The full realization of the wide range of opportunities that have become the norm of digital television in many European countries, is possible with the help of Control System Middleware for operator functioning (CSMW). CSMW is a modern efficient complex management tool for television / radio broadcasting and additional services.

Tasks solved by Control system middleware

The tasks, solved by CSMW, are formed under the influence of a variety of commercial, technical, social and political factors:

• Development of related media as additional services of digital broadcasting (teletext
  Teletext
  Teletext is a television information retrieval service developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. It offers a range of text-based information, typically including national, international and sporting news, weather and TV schedules...
  
  , banner ads etc.)
• Social need for introduction of quasi-interactive services into digital TV services consisting in broadcasting customized content of web sites and blogs on the TV screen. Displaying is made by the software component of the Control system middleware integrated into the software of digital set-top boxes (TV-Browser
  Web browser
  A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
  
  )
• The need for development and implementation of new technologies in the public warning system in case of emergencies;
• Commercial interest of advertisers and members of the television market in the mechanisms of public opinion polls;
• Interest of traditional television media in the formation of paid commercial television, including pay-TV terrestrial broadcasting
  Terrestrial television
  Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...
  
  .

Key features

Key features of the Control System Middleware are as follows:

• People (subscribers) metering and content management.
  Registration can be done either from a single center (or from the local offices, controlled by the center) of the operator, which offers opportunities to influence an audience. This was impossible with analog broadcasting.

• Interactive TV, which provides a "feedback" from the audience.
  CSMW includes a bilateral mode of communication with the audience, organization of voting, public opinion polls, distance education, personal and collective mailing (both to the group and individually to each subscriber).

• Cross-border broadcasting problem solving
  Due to signal encoding and decoding at the subscriber's end it becomes possible to clearly limit the broadcast to the country border, even when the signal from the broadcasting tower or satellite also covers the territory of a neighboring state.

• Ability to speak before a mass audience, as well as to appeal to a specific target audience.

• Tool for informing the population in order to meet the challenges of Civil Defense
  Civil defense
  Civil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
  
   and Emergencies
  Emergency
  An emergency is a situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or environment. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening of the situation, although in some situations, mitigation may not be possible and agencies may only be able to offer palliative...
  
   alerts.
  It is possible to inform the population in case of emergency situations through TV, regardless of the selected channel and even when the TV set receiver is off!

• Practical implementation of the e-Government functions, which organization is carried out all over the world.

• Efficient protection for the content and copyright.
  Thus, an option that allows you to restrict access on the basis of the location of a viewer is usually crucial for the requirements of the content owner.

• A huge market of alternative (banner) advertising.

• Communication between the viewers themselves.
  CSMW can go beyond mere access to broadcasting, turning set-top boxes into information portal, thereby further enhancing the attractiveness of digital television to subscribers. Subscribers can communicate with each other through services such as Tele-chat, TV-mail.

• Remote monitoring the audience (people metering) without its direct participation in this process.

Examples of the world implementation of Control system middleware for operators functioning

Digital terrestrial television in Italy uses the system MHP

Multimedia Home Platform

Multimedia Home Platform is an open middleware system standard designed by the DVB project for interactive digital television. The MHP enables the reception and execution of interactive, Java-based applications on a TV-set. Interactive TV applications can be delivered over the broadcast channel,...

 (Multimedia Home Platform) as a platform for realization of the e-Government functions.

Japanese system of digital terrestrial television ISDB

ISDB

Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting is a Japanese standard for digital television and digital radio used by the country's radio and television stations. ISDB replaced the previously used MUSE "Hi-vision" analogue HDTV system...

-T uses centralized CSMW for conditional access system control (BCAS

B-CAS

B-CAS is a vendor and operator of the ISDB CAS system in Japan. Or, the reception method that this company offers....

), distribution of regional digital broadcasting streams and electronic program guide.

General Satellite Corporation

General Satellite

General Satellite is the largest Russian developer and producer of set-top boxes for television. Since 1991 company has been conducting systematic research and development work and producing radio electronic equipment. Company products and technology concepts are used in satellite...

implements CSMW into its set-top boxes for digital television (satellite, cable and terrestrial), which provides owners of GS set-top boxes with all the additional services besides having digital video & audio.