/react-tv

[Looking for maintainers] React development for TVs (Renderer for low memory applications and Packager for TVs)

Primary LanguageJavaScriptMIT LicenseMIT

React-TV · license npm version circleci status Build status PRs Welcome

react-tv: React Renderer for low memory applications.

react-tv-cli: React Packager for TVs.

Currently under development.

React-TV Logo

import React from 'react'
import ReactTV, { Platform } from 'react-tv'

class Clock extends React.Component {
  state = { date: new Date() }

  componentDidMount() {
    setInterval(() => this.setState({date: new Date()}), 1000)
  }

  render() {
    if (Platform('webos')) {
      return (
        <h1>Time is {this.state.date.toLocaleTimeString()}</h1>
      )
    }

    return <h2>This App is available only at LG WebOS</h2>
  }
}

ReactTV.render(<Clock/>, document.getElementById('root'))

Summary

About React-TV

React-TV is an ecosystem for TV based React applications (from the renderer to CLI for pack/build applications).
At the moment we're focusing on WebOS and SmartTV.
React-TV's aims to be a better tool for building and developing fast for TVs.

Understanding the Problem

tl;dr: Crafting a high-performance TV user interface using React

Crafting a high-performance TV user interface using React is a real challenge, because of some reasons:

  • Limited graphics acceleration
  • Single core CPUs
  • High Memory Usage for a common TV App

These restrictions make super responsive 60fps experiences especially tricky. The strategy is step in the renderer: Applying reactive concepts to unblock the processing on the renderer layer, plug the TV's keyListener, avoid React.createElement.

In addition: Unify the build for multiple TV platforms.

Articles

Friendly list of tutorials and articles:

react-tv-cli

To install react-tv-cli (CLI Packager):

$ yarn global add react-tv-cli
Support for React-TV-CLI
Target Platform Status Available Version
LG WebOS stable 0.3.1
Samsung Tizen ongoing x
Samsung Orsay not started yet x
Sony PS4 not started yet x
Nintendo Switch not started yet x

Developing for WebOS

Short Description: WebOS, also known as Open WebOS or LG WebOS, (previously known as HP WebOS and Palm WebOS, stylized as webOS) is a Linux kernel-based multitasking operating system for smart devices such as Smart TVs and it has been used as a mobile operating system.

First of all, follow the instructions to install the SDK and Setup your WebOS Environment.

Then, init your react-tv project:

$ react-tv-cli init <my-app-name>

From the project directory, install the dependencies to enable building:

$ yarn install

You will need to keep the list of files related to your app on the React-TV entry up to date in package.json. The init command will already add index.html, bundle.js and style.css to the package.

{
  "name": "my-app-name",
  "react-tv": {
    "files": [
      "index.html",
      "bundle.js",
      "style.css"
    ]
  }
}

To build your project:

$ yarn build

Once the project is built, you can run it on a specific device or emulator:

$ react-tv-cli run-webos <device>
  • If you do not specify a device, it runs on VirtualBox WebOS Simulator.

react-tv

To install react-tv (React Renderer):

$ yarn add react-tv

Platform

When building a cross-platform TV app, you'll want to re-use as much code as possible. You'll probably have different scenarios where different code might be necessary.
For instance, you may want to implement separated visual components for LG-WebOS and Samsung-Tizen.

React-TV provides the Platform module to easily organize your code and separate it by platform:

import { Platform } from 'react-tv'

console.log(Platform('webos')) // true
console.log(Platform('tizen')) // false
console.log(Platform('orsay')) // false

renderOnAppLoaded

Takes a component and returns a higher-order component version of that component, which renders only after application was launched, allows to not write diffent logics for many devices.

import { renderOnAppLoaded } from 'react-tv'

const Component = () => (<div></div>)
const App = renderOnAppLoaded(Component)

findDOMNode

Similar to react-dom findDOMNode

Navigation

If you want to start with Navigation for TVs. React-TV provides a package for spatial navigation with declarative support based on Netflix navigation system.

React-TV Navigation exports withFocusable and withNavigation which act as helpers for Navigation.

import React from 'react'
import ReactTV from 'react-tv'
import { withFocusable, withNavigation } from 'react-tv-navigation'

const Item = ({focused, setFocus, focusPath}) => {
  focused = (focused) ? 'focused' : 'unfocused'
  return (
    <div onClick={() => { setFocus() }} >
      It's {focused} Item
    </div>
  )
}

const Button = ({setFocus}) => {
  return (
    <div onClick={() => { setFocus('item-1') }}>
      Back To First Item!
    </div>
  )
}

const FocusableItem = withFocusable(Item)
const FocusableButton = withFocusable(Button)

function App({currentFocusPath}) {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Current FocusPath: '{currentFocusPath}'</h1>,
      <FocusableItem focusPath='item-1'/>
      <FocusableItem focusPath='item-2'/>
      <FocusableButton
        focusPath='button'
        onEnterPress={() => console.log('Pressed enter on Button!')}/>
    </div>
  )
}

const NavigableApp = withNavigation(App)

ReactTV.render(<NavigableApp/>, document.querySelector('#app'))

See examples/navigation for more details about usage.

Examples

Clock App

Clock App Example

Youtube App

Youtube App Example

References:

WebOS

Videos

Windows
OSX

Essentials to beginner

Developing for SmartTV Guidelines

React Basics and Renderer Architecture

Roadmap

Stage 1

Initial proof-of-concept. [DONE]

  • CLI Build Abstraction of LG Webos (run-webos, run-webos-dev)
  • Create a guide or script to Install all LG WebOS environment
  • Renderer ReactElements to simple DOM
    • Support HOF and HOC
    • Support State and Lifecycle
    • Keyboard Navigation
  • Check webos Platform
  • Migrate to React-Reconciler

Stage 2 [IN PROGRESS]

Implement essential functionality needed for daily use by early adopters.

  • Support render to Canvas instead DOM using React.CanvasComponent
  • run-webos support TV device as param
  • Optmizate DOMRenderer for TV
  • Start CLI for Tizen
  • Develop helpers for WebOS debbug (e.g: Log System).
  • Support Cross Platform
    • Check executable bin path for Windows, OSX and Linux
  • Bind all TV key listeners on React.Element
  • Improve documentation
  • Benchmark it

Stage 3

Add additional features users expect from a Renderer. Then fix bugs and stabilize through continuous daily use. At this point we can start to experiment with innovative ideas and paradigms.

  • Start CLI for Orsay
  • Update Benchmarks
  • Handle common errors
  • Reactive Renderer
  • Testing and stability

See ReactTV's Changelog.

Currently ReactTV is licensed by MIT License

Credits

Thanks react-dom for be example and a inspiration code :)