New Toshiba Platform Promotes Cell Processor

Toshiba Corp. has developed a common platform for consumer electronics products that it hopes will help spur adoption of the Cell processor by electronics makers.

The Open Connected Media Platform (OCMP), which is on display at the Ceatec exhibition in Japan, is based on the Ruby programming language and is available to electronics makers to use in devices, such as televisions, digital video recorders, and digital media servers and players, said Hidetaka Takano, an assistant manager in Toshiba Information Systems (Japan) Corp.'s Embedded Systems Group.

Toshiba's goal is to lower development costs for electronics makers and give consumers a consistent user interface. The company also wants to spur adoption of the Cell processor by electronics makers, although the chip is not required to use OCMP, Takano said.

OCMP allows different devices to connect and communicate with each other, allowing companies to integrate different devices, applications, and Web content in a way that is easy for consumers to use, he said.

The OCMP's user interface, called the Universal Media Access, closely resembles Sony Corp.'s XBR menu system, which is used with its Bravia line of TVs, the PSP and PlayStation 3 game consoles.

To access content with Universal Media Access, users scroll horizontally to choose the kind of content they want to access, such as satellite television channels or videos stored on a media server. Once the correct category has been selected, users scroll vertically to select the specific file or channel they want to access.

Toshiba has also developed a universal remote control with 20 buttons that can be customized for each user, allowing different users in the same household to have a personalized remote control, Takano said.