Android to Become Major Player in Set-Top Middleware, Irdeto Says

Within a few years, no newly developed set-top box platforms will use proprietary middleware because operators will opt for Android or some other open source middleware, said Irdeto Product Management Director Frank Poppelsdorf in a blog post Tuesday. He said some telcos have adopted Android TV or the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), but pay-TV operators -- while cautious -- are increasingly overlooking concerns about Google's influence on their businesses in favor of Android's benefits. He said a chief Android TV strength is its ability to cut costs and timelines for developing and launching a new set-top user experience, compared with middleware-based set-tops. Many operators favor AOSP because of the controls it allows on downloading a competitor's app, Poppelsdorf.