Perhaps one of the most exciting revelations at the RDK 4 2020 Summit concerned the unveiling of the new Lightning Application Platform as a part of the RDK 4 building blocks.
As a web-based, open-source rendering Technology, Lightning- like its name- will enable companies to develop Applications at a rapid pace.
The attaining of the Lightning Application across the RDK 4 Platform accelerates effortless TV Application development and deployment for Video interfaces.
Pioneered by Metrological, the Lightning Framework is set to see Video developers reap groundbreaking benefits in advanced Application running and transformed user experience.
Many Application development companies are already using Lightning across desktop and mobile devices. Popular Video and Broadcast conglomerates Comcast and SKY, spoke extensively about their adoption of Lightning at the 2020 Summit. Highlighting the Framework benefits assisting RDK 4 in Application development toward more agile environments.
Revolutionary application development
As a fast-paced, easy to navigate Platform, Lightning enables revolutionary Application development to be established within the Video Technology world. What makes Lightning even more desirable is its flexibility to support popular standards including HTML 5, allowing seamless integration across established platforms.
Carrying a SMART infrastructure that uses high-performance Web GL, Lightning enables quality optimisations to support Central Processing Unit (CPU) and Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) performance.
Compatible to run on all major SMART TV Platforms, STB Boxes, and HTML 5 supported browsers. Lightning facilitates consistent customer experience as code is portable across modern browsers.
So, what innovations does the lightning framework bring within the RDK-4 platform?
Essentially, Lightning has been built to enable faster progression on out-of-the-box components that will operate seamlessly across devices.
Velocity
- The quick development of complex experiences with re-useable components
- Easy to learn JavaScript-based framework leveraging HTML5 standards
- Support for established web-APIs including MSE, EME, and key accessibility
High performance
- Native Performance across a range of Applications
- No DOM rendering, instead, using GPU which is optimal for embedded devices
- Smart Rendering
- UX/UI Frameworks
Reduced costs
- Interoperable across a variety of devices
- Highly efficient memory usage
- Open-sourced
The Lightning Framework forms the fundamental structure- alongside Firebolt and Thunder- to how RDK 4 is going to drive Video innovation.
It will be exciting to see the evolution of this feature-rich Framework from strong contributors and leaders in the Broadband, Video, and Application space.
If you would like to engage with or learn more about the RDK 4 Platform, please contact me jamie.walker@paratuspeople.com
