Custom

Middleware

Custom STB & Android TV Middleware Development for Stable CTV at Scale

Most crashes, sync drift, memory leaks and other similar failures don't start in the app; they start in middleware stretched beyond its limits on top of fragmented SoC SDKs. For OEMs and operators, that shows up later as field returns, support load, and endless rework.

Promwad builds custom middleware engineered at the system level — modular, decoupled from any single chipset, hardened for long-run stability, and certification-ready from day one. One stack that behaves the same across Amlogic, Realtek, and Broadcom, so your apps stay simple and your fleet stays predictable.

When You Need Us

Your STB crashes during long-run playback

Your app breaks after SoC SDK updates

You need to migrate from one chipset to another

DRM/CAS integration blocks the release

OTA updates are risky or hard to roll back

Your legacy middleware is too fragile for new features

You need Android TV, AOSP, or RDK integration without rewriting the whole platform

Why Promwad

Most instability comes from architecture, and it lives below the app, in the middleware. Patching symptoms at the application layer buys you a week. Engineering the middleware correctly buys you a product line. That's the layer we own.

System-level engineering

Platform bring-up, memory profiling, performance tuning, and direct control over the A/V pipeline

SoC abstraction and portability

We build middleware that decouples your applications from the realities of Amlogic, Realtek, and Broadcom SDKs

Stability by design

Long-run playback testing, stress testing, and leak profiling are part of how we engineer

Modular architecture

DRM, EPG, analytics, device management, and operator services live as clean, composable components

Certification-first and security-first

CTS/GTS readiness are built in from the architecture stage as we think end-to-end, from SoC to DRM

Proven competence

backed by Promwad's 21+ years and 100+ engineers across hardware and software

What We Deliver

Promwad covers the middleware layer as an engineering scope: from architecture audit to pilot validation on target hardware.

Middleware architecture audit and roadmap
SoC abstraction layer design
Playback pipeline stabilization
DRM/CAS integration
EPG and broadcast middleware components
Device management, telemetry, diagnostics, and staged OTA updates with rollback
Android TV / AOSP / RDK integration support
Legacy middleware refactoring
Certification-readiness checklist for Android TV / Google TV projects where applicable
Pilot validation on target hardware

Our Tech Stack

We design middleware that integrates cleanly into real-world broadcast and OTT ecosystems.

Platform & system layer

Android TV / AOSP, HAL integration, system services, and cross-SoC abstraction layers

Playback pipeline

Tuner / demux / decoder control, A/V synchronization, ExoPlayer- and GStreamer-class playback pipelines

EPG, broadcast & hybrid

DVB, ATSC, DVB Native IP (DVB-NIP), hybrid IP + broadcast flows

DRM / CAS

Widevine, FairPlay, PlayReady, Nagra

Streaming & packaging

HLS, MPEG-DASH, CMAF

SoC platforms

Amlogic, Realtek, Broadcom

Device management & observability

TR-069 (CWMP), telemetry, logging and diagnostics pipelines, staged OTA updates with rollback

Ecosystem experience

As a DTVKit partner, we use proven components to accelerate Android TV and RDK middleware development

Still running on a legacy stack? That's exactly where most stability and portability problems hide — and where we start most engagements.

Request Expert Call

Application Areas

Operator STB middleware stacks for IPTV and OTT

Cross-SoC abstraction layers for portability across chipsets

DRM / CAS integration
middleware

Playback and EPG middleware components

Device-management
middleware

Hybrid middleware spanning IP + DVB / ATSC delivery

Refactoring and modernization of brittle, chipset-locked legacy middleware

Stabilizing & Modernizing Legacy Middleware

Already managing a large fleet on a brittle, chipset-locked middleware stack?You don't need a disruptive rewrite to regain control.

Decouple from the SoC SDK so your applications stop breaking every time the platform shifts and become portable across chipsets

Refactor incrementally to remove the structural causes of crashes, freezes, and memory pressure, without halting your roadmap

Add observability and operability — monitoring, diagnostics, and OTA with staged rollout and rollback — to a stack that used to be a black box

Layer in optional enhancements (voice, Wi-Fi, BLE, AI-assisted features) once the foundation is stable.

Want to ensure a longer device lifespan and lower operational risk?

Plan Modernization

TR-069 Client and Firmware Updates for STB Platforms

A system-level device management and update solution for Linux-based STBs on Broadcom SoC.

Problem

A device manufacturer required remote device and application management with a secure firmware update mechanism for a Linux-based STB platform on Broadcom 7255.

