DOCSIS - Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification

Protocol behind coaxial cable as a communications and content delivery method

Comcast, Liberty Global, etc – founded by CableLabs consortium

“Cable” operators transport method for both broadband & video. Today, this is mostly a hybrid of fiber within the core network and cable for “last mile”

PON – Passive Optical Network

Fiber-based communications technology for delivering ”last mile” broadband (and video) access to subscribers

Comcast, Sky, Liberty Global, NOS, Deutsche Telekom, etc

Several overlapping standards that generally define the delivery (to the home) of data over a physical fiber link – see ONU/ONT

DSL – Digital Subscriber line

The technology behind broadband service delivered over traditional telephone (copper) lines

Sky (broadband), Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, etc

More prevalent in Europe and overseas, and rapidly being replaced by PON technologies but still has a very large subscriber base despite a lack of new growth

DBS – Direct Broadcast Satellite

Primarily a video delivery method directly to end users via Satellite, but data can be sent as well

Sky (video), any Satellite provider

Typically 1-way communication from Satellite to end-user, but 2-way can be augmented using subscriber’s source of internet for additional features and services (such as OTT video)

Cellular based (4G/LTE, 5G)

Wireless transport method of delivering data (including OTT video) via existing cellular infrastructure for fixed residential use

T-Mobile, Verizon, many Cellular providers worldwide.

Different use-case than data being served on mobile phones. Intended to be primary data connection for that subscriber at their fixed resi location - Cellular networks are used between towers and user’s cellular modem(s), while fiber serves the towers themselves. This is similar to how DOCIS uses cable as last-mile, but fiber within its core

SoC – “System on a Chip”

Embedded Hardware providing the basis for OEMs to build devices – RDK-V, B C

Broadcom, Intel, Amlogic, Realtek, Qualcomm, Quantenna

Chipset, memory and other components – lowest level of a device’s componentry/hardware

STB – Set Top Box

Typically provided by an MVPD to a subscriber, hardware/software device that allows playback of video and other content in a customer home

Any MVPD providing video to end users, plus the OEMs building them

It is possible to provide a video service 100% OTT, such as HuluTV or YouTubeTV, or use COAM video playback devices to serve the STB function (eg Roku or AppleTV)

Video Accelerator

Platform(s) to rapidly develop, test and Delivery with RDK

Manufactured by: Commscope, KAON, Humax and other OEMs

Provides a ”ready-made” platform to fast-track testing and development for efforts such as RDK4 and easy familiarization for new MVPDs

BLE – Bluetooth Low Energy

-

(Voice remote*)

Efficient standards-based wireless data transmission method, used primarily in RDK(-V) for 2-way remote controller communication with the STB

Tech4Home, Commscope, Humax, Kaon, RDK Management, RDK community

Used heavily within the Video accelerator program, in the process of being spec’ed for further use within the rest of the RDK community

Compositor

Window and input manager

Necessary component of any multi-window, multi-app, multi-process software platform

The component that handles app window overlay, what is the active screen and minimizing/closing a resource based on available memory and user actions

Thunder

Lightweight C++ Application Framework

RDK community

Modular architecture

Lightning

Lightweight Javascript framework

RDK community

Lightning is am app development framework offering great portability and performance. Leverages WebGL to increase performance

HTML5

Web-based technology allowing for the playback of video/audio/apps without specific development for the platform used

Open Web + RDK community

Web-based technology for rendering graphics and playing video/audio in a browser.

