Windows Embedded Customer Solution Case Study

Technology Company Reduces Time to Market, Product Costs by Up to 30 percent

Overview “With CE 6.0, it is now easy to integrate media related Country or Region: applications seamlessly into the product; this is highly Industry: Manufacturing – Consumer Electronics advantageous in developing future messaging application support.” Customer Profile Based in Bangalore, India, Ittiam Systems Sheela Prabhakar, Distinguished Member Technical Staff and Technologist, Media Streaming (P) Ltd specializes in digital signal Business, Ittiam Systems (P) Ltd. processing systems. With offices in the U.S., the U.K., and , the company employs 200 people. Founded in January 2001, Ittiam Systems (P) Ltd is a 200-strong

Business Situation technology company that develops digital signal processing (DSP) Ittiam Systems wanted a feature-rich algorithms, applications, and reference designs for multimedia and development environment for its IP Videophone application that would lower wireless devices. Seeking to migrate its IP Videophone application costs and eliminate dependency on third to a feature-rich operating system that would lower costs and party software. eliminate dependency on third party software, the company

Solution selected Windows® Embedded CE 6.0 as a platform for its future The company opted to migrate to DSP reference designs. With its embedded multimedia functionality Windows® Embedded CE 6.0 for its embedded media functionality and and applications, CE 6.0 offers Ittiam Systems a stable platform, software interoperability. PC-based application interoperability, standardized interface Benefits development, rapid enabling of features, a production cost  Embedded media support  Built-In SIP stack reduction of 10 to 25 percent, and a 30 percent cut in development  Software interoperability time.  Faster, cheaper development  Powerful development resources

“The decision was not Situation customers had to pay for both the operating Headquartered in Bangalore, India, Ittiam system support as well as the SIP stack from difficult. With Windows Systems (P) Ltd is an engineering different third party suppliers,” recalls CE, there were no development house specializing in the digital Prabhakar. “If customers required additional signal processing (DSP) algorithm and application support, such as web browsing or additional application systems. It has offices in the U.S., United IPTV, they would have to purchase additional licenses to buy, and we Kingdom, and France, and authorized licenses, again from third parties. The net representatives in Israel, , Korea, effect would increase the overall product had rich, multimedia , , and the U.S. costs significantly.” support right out of the Ittiam Systems is a Windows Embedded What Ittiam Systems wanted was a real-time box.” Partner (WEP), specializing in developing operating system with comprehensive, Windows Embedded-powered hardware and embedded multimedia capabilities without software solutions. The company focuses on additional licensing costs. This would Sheela Prabhakar, Distinguished Member creating reference designs and software eliminate dependency on multiple third-party Technical Staff and Technologist, Media applications for devices such as Digital software licenses and reduce the overall Streaming Business, Ittiam Systems (P) Ltd. Camcorders, Video Conferencing Equipment, product cost. “If this meant faster Video Security, Portable Media development time and lower costs, it would Players/Recorders, In-Flight Entertainment be an attractive option for our IP customers,” Systems, IP Video Phones, and Wireless LAN says Prabhakar. Access Points and Station Cards.

In late 2005, Ittiam Systems surveyed its Solution market and noted increasing demand for To migrate the Ittiam IP Videophone solution support of converging applications such as to a richer operating system from the original media players and recorders, web browsing, Linux variant, Ittiam had to re-evaluate the video on demand (VOD) and Internet protocol existing development work in the current TV (IPTV). As a result, the company looked at system. “We had an existing reference design the possibility of migrating its IP Videophone and the Board Support Package (BSP) with solution from a Linux environment to a richer full-fledged drivers for all the hardware operating platform. “Although our Linux- devices and peripherals required for the based IP Videophone is highly regarded, there application,” adds Prabhakar. “So we needed was a demand to support a richer user to completely rework all of it to support a multimedia experience,” notes Sheela different operating system. We had a high Prabhakar, Distinguished Member Technical degree of development expertise on the Staff and Technologist, Media Streaming original Linux OS internals and Linux-based Business, Ittiam Systems (P) Ltd. BSP but beyond this development environment, our experience was limited.” The existing IP Videophone solution was based on a Linux variant and employed Ittiam considered retaining its Linux solution Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) stacks for call and improving the third party SIP stack and signaling, which is not a development focus application integration. “We evaluated for the company. Ittiam Systems worked several middleware solutions for web around this by recommending third party SIP browsing, Video-on-Demand, and IPTV as an stacks to customers and helping to integrate alternative to porting all the development to a them into the IP Videophone. “While this new environment,” Prabhakar says. approach worked well, it meant our IP

