Making an Android Tablet Work as a Set-Top Box

The widespread diffusion of connected devices capable of receiving and decoding multimedia streams is in- ducing a change in the market of set-top boxes from dedicated proprietary appliances to software modules running on top of off-the-shelf devices. In spite of the large number of devices we use every day, smart phones are the favourite answer to our communication needs because of their availability, of their user friendliness, and of the great opportunities of personalization offered by user-generated mobile applications. The last generation of tablet PCs, capable of handling HD mul- timedia streams while also retaining the distinguishing features of mobile devices, enable the convergence between personal communication devices and home entertainment appliances. In this paper we discuss how to use an Android tablet PC as a set-top box, in order to allow end-users to take advantage of the tailored run-time environment of their personal mobile devices while whatching television in the comfort of their living rooms. Keywords-Set-top box; Tablet PC; openBOXware; Android; Streaming