Abstraction (Architecture concept)

Well-defined, idealized interface, intended to reduce complexity of layered software systems

Software development community (not RDK specific)

Implementation is up the individual operator + component being engineered

HAL - Hardware Abstraction Layer

Software layer allowing application and component interaction with a hardware device at a general or abstract level rather than at a detailed more specific level

RDK Community, OEMs

Eases both development and porting efforts, increases device reliability and can also assist support efforts on lower resource devices

Raspberry Pi

Commercial off the shelf - Open-source, Linux-based single board micro-computer with a low price point

RDK community

Standardized hardware configuration and adequate processing power, its used by the RDK community as a reference platform for most initial testing and development of all things RDK

WebPA

protocol messaging system for communication between cloud server and client devices

Comcast, other ISPs

Developed originally by Comcast and later open-sourced. Secure and web-based, not specific to RDK

TR-069

protocol messaging system for communication between cloud server and IP-connected devices

RDK Community, other ISPs

Messaging protocol that can co-exist with others such as WebPA depending on the requirements of the MVPD/ISP

TR-181

Device data model used by protocols such as TR-069 and WebPA to communicate telemetry

RDK Community, other ISPs

Among other features, this is the list of codes, states, device issues that correspond to the remote management of devices in a customer’s home

RDK Shell

Window manager

Comcast

Controls the management of composition, layout, Z order, and key handling

Essos

Abstraction that allows for easy implementation of a compositor

RDK community

API + abstraction that allows implementation of Westeros

Weston

Compositor based on Wayland

Linaro

Lightweight implementation of Wayland

Westeros

Compositor based on Wayland

Comcast

Feature-rich implementation of Wayland

Wayland 

Specification protocol used by the compositor

Open Source community*

protocol for a compositor to talk to its clients as well as a C library implementation of that protocol.

App Store (concept within RDK)

A pre-integrated platform of apps available for Operators using the RDK-V platform

Metrological, Comcast, RDK-Management, RDK-Community (+ Metro customers)

Metrological created, later fully integrated with RDK-V to dramatically ease the development, maintenance and reliability of applications within the RDK-V community

Premium apps

RDK-V implemented user-apps that allow for the playback of content from said subscription and free services

MVPD provided, subscriber used

Typically “OTT” apps that have their own subscriptions or access from the account level, RDK simply provides access to that resource for user consumption

Native (entertainment) apps

Apps integrated into RDK-V by default by an operator

RDK community, Metrological, Comcast

Eg Weather app, Sports, Games, Music streaming – simple apps often utilizing C-language as opposed to interpreted language (e.g. HTML5 or Lightning)

Other user-apps

Smarthome, Network apps, Account management apps

RDK Community, Comcast

Apps that could control other home services (Smarthome, internet management and/or home security) created for use via the RDK-V platform.

Voice-search and navigation

Voice-based interface for interacting with compatible STBs

RDK Community, Comcast, Sky, Liberty Global, etc

Usually a cloud-based voice search and command translation + action engine for compatible STBs. There are concurrent similar components within the RDK community and outside that are being considered for integration

CDN

Content Delivery Network -  network of geographically distributed data centers and proxy servers run by an MVPD for their subscribers

Any video provider/broadcaster/aggragator (Comcast, AT&T, Sky)

The system that houses and delivers video, securely, to the end user when requested (VOD) or linear (Title 6, etc)

CAS

Conditional Access System – mode of securely transmitting video content from CDN to STB

Any video provider/broadcaster/aggragator (Comcast, AT&T, Sky)

The mechanism that authenticates and allows (or blocks) video asset access based on the customer subscription level, location and/or device state for broadcast content

DRM

Digital Rights Management – digital components or services tasked with controlling access to copyrighted material such as video

Any content provider/retailer/broadcaster (Comcast, Apple, HBO, etc)

In short, copyright protection applied to files and digital assets before they’re transmitted to the end user for OnDemand content

OpenCDN

A multi-site CDN implementation utilizing cache servers in strategic locations

RDK Community, Many Video content delivery services

Intended to create conditions to “lower the distance between content and its users”, to increase speed, reliability, redundancy and quality when delivering video

OpenCDM

Open Content Decryption Module

RDK Community

Component intended to perform secure decryption of content with support for PlayReady and Widevine, etc

SoC – “System on a Chip”

Embedded Hardware providing the basis for OEMs to build devices – RDK-V, B C

Broadcom, Intel, Amlogic, Realtek, Qualcomm, Quantenna, Raspberry Pi

Chipset, memory and other components – lowest level of a device’s

IoT – Internet of Things

Catch-all term for every day devices that can now be internet-connected

Any manufacturer building or supporting devices typically labeled “smart”

Basis behind the smart-home, activity trackers and anything whose initial use was not web-based

Modem – portmanteau of “Modulator/Demodulator”

Device located at the customer premise to connect local LAN to RF modulated access network.

