Understanding J2ME based Open Cable Application Platform (OCAP) for Java Application Developers

When Java software developers consider portable devices as platforms for their applications, they often see cell phones as the only real option.

Cell phone only focus is now changing. With worldwide adoption of open-standard digital television platforms based on Java technology finally becoming a reality, developers can add Television’s to the list of devices looking for creative software applications.

A national middleware platform for cable set-top boxes and digital cable-ready televisions is finally edging into the mainstream. It’s called OCAP, for OpenCable Applications Platform. It’s based on the Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME), and specifically on the Connected Device Configuration (CDC) and two related profiles, the Foundation Profile and the Personal Basis Profile.

Two big factors are driving the heightened interest in OCAP among large and small cable operators.

One is the need for a national applications footprint, to help the industry to better itself against existing and new video competitors. A key distinction in this strategic need is the use of OCAP as a services answer for the set-top boxes that are purchased by cable operators, then leased to consumers.

The other is the anticipated rise in “digital cable-ready” consumer electronics devices - probably high-definition TVs, to start - that will include premium services, and work across all operator geographies. Four notable consumer electronics companies - Samsung, Panasonic, LG, and Digeo - have signed a plan that enables them to co-develop “interactive cable-ready” devices with the cable industry.

We can expect OCAP-based applications will have as many as three significant routes into consumer devices: leased boxes, early CE devices based on CHILA, and the wider CE environment that will appear if current negotiations about two-way CE devices result in widespread adoption of OCAP. In short, all signs indicate that OCAP is headed into digital-cable-connected devices starting in 2006, and you may well be able to purchase an OCAP-enabled television at your favorite electronics retailer in the near future.
What Is OCAP?

To summarize:
All cable providers are aligned with an open standard - OCAP, which, when applied, will provide a national footprint for applications. Satellite providers could plausibly follow.

Similarly, the majority of the digital set-top boxes leased to consumers since late 2004 contain sufficient resources to run OCAP applications.

I think the time is ripe for Java Application developers to look seriously into OCAP. Think television. And especially, start thinking OCAP. You don’t want to be lagging behind.

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