Welcome to the OCAP developer getting started guide. The following information includes a brief overview of the application development lifecycle along with links to more detailed information on each development phase.

Before starting to design an application, developers should have a basic understanding of the unique aspects of the OCAP ecosystem including: - Designing for a 10 foot viewing experience - Cable network architecture and carousel based application delivery - The platform resources and APIs available to the developer.

Unique considerations for interactive application design include:

1. How the application interacts with the system
   
   1. Is it sychronized with the video (bound application such as program trivia) or stand alone (unbound application such as a game)?
   2. How will the user access the application?
2. What resources will the application require (for example two-way return channel, persistent storage)?

Steps for designing the UI including:

• Storyboarding the 10 foot look & feel and remote control based navigation
• Creation of the application graphics for NTSC displays
• Performance and size trade-offs for using images vs drawing operations

The TVWorks Developer Network now offers a free membership option for anyone who wants to develop EBIF applications. When you join the developer network you'll receive access to a wide variety of resources to assist you through the ETV/EBIF application development process.

This is an outstanding opportunity for anyone interested in creating applications for potential deployment on Comcast's and other operators' set-tops. Whether you are considering your first application or you are an experienced ETV developer, you will find materials to help make your ETV development a success.

Read all about it here.