The RDK (Reference Design Kit) is a standardized software stack with. By the RDK Management LLC, a joint venture between Comcast Cable, Time Warner. Comcast's Metrological Acquisition Bolsters RDK, Pushes Back on Android TV. Source software stack is now eyeing gateways and other home WiFi devices.
CES 2013 has kicked-off with a flurry of Comcast-centered announcements from Pace, Broadcom, Intel, and Arris. While Pace's, Intel's, and Arris' announcements center on their designs for the next-generation XG5 gateway (the successor to the XG1 gateway behind the X1 service) and the pending Xi3 thin client, Broadcom's announcements center on new shipments of the RNG150n non-DVR HD STB now being loaded with the Comcast RDK open-source STB software stack instead of the RNG150n's legacy operating system. Most interestingly, these RNG150n's with the RDK can function as thin clients of the X1. There are several noteworthy items spanning the Pace, Broadcom, Intel, and Arris announcements:. Broadcom BCM3335 and Intel Puma 6 based designs are competing for the XG5 design win, with multi-sourcing being a distinct possibility. The XG5 is a headless MHG design that integrates the residential gateway, unlike the X1, which is a headed MHG that does not provide a residential gateway.
The transcoding functionality required for AnyPlay is integrated into the XG5. The specification for both designs will support four simultaneous transcodes, which implies that the XG5 can simultaneously support 4 unmanaged clients.