computer science

Ginga (middleware)

Ginga (middleware) is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ginga (middleware) rather than just read about it. In short: Ginga is the middleware specification for the Nipo-Brazilian Digital Television System (SBTVD, from the Portuguese Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão Digital). Ginga is also ITU-T Recommendation for IPTV Services.

Key takeaways

Ginga (middleware) belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ginga (middleware) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ginga (middleware) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Ginga is the middleware specification for the Nipo-Brazilian Digital Television System (SBTVD, from the Portuguese Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão Digital). Ginga is also ITU-T Recommendation for IPTV Services. It is also considered in ITU-T recommendations for Cable Broadcast services (ITU-T J.200 Recommendation series: Rec. ITU-T J.200, Rec. ITU-T J.201 and Rec. ITU-T J.202) and for Terrestrial Broadcast services by ITU-R BT.1889, ITU-R BT.1699 and ITU-R BT.1722. Ginga was developed based on a set of standardized technologies but mainly on innovations developed by Brazilian researchers. Its current reference implementation was released under the GPL license. Ginga is divided into two main integrated subsystems, which allow the development of applications following two different programming paradigms. Those subsystems are called Ginga-NCL (for declarative NCL applications) and Ginga-J (for imperative Java applications). In the case of the Brazilian Terrestrial Digital TV System, and any other Digital TV Systems following the definitions in the ABNT standards for the Ginga Middleware ABNT 15606, Ginga-J is required to be supported in fixed receivers and it is optional in portable receivers. For IPTV services following the H.761 ITU-T Recommendation, only the Ginga-NCL subsystem is required, for any terminal type.

Development

Ginga was developed by Telemídia Lab from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) and by LAViD from Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB).

See also Nested Context Language Broadcast Markup Language

References

External links Ginga Official Web Site Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine Ginga NCL and Ginga Communities Ginga Community at "Software Público Brasileiro" NCL (Nested Context Language) Archived 2010-12-31 at the Wayback Machine Ginga Code Development Network (Portuguese language) Intel and Sun will develop Ginga-J in Brazil (16 March 2009) ITU passed Ginga Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine, NexTV Latam (6 April 2010) Telemídia Lab LAViD tmira solutions Ginga broadcast server and Ginga iTV browser. Brazil invested US$27 million in five years (between 2005 and 2010) to develop interactive TV Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine Fujitsu launches DTT STBs with Ginga Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine, NexTV Latam (4 March 2011) Brazil wants to reach 2015 with the 100% of TV set fitted with Ginga Archived 2012-01-22 at the Wayback Machine, NexTV Latam (14 November 2011) Brazil prepares its Ginga pilot run with return channel Archived 2012-02-26 at the Wayback Machine, NexTV Latam (14 February 2012) Argentina launches interactive TV soccer app Archived 2012-03-12 at the Wayback Machine, TV Pública Digital (Argentina), NexTV Latam (8 March 2012) Venezuela tests free software apps for DTT Archived 2012-10-27 at the Wayback Machine, NexTV Latam (22 Aug. 2012) [1], ABNT NBR 15606–1 [2], SBTVD Forum - Digital TV Standards Ginga-J: The Procedural Middleware for the Brazilian Digital TV System Official page for Ginga Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine Intel and Sun will develop Ginga-J in Brazil (16 March 2009)

Others links [3], User Group Ginga-DF (Ginga Distrito Federal - BR)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ginga (middleware)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ginga (middleware) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ginga (middleware) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ginga (middleware) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ginga (middleware)

In research: Ginga (middleware) appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ginga (middleware) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ginga (middleware) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Brazilian inventions, Digital television, Digital television software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ginga (middleware) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ginga (middleware) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ginga (middleware) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ginga (middleware) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ginga (middleware) in simple terms?

Why does Ginga (middleware) matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ginga (middleware)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ginga (middleware).