Motorola has commercially released a software development kit that lets cable operators and application developers create and deploy interactive TV applications based on CableLabs’ tru2way technology.
Motorola did not disclose pricing for the DevPlatform for OCAP package but claimed it costs less than others available in the market.
Other companies that offer development toolkits for tru2way technology—formerly called the OpenCable Application Platform, or OCAP—include itaas and Vidiom Systems.
Motorola’s DevPlatform for OCAP runs on Windows XP SP2 and is integrated with its tru2way-enabled set-top platform. The toolkit provides both a Windows PC simulator and commercial set-top environment for developers to develop new applications on the tru2way platform, allowing developers to load, run and debug on actual set-tops without the need for a cable headend or any additional software licenses.
The six biggest cable operators, under their memorandum of understanding agreements with Sony Electronics, Panasonic and several other consumer-electronics makers, have committed to support the tru2way platform in service areas covering more than 90 million U.S. homes by the end of the 2008.
