Smart-Phone application as TV remote controller

In recent years Digital TV receivers (DTV) and Set- Top Boxes (STB) have been advancing in terms of new functionalities they offer to the end-users. This has mainly been triggered by the appearance of new multimedia formats and applications needed to be adequately handled by the DTV/STB. In such complex system within the environment consisting of wide range of non-interactive as well as interactive applications and services for television, internet, gamming, healthcare, surveillance, etc., efficient and reliable DTV functional verification becomes highly necessary and challenging task. Since efficient DTV testing is considered as one of the most important issues for the reduced time-to-market, its optimization is of crucial importance to the DTV manufacturing process. Having in mind the end-users as the main target of the DTV, optimal test generation process must also include estimated usage-profiles in addition to the pre-defined DTV designed specification. This is especially important considering new emerging multimedia technologies for DTV which are not yet fully standardized and evaluated, and which exact employment (from the point of end-users) is not known in advance. In this paper we propose a novel approach for user driven test-case generation that would enable adequate and efficient testing of the DTV/STB in different development stages before reaching the market, i.e., the end-users. The proposed user driven approach provides optimal test-case generation in terms of both test execution time and adequacy according to the real end-user DTV functional DTV operation and quality of experience (QoE). This is obtained by incorporating a novel design and selection scheme for test-cases generation based on the modeled end-users most required functional operations on the DTV/STB under test and its expectations of it.

We propose the methodology of field strength prediction for a digital television (DTV) receiver by virtue of Rec. ITU-R P.1546. The curves shown in this Rec. represent the point-to area field strength for 1kW effective radiated power in the 30 MHz ∼ 3000 MHz. Some computed results are illustrated here from the formulation of field strength for DTV receiver. It was shown that the error of field strength value for dense urban area (R = 30 m) is in the range of about 6.8 ∼ 11.5 % compared with the Okumura-Hata model under some conditions. In addition comparison of service distance between analog and digital TV receivers has been also illustrated. The presented method provides the predicted values of field strength for TV receiver whether transmission quality can be assured or not, and it can be also used to get the protection ratio or separated distance for frequency sharing in the same or adjacent band.

Unlike passive analog TV, interactive TV (iTV) is the next step toward interactivity that offers users a friendly interactive experience. As there are fewer studies focused on multi-user interaction in a local environment, we concentrate on multi-user interaction with families, especially within a home information system. Therefore, we propose a control service framework "MVC-iTV," based on distributed computing and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications, in which external displays (TVs or projectors) and handheld devices can be used for controlling iTV services by several members of the family at the same time, without any relocation. Further, the new remote control framework can free users from the restrictions of using one remote controller. The experiment results indicate that the MVC-iTV framework is applicable to the iTV service and that users can operate the service in any visible environment via wireless networking technologies. Besides, requirements of the hardware compatibility of the TV appliance and remote controller will be reduced in the MVC-iTV framework.

With the evolving functionality in television-based (TV-based) information and entertainment appliances, there is an increased need to enable users input text through remote control devices. We present a novel text input method, The Numpad Typer (TNT), for interactive TV, multimedia home terminals or other similar applications. Embodied in a TV remote control and guided by a visual map on the TV screen, TNT was designed for consistent spatial Stimuli-Response (S-R) compatibility and consistency of use. Five users tested TNT in ten sessions of 45-minutes. This initial investigation showed that users on average could type 9.3 and 17.7 correct words per minute with TNT doing the slowest and the fastest session respectively. The study also showed that the users found the TNT method easy to grasp and fun to use. Subjectively the participants felt they mastered the method rather quickly in comparison to their actual speed improvement.

International audience

At present, the market of network-based family health management is undergoing a fast growth and predicted to be extremely huge in the near future. Integration between traditional digital device in a family and common healthcare products can lead to a new strategy for family health management. Hereby, we imbed blood glucose monitoring function into a normal TV remote controller, which serves as a glucometer. In addition to normal function of TV remote controller, the proposed device can also serve as a medical device glucometer. The buried electrochemical module in TV remote controller is capable of resolving the current generated by a disposable glucose test strip. The retrieved blood glucose information is transmitted and displayed on TV, which can be further transferred to online personal health management center via network. Comparative study on reliability and accuracy between the integrated device and clinical biochemical analyzer shows good agreement. Taking account of rising concerns on daily healthcare, the proposed device holds great potentials in medical data acquisition for family-based health management.

