-based Android set-tops debut
2010-01-11 Article Rating:  / 0
At CES, MIPS Technologies and its partners demonstrated Android- and MIPS processor-driven IPTV set-top boxes (STBs) and related products. Western Mediabridge and KDDI both demo'd IP STBs incorporating Sigma Designs processors, Home Jinni, KatDC, and AllGo Systems showed related IPTV firmware, and Lemote demo'd Android running on its YeeLoong netbook.
The new products shown at CES, most of which appear to be in prototype or pre-release stage, are the fruit of the completion last June of Embedded Alley's initial Android to MIPS port. (Embedded Alley was since acquired by Mentor Graphics.) Many of the designs incorporate Sigma Designs' MIPS-based processors and IPTV-related extensions to the "Android on MIPS" platform (see diagram below). MIPS Technologies also showed off recently completed optimizations of Android 2.0 for the MIPS32 architecture, available for free download and open source licensing at the MIPSAndroid community.  Sigma Designs' implementation of Android on MIPS (Click to enlarge) Western Mediabridge Android STB At CES, Digital TV (DTV) system maker Western Mediabridge (owned by Celrun) showed off what it bills as the world's first commercially available Android set-top box. The Western Mediabridge STB features a MIPS-based Sigma SoC.  Western Mediabridge Android set-top at CES demo (Source: MIPS Technologies) (Click to enlarge) Home Jinni ConnecTV: a social networking media hub MIPS also demonstrated ConnecTV, a licensable IPTV software solution from Home Jinni Inc., a company that sells "residential automation solutions for end-user programming and control of the digital home." Demonstrated on a MIPS-based IPTV reference board from Sigma Designs (shown below), ConnecTV is billed as the world's first social media center for Android-based embedded platforms.  Home Jinni ConnecTV running on Sigma Designs reference board (Click to enlarge) ConnecTV is comprised of an Android application framework for building UPnP, DLNA, and DPWS home networking applications, as well as a framework for integrating IMS (3GPP's IP Multimedia Subsystem) and service provider networks, says the company. ConnecTV's content aggregation features are said to include integration with the most popular social networks for browsing and "social recommendations." KDDI's Android set-top prototype MIPS also demonstrated a prototype of an Android-based IPTV STB (pictured below) from KDDI R&D Labs, a subsidiary of Japanese telecommunications carrier KDDI. The set-top box is said to be based on Sigma's SMP8654 processor, and supports functionality such as multicasting, VOD, remote control user interface (UI), and digital rights management (DRM).  KDDI set-top prototype showing VOD interface (Click to enlarge)  KDDI set-top prototype showing browser interface (Click to enlarge) KatDC's Android UI for IPTVs MIPS also showed off several software products that run on its Android on MIPS platform. For example, Android Linux/Android embedded software firm KatDC demonstrated the second generation of IPTV software running on a Sigma Designs processor. The software offers TV menus, browser, photo application, DLNA, music, video, and weather applications, says MIPS.  Katdroid architecture (Click to enlarge) Katdroid is said to offer skinnable UI styling, reusable patterns, and scalable UI resolution. The stack comprises an integrated core library, glued middleware API with multimedia, network and control features, and extendable middleware modules for DTVs, STBs, MIDs, digital picture frames, and PMPs, says the company. AllGo's multi-channel audio for Android IPTVs Other Android demonstrations shown at the MIPS booth include one from MIPS partner AllGo Systems, presenting a multi-channel audio playback implementation on a MIPS32 processor integrated with Tensilica's HiFi 2 Audio DS. The demo was said to have incorporated a UPnP/DLNA based high-definition video streaming solution based on a MIPS/Sigma Vantage 8654 platform running Android. Lemote YeeLoong netbook At CES, MIPS demonstrated a version of Lemote's YeeLoong netbook that runs Android. The original Yeeloong, which shipped in late 2008, ran Debian Linux on a MIPs64-based 600-800MHz Loongson 2F processor. The original appears to be identical to the YeeLoong8089 described on Lemote's site, which offers added support for Android.  Lemote's YeeLoong8089 Lemote says the Yeeloong dissipates only 12 Watts, but provides a 42 Watt power supply (12V, 3.5A), presumably to handle the overhead required to power USB peripherals. (For more information, please see our original coverage, here.) MIPS was also said to have demonstrated "connected home interface" solutions based on MIPS processor. These included a demo from Fluffy Spider Technologies (FancyPants UI builder) and ISB Corp. ). Stated Art Swift, VP of marketing for MIPS Technologies, "Together with our partners, we've made great progress in optimizing Android for a broad range of consumer devices. We've delivered a full HD experience to Android, and now we're delivering multi-channel audio and enhanced user interfaces required for digital home devices. We anticipate seeing the first Android-based devices in our living rooms in 2010." Stated Ernest Bang, president and CEO of Western Mediabridge Inc., "We anticipate there will be a lot of Android-based products and applications in the near future which will be connected to each other. Our belief is that the Android set-top box will be positioned as a main device among in-home Android-based multimedia devices." Availability MIPS Technologies did not list availability for the Android products demo'd at CES, but says that it expects that many of the products will appear in final consumer products later this year. More information on MIPS' Android platform may be found here. Below are additional links for other companies mentioned in this article: Related Stories:
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