The FINANCIAL -- Opera Software on September 9 released Opera Devices SDK 2.8. Designed for television and other consumer electronics manufacturers, the new software development kit (SDK) features support for HTML5 video and includes Opera’s newest and fastest JavaScript engine, Carakan.

"Connected device manufacturers benefit from Opera’s versatility. Opera Devices SDK 2.8 makes it easy to embed a web browser and utilize the full power of the browser engine. Using the SDK, manufacturers can create immersive, yet adaptable, user interfaces and can offer a complete multiscreen web-application and widget experience," Opera reports.

“Today, manufacturers are creating a new generation of connected devices,” said Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software. “Rather than the traditional ‘lean-back’ model of TV interaction, today’s ‘lean-forward’ devices engage the consumer with interactive content and downloadable widgets and applications. Opera’s newest Opera Devices SDK allows manufacturers to build all of those new revolutionary experiences on top of the browser engine. There is no solution that offers the same combination of control, ease of integration, and time-to-market as the Opera Devices SDK.”

The Opera Devices SDK update includes the same rendering engine, Opera Presto 2.6, found in Opera 10.62, the company’s industry-leading desktop browser. Additional features include:

Four times the JavaScript execution speed with the new Carakan JavaScript engine

Integration with Opera’s new Content Development Kit

Improved support for HbbTV and application delivery over broadcast streams

A new API to integrate native, hardware-accelerated video codecs, offering a substantial improvement in time-to-market

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