The following paper discusses several aspects connected with the wind farms’ impact on radiocommunication systems. The first part of this article is filled with the analysis of the ITU-R BT.1893 model, which was originally created for the analysis of the interaction between the wind turbines and digital TV receivers in the UHF band. A measurement campaign carried out by the authors confirmed that this model is also applicable for the lower, maritime VHF band. Utilizing the software implementation of this model, the authors conducted a thorough simulation analysis of the wind turbines’ influence on radio systems working in both VHF and UHF bands. The results of these simulations are presented and discussed in the second part of the paper.

The availability of large quantities of processors is a crucial enabler of many-task computing. Voluntary computing systems have proven that it is possible to build computing platforms with millions of nodes to support the execution of embarrassingly parallel applications. These systems, however, lack the flexibility of more traditional grid infrastructures. On the other hand, flexible infrastructures currently available can gather only dozens of thousands nodes. We propose a novel architecture for generic Distributed Computing Infrastructures (DCI) that can be instantiated on demand to be, at the same time, flexible and highly-scalable. Bringing the scalability from voluntary computing, the flexibility from grid computing and the elasticity from cloud computing in a single arrangement, our proposal allows for fast setup, fast initialization and fast dismantle of customized DCI supported by both dedicated and shared underlying infrastructures. Our approach leverages broadcast communication as an efficient mechanism to enable aggregation of geographically distributed computing resources, including millions of non-traditional processing devices such as PDA, mobile phones and Digital TV receivers, using both opportunistic and non-opportunistic models. We show the feasibility of the proposed architecture by implementing it atop a digital television system. We also assess the performance of such system and show that it can be used to execute several classes of many-tasks computing applications with very high efficiency, substantially decreasing their response time.

The process of digital TV convergence, expected in Europe to the end of 2012, makes desirable to develop a system that can provide access to the Internet offering web content on a television screen. In this paper we present WebClimb, a web browser that would pursue an effective integration of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and Internet in the DVB-MHP platform. WebClimb is a Java-based web browser and enables users to browse the web interacting with an easy to use Graphical User Interface (GUI), driven by a TV remote control. We explain the system architecture of this novel web browser and we evaluate the operating modes of a WebClimb prototype, over commercial digital terrestrial set-top-boxes.

In order to develop a useful and ergonomically attractive remote controller for ISDB (Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting), which will begin very soon in Japan, we performed experiments with elderly and young subjects to evaluate the usability and the training effects of four types of remote controller: a button type, a trackball, a touch panel and a voice recognition system. We set the subjects the task of selecting an icon on a HDTV monitor as quickly and as accurately as possible using each remote controller. Semantic differential and ranked order questionnaire surveys were also conducted, and these results were analyzed statistically. The results showed that the trackball type was the most preferred, with no major differences in preference among the other three types especially for elderly subjects. From the analyses of the questionnaire surveys and operation time, we conclude that the reasons for the rankings obtained are as follows: Users preferred devices which they could operate without having to look down; Users preferred devices with which there was a significant learning effect in a relatively short period. It is considered that these are necessary conditions for an ergonomically attractive remote controller which users will want to use.

The communication and control system of an oilfield in the South China Sea has been modified and optimized in order to complete the remote control production of an offshore oilfield during typhoons. The oilfield communication antenna is equipped with glass fiber reinforced plastic sheath to reduce the vibration of satellite antenna caused by strong winds. The oilfield thermal backup and terminal power amplifier ensure continuous connection. Through the remote control transformation of on-site equipment, control system optimization, the construction of land remote monitoring center and other ways to complete the remote control of production during the typhoon. Meanwhile, through the automatic control of one-button seawater displacement function to ensure the replacement of pipelines after the production of oil fields, fire and gas fire fighting system during the typhoon production is still normal operation, to ensure the safety of on-site equipment. In the process of typhoon remote control, due to the remote communication control, there is a certain delay, the operator needs to minimize the man-machine interface of the operation control system, and try to make the equipment run automatically. The stable operation of typhoon remote control production is ensured through the transformation and optimization of the oilfield.