“We have achieved Eventually, Ittiam Systems decided to port the Benefits IP Videophone application to Windows® CE Although the migration process seemed savings of up to 30 version 5.0, as the platform offered much initially daunting to Ittiam Systems, the percent in development better media application support and company was impressed with the support embedding within the operating system. From they received from Microsoft, and with the time, and between 10 to a development standpoint, the company comprehensiveness of the CE 6.0 25 percent cost savings, would save a lot of time trying to integrate development environment. Combined with third party components, says Prabhakar. “The embedded components, application support, thanks to fewer decision was not difficult. With Windows CE and easy interoperability, Ittiam Systems has component licenses— 5.0, there were no additional application benefited from a shorter development period licenses to buy, and we had rich, multimedia and an overall reduction in product costs. savings which we can support right out of the box.” “What is significant is that both our pass on to our customers and subsequently, the end users, However, Ittiam Systems had limited will benefit from the improved user customers.” experience with Windows CE. “Because of our experience and wide application and media lack of expertise with the environment, we support. This should make the IP Videophone had to work hard on our development,” notes a very attractive option,” remarks Prabhakar. Sheela Prabhakar, Distinguished Member Prabhakar. Technical Staff and Technologist, Media Embedded media support Streaming Business, Ittiam Systems (P) Ltd. Starting in April 2006, Ittiam Systems With embedded support for multimedia, deployed eight engineers with the goal of Ittiam Systems found the Windows CE achieving the same IP Videophone development environment productive and performance on Windows CE as on Linux. To customizable. “With CE 6.0, it is now easy to exploit new technologies and improved SIP integrate media related applications stack capability, Ittiam Systems moved the seamlessly into the product,” says Prabhakar. development from Windows CE 5.0 to “Additionally, our IP Videophone is also Windows® Embedded CE 6.0 in September interoperable with other Windows-specific 2006. applications, such as Windows® Messenger version 5.0. From a call signaling perspective, Though there were complex issues with this is highly advantageous in developing developing device drivers, the designers were future messaging application support.” able to port many of the Linux-based drivers with the help of the local Microsoft support Built-in SIP Stack team. In addition, Microsoft was able to The testing and integration of third party SIP assist with other technologies such as stacks for its Linux-based hardware reference DirectDraw and framework features designs has always been a difficult process supported by CE 6.0 for the multimedia for Ittiam Systems. However, with the applications, and with developing a complete embedded SIP stack offered by the Windows user interface from scratch. CE environment (including advanced features such as NAT traversal capability), Ittiam completed a demonstrable version of development resources can be deployed the CE 6.0 IP Videophone in November 2006, elsewhere. “It has allowed us greater room and the beta edition was released in February for optimization,” adds Prabhakar. 2007. The entire project is scheduled for completion by August 2007.

For More Information PC-based Software Interoperability Windows Embedded For more information about Microsoft Beyond media application support, Ittiam The Windows Embedded family of products products and services, call the Microsoft Systems discovered extensive support within helps you turn your vision and ingenuity into Sales Information Center at (800) 426- CE 6.0 for other “standard” Windows superior business results. Windows 9400. In , call the Microsoft applications. “An IP Videophone application Embedded consists of Windows Embedded Canada Information Centre at (877) 568- built on CE 6.0 can support web browsing via CE, Windows XP Embedded and Windows 2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of- Windows® Internet Explorer® 6” notes Embedded for Point of Service. These hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone Prabhakar. “End users will also benefit from operating system technologies combine with (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in the interoperability with several standard PC- the best set of tools and support to provide the United States or (905) 568-9641 in based VoIP/video communication software you the control to build what you want, Canada. Outside the 50 United States and options, making it very attractive for the end accelerated time to market, and industry- Canada, please contact your local user.” leading support. Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to: Faster and Cheaper Development For more information about Windows www.microsoft.com Without the need to procure and integrate Embedded, please visit: third party components such as SIP stacks, www.microsoft.com/windowsembedded For more information about Ittiam Systems and with embedded support for applications (P) Ltd products and services, call +91-80- such as Web browsers, Ittiam Systems has 66601000 or visit the Web site at: realized real savings in development time www.ittiam.com and production costs. “We have achieved savings of up to 30 percent in development time, and between 10 to 25 percent cost savings, thanks to fewer component licenses—savings which we can pass on to our customers,” says Prabhakar.

Powerful Development Resources Though they lacked experience with Windows CE, Ittiam Systems found the development tools powerful and user friendly. The technical support through MSDN Library and newsgroups proved invaluable to the development team. “The BSP framework for Windows CE 6.0 was very developer friendly,” adds Prabhakar. “Combined with MSDN Library support and reference driver source code for several industry standard devices, we were well-equipped to complete the job.”

Software and Services  Products − Windows CE version 5.0 − Windows Embedded CE 6.0

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Document published June 2007