| Khronos solicits feedback on royalty-free multimedia spec |
Feb. 12, 2007
 The Khronos Group is seeking feedback on a multimedia specification described as an "open" alternative to Microsoft's DirectX API collection. The royalty-free OpenKODE spec combines several native, C-language APIs into a "comprehensive media stack specification for accelerating rich media and graphics applications," the group says.
The Khronos Group provisionally released OpenKODE 1.0 for public comment in December. It hopes to gather widespread developer feedback prior to Q2, when Futuremark is expected to deliver conformance tests.
OpenKODE aims to increase native source code portability across device operating systems, including Linux, Brew, Symbian, Windows Mobile, WIPI, and RTOS-based platforms. It defines a set of advanced media capabilities expected to be consistently available on compatible devices.
"Imagine for a moment a new market segment for portable games, marketed just like PSP discs or perhaps downloaded through a centralized service, but which can run on any of multiple brands," explained Scott M. Fulton III of BetaNews, in a statement.
The OpenKODE spec includes a Core API aimed at abstracting operating system resources. It also includes several royalty free C-language APIs that were created earlier by the Khronos Group, including OpenGL ES, a 2D/3D graphics library, and OpenVG, a vector graphics library. Subsequent releases of the OpenKODE spec are also expected to integrate the OpenSL ES sound library and OpenMAX codec interface.
According to analyst Jon Peddie of Jon Peddie Research, as quoted by Khronos, "There is a real hunger for rich multimedia applications on a wide range of embedded devices. However, the industry has desperately needed a unifying architecture for the APIs that will enable this content to be delivered efficiently and across all platforms and operating systems. OpenKODE has the potential to move the mobile industry forward in much the same way that DirectX enabled a generation of dynamic multimedia entertainment including 3D games, music, movies, and video on PCs.
Khronos Group president Neil Trevett, of NVidia, reported that his company is among several demonstrating provisional OpenKODE implementations at 3GSM this week in Barcelona. Trevett stated, "NVIDIA is using the OpenKODE architecture to deliver the full mixed media capability of our GoForce handheld GPUs to mobile developers."
Additional technical details can be found in our earlier coverage, here.
Availability
The OpenKODE 1.0 provisional spec is available now for download, here. Feedback and comments can be posted on the Group's message boards.
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