Wednesday, March 28, 2012

NeTV - Open Source Hardware HDMI overlaying & video compositing

NeTV enables overlaying your web content on existing HDMI video feeds, such as those from a BluRay player or cable box.




Inside, it's an Angstrom linux box running Webkit that features chroma-key video compositing. Out of the box, the reference firmware enables the overlay of Facebook and Twitter feeds, and SMSes from Android phones. The UI is written in Javascript/HTML, making it easy and fast to develop your custom application.

The system also features a convenient HTTP API which uses POST commands to issue events to the screen and control device behavior. This, combined with zeroconf discoverability via Bonjour, makes integrating NeTV with other networked devices (such as your smartphone or laptop) a snap.

FPGA geeks take note! NeTV does video compositing with an FPGA. The FPGA is managed using a convenient set of built-in command-line tools. You can modify the NeTV's video processing capability using Xilinx's free Webkit development environment. Or, you can repurpose the FPGA for entirely new functionality.


$119 from   http://www.adafruit.com/products/609


Summary of development environment options for NeTV:
  • UI & application development in Javascript/HTML running on Webkit
  • Remote control using iOS/Android reference apps via HTTP API
  • Command line and kernel development via downloadable gcc environment, or via cloud-based "pre-built" Amazon EC2 environment.
  • Verilog/VHDL hardware development on FPGA via Xilinx Webpack tools
  • Solder-and-screws hardware development enabled via open source hardware stack


  • Board Size: 94mm x 57mm
  • 800 MHz Marvell PXA168 CPU (Marvell(R) Sheeva(TM) PJ-1 ARMv5TE-compliant with Intel WMMX2 extensions; 32kB/32kB L1 cache; 128kB L2 cache)
  • 128 MB DDR2 DRAM, 16-bits x 800MT/s
  • 1 GB microSD card pre-loaded with Angstrom-derived Linux distribution * User-accessible Xilinx Spartan-6 XC6SLX9 FPGA
  • HDMI input and output ports, compatible with pixclock speeds of 95MHz
  • Native resolution support for 480p, 576p, 720p, 1080p/24, 1080i/60
  • Video overlay on HDCP encrypted feeds
  • MicroUSB port for power and USB gadget support (attaches as ethernet device)
  • Embedded 802.11b/g wifi card
  • IR receiver
  • IR extender port
  • Pushbutton that triggers easy to use wifi-based firmware recovery mode
  • Blue and green status LEDs
  • Wifi configuration via IR remote and/or supporting Android app


Kit contains:
  • NeTV PCB board and IR remote
  • NeTV plastic enclosure kit: This is the plastic enclosure for an NeTV PCB. This lovely little box is made of two injection molded halves, a soft rubber anti-slip bottom, and a small baggie of screws. Assembly is simple and only takes a few minutes. Attach the NeTV using the short screws to the bottom plate. Remove the paper backing from the antenna and stick to the underside of the top piece, then fit the large top over it and snap in place. Screw in the 4 longer screws from the bottom. Finish by applying the rubber mat piece to the bottom to hide the screws. You're done!
  • 5V 1A USB power supply
  • MicroUSB cable
  • HDMI cable


NeTV is the first offering from the brand new Sutajio Ko-Usagi, the Open Source Hardware company led by "bunnie" Huang. bunnie is best known as the author of "Hacking the XBox" and was the lead hardware engineer of the chumby internet alarm clock. So, it is no surprise that his latest invention, conceived in chumby industries' Singapore office and brought to you by Sutajio Ko-Usagi, is a fully open source HDTV peripheral which brings WiFi Internet and Android mobile interfacing to any HDMI TV!

NeTV is available here in bare board form with an optional DIY plastics kit! This package does not have the enclosure fully assembled with the PCB, you will have to snap the NeTV into its case, a 5-10 minute task. This package contains the NeTV assembled and tested board, IR remote (to control the NeTV from your couch), a Micro-USB cable (to connect/power the NeTV), a 5V 1A USB power supply (to power the board), and an HDMI cable (to connect it to the HDTV)


Need more? Here's a video with an overview: http://kosagi.com/netv/netv_demo.html

See also
Chumby’s new NeTV makes almost ‘any TV’ into an Internet connected device

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