In an increasingly competitive market, stakeholders of the television industry strive to exploit all the possibilities to get revenues from advertising, but their practices are usually at odds with the comfort of the TV viewers. This paper presents the proof of concept of MiSPOT, a system that brings a non-invasive and fully personalized form of advertising to Interactive Digital TV, targeting both domestic and mobile receivers. MiSPOT employs semantic reasoning techniques to select advertisements suited to the preferences, interests and needs of each individual viewer, and then relies on multimedia composition abilities to blend the advertising material with the TV program he/she is viewing at any time. The advertisements can be set to launch interactive commercials, thus enabling means for the provision of t-commerce services. Evaluation experiments are described to show the technical viability of the proposal, and also to gauge the opinions of end users. Questions about the potential impact and exploitation of this new form of advertising are addressed too.

Music is often found in people’s lives, as a form of relaxation and inspiration. Small or medium concert venues use analog audio mixers to process the audio signals produced by each instrument and by the singer to deliver a pleasant sound to the audience. The problem is that the position of the mixer is, in most cases, on the stage or in a corner of the hall. This way the sound that the sound engineer hears will not be the same as what the audience hears. His place should be in public for a qualitative assessment of sound. Analog mixers cannot be controlled remotely, and the current alternative involves the replacement with a new and expensive digital audio mixer. The paper presents a cost-effective system that can be attached to any analog audio mixer, allowing to remote control main parameters like the attenuation of each signal. The remote control is a smartphone application, allowing easy further development and connectivity. The system was implemented, tested and the results and performances are presented in the paper, along with the details about the developed custom remote-to-mixer synchronous communication.

A wide range of technologies is already available for supporting independent life of elderly people and people with disabilities. However, turning technology potentialities into actual services involves many further aspects, mostly related to caregiving policies and financial sustainability. In this paper, the experience carried out in the Parma Province (Italy), is illustrated. The project is aimed at identifying affordable technologies suitable for contrasting (elderly) depopulation of rural and mountain areas and at fostering their exploitation within the existing framework of social and health services. The technical approach inherently relies on distributed intelligence and hierarchical networking: different assistive domains, customarily considered independent, are merged within the very same infrastructure. Environmental safety, personal monitoring, support in daily living activities, remote monitoring and telerescue functionalities are encompassed by the CARDEA AAL system. Interoperability issues are tackled by exploiting internet protocols (IP) communication standards even at the field level (i.e., home devices) and by implementing device-abstraction strategies. Each home device (environmental or personal sensor, user interface, control panels, etc.) is identified by an IP address and by a set of abstract “features” defining its status. The home infrastructure accounts for safety (fire, smoke, gas, flood sensors,…), security (perimetral switches, PIR detectors,…), automation (lights, heating, motorized windows, doors, gas or water flow valves…), personal monitoring (fall detector, health monitor,…), communication (touch-panels, remote controls, modems,…) which can be arbitrarily combined together. Within the system, the CARDEA-MUSA wearable platform is capable of fall detection, indoor localization and vital sign monitoring (heart and breath rates). Virtually any kind of cause-effect relationship among such devices can be implemented by means of a programmable rule-based supervisor. Adopting IP standards (given their massive diffusion) allows for keeping networking costs at a minimum and makes the system inherently keen on implementing web-based services. A suite of tools (CARDEAweb) has been developed and allows a remote caregiver,by means of a web browser on a PC or a smartphone, to access all the functionalities available within the home: activate home appliances, adjust temperature or lights, check for door and windows closure, receive alarms and check for the status of personal/health monitoring devices by means of a unified user interface. Video monitoring is also embedded, if required. Activity logging is provided, enabling history tracking and behavioral analysis. Secure communication and user authentication procedures are implemented. A scalable approach is pursued, making the tool suitable for single homes as well as for large residential complexes. CARDEA, CARDEAweb and CARDEA-MUSA technologies have been deployed at many sites in the Parma region, providing a networked “living lab” environment, suitable for evaluating effectiveness of AAL solutions in supporting existing social and health services.

With the rapid development of digital TV and deployment of set-top boxes, standardizing remote controllers for both digital TV and set-top box has become an issue for digital TV operators, set-top box producers and remote controller manufacturers. This paper presented a novel method to solve the incompatibility problem among different digital TV sets, set-top boxes and remote controllers. This novel method tries to cater digital TV sets and set-top boxes to remote controllers instead of designing a universal standardized remote controller for digital TV sets and set-top boxes. The benefits of the new method are shown by comparison of the novel solution with the universal remote controller based method. Some design guidelines for the proposed method are also presented in this paper.