Joe from Neuros sez, “Computers becoming open in the early 80s transformed the category from proprietary computing machines to PCs. Can the same thing happen with the TV set? Will an open device that allows content providers and third party software developers (Miro as an example) to access the TV render proprietary set-top devices obsolete as happened in the computer space? This is Neuros’s strategy as they enhance their Neuros OSD with HD capability.”
The OSD2 aims to be more than just a consumer device, however. Describing it as a “super-reference design,” Born explained that one aim for Neuros has been to create an open hardware design that can be used as the basis for other products, by customers who want to make set-top boxes, but do not want to design their own hardware. “We’re trying to do for the TV set what the IBM PC did for the computer — provide an open platform so Visicalc doesn’t have to be in the hardware business,” Born explained.Another goal, Born suggested, was to build a hardware target that would appeal to open source software developers. The more complete the software ecosystem that grows up around the device, the higher the level at which product companies and individual developers an innovate, he suggested. The OSD2 debuts with a port of the DirectFB project’s interesting Disko framework and complete “MorphineTV” DVR software stack, according to Born.
(Thanks, Joe!)