computer science

Globally Executable MHP

Globally Executable MHP 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 Globally Executable MHP rather than just read about it. In short: Globally Executable MHP (GEM) is a DVB specification of a Java based middleware for TV broadcast receivers, IPTV terminals and Blu-ray players. GEM is an ETSI standard (ETSI TS 102 819, ETSI TS 102 728) and an ITU "Recommendation” (ITU-T J.202).

Key takeaways

Globally Executable MHP 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 Globally Executable MHP to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Globally Executable MHP from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Globally Executable MHP (GEM) is a DVB specification of a Java based middleware for TV broadcast receivers, IPTV terminals and Blu-ray players. GEM is an ETSI standard (ETSI TS 102 819, ETSI TS 102 728) and an ITU "Recommendation” (ITU-T J.202). GEM defines a set of common functionalities which are independent from the signaling and protocols of a specific transmission network and enables to write interoperable Java applications for TV. GEM is not intended to be directly implemented, but rather forms the basis for broader specifications targeting a particular network infrastructure (e.g. US cable) or class of device (e.g. Blu-ray Disc players). GEM defines profiles for different device classes (targets) – these define the set of available features of GEM for this device class. Currently GEM defines targets (API profiles) for broadcast, packaged media (Blu-Ray) and IPTV. Combinations of these targets can be combined into a hybrid GEM platform, which enables to build devices with multiple network interfaces, such as a combined broadcast/IPTV set-top box.

History A few years ago, the DVB project started the development of a Java-based application platform (a set of APIs), called MHP, intended to support software applications running on digital television platforms. Such applications could include Electronic Program Guides (EPG's), interactivity, Video on Demand (VOD), email through your television, etc. The MHP specification defines the download of MHP applications ("xlets") over transmission networks based on other DVB specifications (i.e. over-the-air or terrestrial networks using DVB-T, satellite networks using DVB-S, cable networks using DVB-C). As other specification bodies such as CableLabs and the Blu-ray Disc Association chose to base their own DTV software standards on MHP it became necessary to define a subset of MHP which removes the transmission-related elements of the MHP specification but retains the application API's, thus allowing broad content compatibility across a range of delivery platforms. In January 2010, the DVB project made GEM the primary middleware specification and released a self-contained version of GEM in ETSI TS 102 728, citing MHP only as one of many already-existing implementations.

Platforms At the time of writing, the following platforms are defined, which base on/extend GEM:

the Multimedia Home Platform (MHP), the open, multi-platform middleware specification developed by the DVB project, the OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP / tru2way), which is an Interactive television (iTV) middleware software layer for US cable, the Advanced Common Application Platform (ACAP) from North America's ATSC, GEM-IPTV, a version of GEM developed by DVB intended for telco-based networks, the ARIB B.23 specification from Japan's ARIB, the PAE specification in the Open IPTV Forum, BD-J the Java-platform for the Blu-ray Disc. As all these platforms are based on the common GEM-core, making it possible to write Java applications that will run interoperably on all these systems.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Globally Executable MHP

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Globally Executable MHP 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 Globally Executable MHP 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 Globally Executable MHP 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 Globally Executable MHP

In research: Globally Executable MHP 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 Globally Executable MHP 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: Globally Executable MHP is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Blu-ray Disc, Digital television, ETSI, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Globally Executable MHP 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.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Globally Executable MHP in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Globally Executable MHP 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 Globally Executable MHP out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Globally Executable MHP in simple terms?

Why does Globally Executable MHP 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 Globally Executable MHP?

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 Globally Executable MHP.