The Smart TV Alliance has released v4.0 of its universal SDK which is available through the Alliance’s Common Developer Portal providing a “build once, launch everywhere” system for Smart TV apps.
The Smart TV Alliance was launched in 2012 by founding members LG Electronics, TP Vision and Toshiba. One of the main purposes of the organization is to streamline smart TV app development, QA and the app publishing process, offering developers an easier way to develop applications, and providing publishers with broader reach.
The Common Developer Portal offers a five-step process for mass TV app publication which includes:
- App Development: Integrated environment for app development with common specification and SDK, including IDE, emulator, developer documentation and compliance tooling.
- Developer Support: Free forum for basic technical developer support as well as premium developer support for in-depth and faster responses.
- Joint QA: The joint quality assurance process simplifies app validation, including compatibility verification for compliant members’ TVs in a single QA, and provides developers with access to the joint QA team for technical support.
- Single Contract: A single contract process for publishers includes joint agreement for app distribution on multiple platforms, a standardized contract template, and a one-click agreement with multiple Smart TV Alliance members.
- App Publication: Publish apps to participating members’ compliant smart TVs at once. Currently, the LG, TP Vision (for Philips smart TVs), Toshiba and Panasonic smart TVs will receive the apps when published.
The latest version of the SDK provides updates and bug fixes for the spec, as well as new features, including:
- International support and accessibility, making subtitles and multi-audio support mandatory.
- Improved and updated UHD support.
- Optional support for EME and MSE for media streaming and digital rights management.
- Optional support for Network Service Discovery, enabling apps to discover other devices in the home, which supports the smart home.