[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change.]
Before establishing a data service using Broadcast Architecture, a content provider must generally create or acquire computer software to manage the delivery of the data from its source to its audience. This topic discusses some of the design and programming issues that a development team needs to address when creating a data service system.
The best programming strategy depends to some extent on what kind of data is involved, as is discussed in two sections reviewing the possible kinds of broadcast data:
The section Main Office Software describes the software that content providers must write or acquire to process and broadcast data.
Also, where appropriate, a content provider must establish an online server for managing viewer subscriptions, purchases, and responses. Although the needs of such a server should be taken into account when planning development, the specific functions of any given server are beyond the scope of this document.