FAQ
What is the RVU Alliance?
The RVU AllianceTM will develop and make available technical specifications for the distribution of digital audio/video home networked entertainment content augmented with pixel accurate remote user interface graphics. The Alliance will also serve to help ensure compatibility between RVU compliant products.
Why is RVU important to consumers?
RVU provides what consumers want:
- Receive the same experience at every TV through the same look and feel
- Access to high-definition programming from any TV in the home
- Record and playback of high-definition programming from any TV in the home
- Access to personal media content (e.g., videos and photos) from any TV in the home
- Interact with weather, enhanced sports, and other interactive applications from any TV in the home
- Content available on more devices (including personal media players and PCs)
Why is RVU important to CE manufacturers?
RVU provides what CE manufacturers want:
- Simple to accommodate new service provider applications and features
- Leverages open standards to maximize interoperability
- Enables premium content branded by content service providers to be accessed via a remote UI technology that does not require CE manufacturer specific modifications
- Provides a secure way to access copyrighted content
- Features a consistent quality of service (QoS) targeted for video distribution
- Allows software upgrades to enable feature updates after deployment
- Offers validation tools to help ensure proper implementation
Why is RVU important to Content Service Providers?
RVU provides what Content Service Providers want:
- A server-controlled, common user experience enables the rapid introduction of new features and applications
- Refinements to the user experience can be deployed in the home with a single update in the RVU-based media server appearing on all subscribing thin client CE devices.
- Identical user experience on all clients
- Content flows directly to non-service provider provisioned devices (including personal media players and PCs)
- Eases customer service calls - service provider applications are identically rendered on all clients in the home
What are the RVU Alliance's goals and objectives?
The RVU Alliance will provide an interoperability specification for RVU compliant video home networks, and will help ensure that products claiming RVU capabilities comply with the RVU specification. The alliance will provide an environment whereby members may meet to approve suggested revisions and enhancements to the specification.
Who is the RVU Alliance?
The RVU Alliance is backed by leading content service provider, semiconductor, and consumer electronic companies. The founding members include Broadcom, Cisco, DIRECTV Samsung and Verizon.
What is the RVU technology?
The RVU protocol is based on a client-server architecture. The server is a source device supplied by the content service provider that allows the distribution and management of video and a consistent user experience to one or many thin CE devices (clients).
What are the advantages of the RVU RUI technology?
RVU allows the television viewer to watch live or recorded programming on various manufacturer-branded TVs or clients while experiencing a consistent user interface-no matter which client device is employed. Once connected, the TV viewer can watch the service provider content from any room of the home.
How does the RVU RUI technology work?
The concept of a remote user interface for clients is not new. However, the idea that clients should be able to provide a full-featured user interface by implementing minimal functionality, leaving most of the "hard work" to the server, is unique to RVU. RVU's RUI implements the majority of user interface functionality on the server. Remote key presses are passed directly from each client to the server. The server interprets them, responds appropriately (e.g., changes channels), and renders all UI screens in a device-independent manner. It then delivers UI data plus any streaming data (e.g., video and audio) back to the client for display. Rather than implementing an entire UI via client-side software, RVU RUI protocol clients are process-light or "thin" while providing a robust, consistent UI experience throughout the home.
What applications are best suited to RVU technology?
While RVU was developed for service provider provisioned networks, it can be used for distribution of any content type in the home.
What are the benefits of the RVU technology?
A key benefit of the RVU solution is the ease with which it allows users to access digital content throughout the home. A single server can be connected to service provider commercial content (e.g., via cable, telco or satellite) that can be recorded or watched live. Content can be accessed seamlessly from anywhere inside the home, allowing users in multiple rooms to view the same or different content from the server simultaneously.
Can a DLNA DMP/DMR access commercial content stored on a RVU server?
The RVU server exposes content as a DLNA DMS. However, choices and descriptions of commercial content and the overall user experience may be limited. For example, a service provider must allow release of commercial content outside an RVU RUI.
Can a RVU client stream content from a DLNA DMS?
Yes, an RVU client contains DLNA DMP/DMR functionality.
Why isn't this work being done in the DLNA?
The DLNA Interoperability Guidelines are composed of references to specifications created by other organizations. RVU is creating a complete pixel accurate RUI specification document. The founders of the RVU Alliance are all Promoter level members of the DLNA and remain committed to working within the DLNA to achieve our shared vision for the connected home.
What is the transfer rate of bit-map graphical user interface (GUI) objects over the home network?
Burst data rates in both SD and HD resolutions are comparable to streaming video.
How does RVU secure home networked content?
Commercial/copyrighted content is secured with DTCP-IP (Digital Transmission Content Protection over Internet Protocol.)
Does the RVU Remote User Interface (RUI) support High Definition format resolutions?
The RVU client will provide the server with information about the video capabilities of the client, including the aspect ratio and output resolution of the client. The RVU server can create pixel UI bitmaps from 1080p through very low resolutions.
Does RVU RUI work in 3D Digital TVs and how?
The RVU specification is scalable to provide multiple viewing planes as used by 3D Digital TVs.