Blog

  • The Sky+HD Picasso DNLA control server protocol

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    by

    Liam
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    Tonight, I released my first ever open source code that wasn’t a wordpress plugin, SkyRemote. It’s a python based IP remote control for Sky+HD boxes with the new Picasso EPG. This is currently the DRX980 and the DRX985 boxes. It’s free as in beer, and licensed under the GPLv3. It’s based on a piece of…

  • Sky+, DNLA, UPnP, the iPad app and the IP control protocol

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    by

    Liam
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    Sky launched an update to the iPad Sky+ app this week, which enables the ability to remotely control your Sky box over IP, if you’re updated to the new picasso interface. Obviously, I needed to figure out how it all works, and how I could write my own code to control it. Here are my…

  • iPhone 4/4S Home Buttons

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    Liam
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    It feels like every single person i’ve ever spoken too has had at least one iPhone 4/4S Home Button failure, yet Apple refuse to acknowledge it as a widespread problem. I think this is something we should take up with the UK trading authorities, but before I can do that, I want to get some…

  • Falling Behind

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    by

    Liam
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    For the last 5 years, it’s felt very much like Apple was leading the way with mobile operating systems and technology, but in the last 12 months it’s very much going in the direction of Android, and in the last 24 hours, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8. The problem is Apple seem to be making very…

  • The Real HD Revolution: Native OSD

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    by

    Liam
    in

    I’m a bit of a broadcasting geek. Beyond my love of code and web, you’ll find me happily reading all about broadcasting technology, bitrates and polarisation. I joined the HD revolution in April 2010, the day Freeview HD launched from the Mendip transmitter, but something has always bothered me. All the existing channels were straight simulcasts…