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BrightSign Specifications.. a few questions...

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TheEndless
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I noticed a couple of things in the specifications that gave me pause.
First:

Video Format Support MPEG 1, 2 Up to D1 (720 x 480)

Does that mean it only supports video up to 480p?? No HD video support? Second:

Picture Format Support BMP 24 bit Up to 1080i

No JPEG, GIF, or PNG support? Third:

10/100 Ethernet jack* 1 bbcodeparser bbcode.php bbcode.pl bbcode.txt bbparse.php engine existusers.txt extstusers.parsed1.txt extstusers.parsed2.txt extstusers.parsed.txt htmlentdec.php logs nbbc_files phpbb2zendesk.log phpbb3-to-zd.log phpbb3-to-zdnew.log phpbb3-to-zd.sh phpbb3-to-zd-undo.sh phpbb_db phpbbdb3 phpbbusers.xls postids.tmp post_results.xml posts.xml SBBCodeParser.php stdout studioloft_phpbb.sql styles test2 test4 tests testtext.txt test.txt txt2html_func.php txt2html.php txthtmlencode.php users.json users.json.txt users_tmp.json users_tmp_nc.json zddelete zdget zdpost not enabled in initial software

Does this mean there will be no network support until your projected Q1 2007 software update? And just an observation:

Dimensions 22.5 cm wide x 2.5 cm high x 9 cm deep


Was the BrightSign conceived/designed in Europe? Seems odd for a US based company to give dimensions in centimeters only...

TheEndless
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  • 0
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    soiaf


    TheEndless has asked a lot of the same questions I had (though it definitely seems that the box cannot playback high-definition video) but I have a few more questions



    "RokuAnthony" wrote:

    Then there is the issue of consumer-user applications. The Q1 ’07 SDK should have what is needed for this. Certainly 3rd parties can create them, and we haven’t decided yet if Roku will




    What type of SDK will be available? Can a developer cross-compile, do they need some sort of special application development environment, is it possible to develop on the box itself (like the PhotoBridge).



    How is new code run/uploaded onto the box with no ethernet connectivity (at least initially)?



    Do you have to be a 'registered' developer in order to develop applications? (Apart from the lower price/gaining interest, is this the point of the developer special price offer).



    How much access/what functionality will the SDK give access to? I suppose in my case I'm specifically interested in what access is available to port audio codecs.
  • 0
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    RokuAnthony

     

    Does that mean it only supports video up to 480p?? No HD video support?


    Correct -- the BrightSign HD600 is a "hybrid" box.  HiDef still images, and "standard def" video with the option to scale it to high def output resolutions (so it can be easily mixed with higher resolution stills).

    No JPEG, GIF, or PNG support?


    To be added in the next software update.  For the DigitalSign Market, the content creators have the control to specify the output format as BMP.

    Does this mean there will be no network support until your projected Q1 2007 software update?


    Correct.

    Was the BrightSign conceived/designed in Europe? Seems odd for a US based company to give dimensions in centimeters only...


    BrightSign was developed by Roku engineers located in California, Arkansas, and Cambridge, UK.  The chassis design was done in China by a contractor.   BrightSign comes with a power supply and plug adaptors for most countries in the world, and has regulatory approval for most countries .

    What type of SDK will be available? Can a developer cross-compile, do they need some sort of special application development environment, is it possible to develop on the box itself (like the PhotoBridge).



    BrightSign runs "BrightScript" an interpreter that runs on the box.  It is a derivative of Basic.   The interfaces are "Objects", sort of like COM.    Go to www.rokulabs.com/BrightSign to download the documentation.   It will not allow you to plug in an audio codec, but let us consider how this might be possible in the future.

  • 0
    Avatar
    TheEndless


    "RokuAnthony" wrote:

    Does that mean it only supports video up to 480p?? No HD video support?


    Correct -- the BrightSign HD600 is a "hybrid" box.  HiDef still images, and "standard def" video with the option to scale it to high def output resolutions (so it can be easily mixed with higher resolution stills).



    Is the lack of hi-definition video support a hardware limitation or a software limitation (i.e., will HD video support be added in the future)?



    TheEndless
  • 0
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    RokuAnthony


    Is the lack of hi-definition video support a hardware limitation or a software limitation



    Hardware.



    I will say that in my introductory post, I mentioned that the HD600 is the first in a line of BrightSign products...





    anthony
  • 0
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    soiaf


    "RokuAnthony" wrote:

    I will say that in my introductory post, I mentioned that the HD600 is the first in a line of BrightSign products...


    So I guess that that means that you're looking at something using the PNX1700 chip.

    "RokuAnthony" wrote:

    BrightSign runs "BrightScript" an interpreter that runs on the box. It is a derivative of Basic. The interfaces are "Objects", sort of like COM. Go to <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rokulabs.com/BrightSign">www.rokulabs.com/BrightSign</a><!-- w --> to download the documentation. It will not allow you to plug in an audio codec, but let us consider how this might be possible in the future.




    Thanks, I had actually had a look at that. It seems fine for the target type audience - making presentations for kiosks etc, I was wondering were you going to allow more access than them, but it seems not.

    One of the great features of the PhotoBridge (for me at least) was the huge range of audio codecs it could support, so it would be great if there was a way for the BrightSign range to support that type of plugin model.



    I could easily have missed it, but there doesn't really seem to be any mention of audio codec support in the BrightSign - at least its not mentioned in the features list etc.? Does it play MP3s?
  • 0
    Avatar
    RokuAnthony


    We will investigate some kind of codec plug-in model.



    The BrightSign supports mp3 currently, but we will be adding more...
  • 0
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    leenuxg33k


    "RokuAnthony" wrote:

    We will investigate some kind of codec plug-in model.

    The BrightSign supports mp3 currently, but we will be adding more...




    Things brings up a huge question.  Whats the underlying OS on the birghtsign?  Is it Windows? Linux? or something else?



    The advantage with linux on the HD1000 was being able to use other code fairly easily on it.
  • 0
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    RokuAnthony


    Is it Windows? Linux? or something else?

    Its PSOS, but we don't plan on exposing it.   All of our APIs will be via the Roku Object Model.   That said, we are looking at a way to add a "DDK" type interface for codecs and other stuff.



    anthony
  • 0
    Avatar
    santafeslim


    "RokuAnthony" wrote:

    Is it Windows? Linux? or something else?
    Its PSOS, but we don't plan on exposing it.   All of our APIs will be via the Roku Object Model.   That said, we are looking at a way to add a "DDK" type interface for codecs and other stuff.

    anthony




    Interesting choice of OS. Since WindRiver bought PSOS in 1999, they have stopped development on that OS. Since it's not exposed, likely only the script counts. Just wondering where that takes the product in terms of onboard Web pages and other features.
  • 0
    Avatar
    Creech


    Any word on when the ethernet port will be activated and when the units will support JPGs?



    Thanks,

    Matthew.
  • 0
    Avatar
    RokuAnthony


    Creech,



    We are hestitant to give out a firm date, but lets say "a small number of months".





    anthony
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