Solution

Promwad enabled a TR-069 (CWMP) client and delivered a system-level software stack including application lifecycle control on Linux, secure firmware download and update with rollback, DIAL server integration for second-screen interaction, and system hardening to improve platform security and operational stability.

Result

The client received a production-ready device management and auto-update platform for Linux-based STBs, compliant with certification requirements.

TR-069 & STB Firmware Updates

Cross-Platform Android TV Architecture for Connected TV Devices

A system-level abstraction layer enabling Android TV applications to run across multiple SoC platforms.

Problem

A TV solutions provider needed to decouple Android TV system applications from a MediaTek-specific SDK, which limited compatibility and increased maintenance costs.

Solution

Promwad implemented a cross-platform abstraction layer encapsulating all platform-dependent functionality with remote system services optimization and middleware-level APIs between applications and hardware. We migrated existing applications to the new interface, ensuring compatibility across Android TV and Google TV environments.

Result

The client received a scalable, platform-independent Android TV architecture, enabling deployment across multiple chipsets, reducing maintenance costs by 20%.

Cross-Platform Android TV Development

How We Ensure Quality

Stability isn't a promise, it's a process, and here's how we engineer for it:

Discovery and architecture mapping aligned with your operator and product workflows

Engineering discipline: code reviews, reproducible builds, and CI/CD where applicable

Stability proof: long-run playback testing, stress testing, and memory / leak profiling

Regression suites covering critical playback and operator flows

Field reliability: canary releases, staged OTA, rollback, and post-release monitoring

Structured certification readiness checks (CTS/GTS)

Trusted Partner for End-to-End CTV & STB Solutions

Promwad is a trusted plug-in engineering partner for TV operators, OEMs, and media technology companies building and operating CTV and STB products for IPTV, OTT, and broadcast delivery.

We support our clients across the entire device lifecycle — from legacy fleet modernization to software and hardware engineering, industrial design, manufacturing and certification support.

Let's Map Your Middleware Stability Roadmap

From abstraction architecture to long-term fleet operability, Promwad helps you build middleware that holds up in the field — and stops costing you in returns and rework.

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FAQ

What is custom STB / Android TV middleware, and what does it cover?

Middleware is the system-level layer between your applications and the hardware. In a CTV or STB device it handles the playback pipeline, EPG, DRM and CAS, analytics, device management, and operator services, and abstracts the SoC so your apps do not have to know which chipset they are running on. Custom middleware is built to fit your product and platform exactly, rather than forcing your roadmap to fit a fixed off-the-shelf stack.

Custom middleware vs. off-the-shelf — when does custom pay off?

Off-the-shelf middleware is fine when your requirements match it closely. Custom middleware pays off when you need portability across multiple SoCs, tight control over stability and performance, specific DRM, CAS, or operator integrations, or freedom from licensing and roadmap lock-in. For OEMs shipping at scale, the maintenance savings from a portable, modular stack usually outweigh the up-front engineering.

How do you make middleware portable across Amlogic, Realtek, and Broadcom?

We build an abstraction layer that encapsulates platform-dependent functionality behind stable APIs. Your applications talk to those APIs instead of to a specific vendor SDK, so the same codebase deploys across chipsets, and adding a new SoC becomes an isolated, predictable task rather than a re-architecture.

How do you guarantee stability and prevent playback or memory issues?

We engineer for stability from the architecture stage and validate it with long-run playback testing, stress testing, and memory and leak profiling, not just functional checks. Regression suites guard critical flows, and field reliability practices such as canary rollouts, staged OTA, rollback, and monitoring catch issues before they reach your whole fleet.

Can you integrate DRM and CAS — Widevine, PlayReady, FairPlay, Nagra?

Yes. We integrate and validate DRM and CAS across the protected playback chain, with security considered end to end from the SoC to the application layer.

Can you modernize our existing or legacy middleware without a full rewrite?

Yes. We refactor incrementally, decoupling from the SoC SDK, removing the structural causes of instability, and adding observability and OTA, so you extend device lifespan and reduce operational risk without halting your roadmap.

Who owns the IP and source code?

Engagements are structured around your ownership of the delivered software and IP, under NDA. Exact terms are agreed up front so there is no ambiguity later.

How fast can we start, and what does a pilot look like?

We typically begin with an engineer-led discovery and a middleware architecture audit, which maps your current pain to a concrete roadmap with delivery milestones. From there, a focused pilot proves the approach on your target hardware before you commit to full delivery.