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ANT Limited is a leading provider of embedded application software and support for the broadband TV, hospitality and consumer electronics markets. ANT's Fresco browser, in combination with IP-TV middleware, provides a responsive and customizable user interface, digital content control and the capability for a range of interactive services for set-top boxes and digital TV.
One of the company's technologies is browser-based electronic programming guide software (EPG) for digital TV. Within set-top boxes, an EPG enables digital television users to search, filter and customize program listings and even control access to content.
Set-top boxes, like many digital media electronics products, are developed for mass distribution; to achieve sales volume, manufacturers strive to lower the end-user price by reducing manufacturing costs. A design innovation that lowers the cost of components such as memory chips and microprocessors—or enables the set-top box to do more with the same amount of RAM and CPU—becomes a competitive advantage.
ANT Limited identified data management as a function within its EPG software where, with proper design improvements, it could enable the set-top box to process more information while keeping the amount of RAM constant. In earlier versions, the ANT software's EPG data was held in JavaScript (for example, as arrays of strings and numbers).
ANT Limited determined that it would likely achieve greater resource-efficiency by switching from this self-developed data management to a proven embedded systems database. The database chosen for the task was eXtremeDB, an in-memory embedded database from McObject.
In response to customer requests to support larger EPGs, the company delivered a new ANT Fresco in-memory data management plug-in based on eXtremeDB, along with compressed data transmission capability.
eXtremeDB's all-in-memory data management architecture, optimized for compact data layout with support for varied data types and efficient index structures, resulted in dramatic efficiency gains, ANT Limited CTO David Fell said.
With the new design incorporating eXtremeDB, ANT was able to deliver twice the multi-channel program information to the browser without any increase in set-top box memory, Fell said. As a result, users view their program information more quickly and manufacturers incur lower per-unit costs for memory and CPU resources, keeping their products more competitive.
"We were very impressed with the benefits that McObject has brought to the table," Fell said.
ANT has already licensed the eXtremeDB -enhanced EPG software in a deal detailed in ANT's press release at http://www.antlimited.com/news/press-2004/2004-10-26-epg-memory.htm. The company expects to roll out the new set-top box software to many additional customers, ANT Vice President of Sales and Marketing Stephen Reeder said.
About McObject's eXtremeDB in Electronic Programming Guides
The electronic programming guide (EPG) enables digital television users to search, filter and customize program listings and even control access to content. These capabilities entail significant data management.
Within an EPG, eXtremeDB facilitates optimal database designs, supports reliability and data integrity, and makes possible efficient data retrieval and storage. eXtremeDB's small footprint " approximately 100K RAM " enables its use in resource-constrained embedded systems, and the database's streamlined design and in-memory deployment deliver the zero-latency performance required for consumer electronics.
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