Provides the actual connection to the outside internet.

End user, all ISP’s

Device can be either COAM (customer owned and managed) or provided by an ISP usually with a lease fee. Different versions exist for use with different transport methods (Cable, DSL, Cellular etc)

ONU / ONT – Optical Network Unit (or Terminator)

Small hardware device installed at a PON subscriber’s home to convert the physical fiber’s signal into Ethernet or Coax for use within the customer’s LAN

Any Fiber MSO, located in End user’s home

Similar to a modem, this converts the fiber outside connection to use to more common technologies within the home such as Ethernet. It can then be connected to a router or gateway for even more functionality

Router

-

See Gateway below

Routes data between the modem’s outside connection (WAN), within the home (LAN)

End user (when used alongside of a separate modem)

Downstream from a modem as it allows multiple devices (on premises) to share a single internet connection via that modem, often includes WiFi

Gateway

Combines the functions of a Modem/Router/WiFi access point into a single unit

End user, Many ISP’s

Greatly simplifies the configuration, telemetry and operations for both MSO and end customer in most resi use cases by using 1, easily setup box

Raspberry Pi

Commercial off the shelf - Open-source, Linux-based single board micro-computer with a low price point

RDK community

Standardized hardware configuration and adequate processing power, its used by the RDK community as a reference platform for most initial testing and development of all things RDK

Abstraction (Architecture concept)

Well-defined, idealized interface, intended to reduce complexity of layered software systems

Software development community (not RDK specific)

Implementation is up the individual operator + component being engineered

HAL - Hardware Abstraction Layer (Implementation)

Software layer allowing application and component interaction with a hardware device at a general or abstract level rather than at a detailed more specific level

RDK Community, OEMs

Eases both development and porting efforts, increases device reliability and can also assist support efforts on lower resource devices

WebPA

protocol messaging system for communication between cloud server and RDK devices

Comcast, Other ISPs

Developed originally by Comcast and later open-sourced. Secure and web-based, not specific to RDK

TR-069

protocol messaging system for communication between cloud server and IP-connected devices

RDK Community, other ISPs

Can have more costs when compared to similar WebPA, can co-exist with WebPA as well depending on the requirements of the MVPD/ISP

TR-181

Device data model used by protocols such as TR-069 and WebPA to communicate telemetry

RDK Community, other ISPs

Among other features, this is the list of codes, states, device issues that correspond to the remote management of devices in a customer’s home

OpenSync

Carrier-grade open-source software acting as the connection between in-home hardware devices and the cloud managing them.

Plume,

RDK Community

Originally developed by Plume, then later open-sourced. Assists in the management of a subscriber’s home network by the MVPD. Provides telemetry and visibility to detect and prevent connection issues, automatically, from the cloud

EasyMesh

Effort with the goal of a  standardization spec intended to allow broadband devices to interoperate within a single mesh network from different manufacturers

EasyMesh member community, RDK community (future)

Spec that aims to support adaptive consumer mesh networks with an emphasis of easy setup and flexible configuration, paired with robust automatic network intelligence, scalability & load balancing without user interaction

Cujo

Proprietary artificial intelligence agent, being deeply integrated into RDK-B allowing additional security features for end users

RDK Community, Comcast

Automatic, evolving security and telemetry solution intended to block known bad actors, blacklists, DDoS attacks, malicious tracking software, etc for the entire household using the RDK-B device