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May 2020 - January 2021 • Full Stack

Unified Streaming TV Platform

Full-stack engineer on a cross-platform streaming TV application supporting iOS, tvOS, Android, FireTV, and Roku with live TV, DVR, and on-demand content.

Major telecommunications and media company providing TV, mobile, and internet services to millions of customers across the United States.

Project Overview

Contributed to the development of a unified streaming TV platform serving millions of subscribers across AT&T TV and WatchTV services. The application delivers live TV, cloud DVR, and on-demand content through a single React Native codebase that runs on iOS, tvOS, Android, FireTV, and Roku devices.

The Product

The streaming platform provides a comprehensive TV viewing experience:

Live TV

  • Access to 100+ live channels with real-time streaming
  • Interactive program guide with 24-hour schedule views
  • Channel favoriting and recently watched tracking
  • Live pause and rewind capabilities

Cloud DVR

  • Record individual programs or entire series
  • Manage upcoming and completed recordings
  • Series recording with episode tracking
  • Storage management and recording conflicts

On-Demand Content

  • Movies and TV show library
  • Continue watching across devices
  • Watchlist management
  • End card recommendations

Discovery & Search

  • Content discovery by genre, network, and category
  • Keyword search across live, DVR, and on-demand
  • Network detail pages with full show listings
  • Personalized recommendations

Technical Architecture

You.i Engine + React Native

The application uses You.i Engine, a cross-platform framework that enables a single React Native codebase to run natively on TV and mobile platforms:

  • React Native: JavaScript/TypeScript application logic and UI components
  • You.i Engine: Native rendering layer optimized for each platform
  • C++ Core: Shared native code for video playback and performance-critical features

State Management

Comprehensive Redux architecture with 50+ store modules:

  • Redux Toolkit: Modern Redux patterns with slices and thunks
  • Redux-Saga: Complex async workflows for streaming, authentication, and content loading
  • Redux-Persist: Offline state persistence for faster app launches

Key Store Modules

  • auth: Authentication state and token management
  • channels: Channel lineup and schedule data
  • currentVideo: Active playback state and controls
  • dvr: Recording management and status
  • guide: TV guide data and navigation
  • carousels: Content discovery rails
  • search: Search queries and results
  • settings: User preferences and parental controls

Key Contributions

Accessibility Implementation

Developed accessibility features across all platforms to ensure the streaming experience was available to users with disabilities:

  • Screen Reader Support: Implemented VoiceOver (iOS/tvOS) and TalkBack (Android) integration for visually impaired users
  • Focus Management: Built accessible focus indicators and navigation patterns for TV remote and keyboard users
  • Accessible Components: Created reusable accessible components with proper ARIA labels, roles, and announcements
  • Platform-Specific Adaptations: Addressed unique accessibility requirements for each platform (iOS, tvOS, Android, FireTV, Roku)
  • Dynamic Content Announcements: Implemented live region announcements for playback state changes, loading indicators, and error messages

Cross-Platform UI Development

Built reusable components that adapt to different form factors:

  • Developed components from the 97-component library used across all platforms
  • Implemented responsive layouts for phone, tablet, and TV screens
  • Built TV-optimized focus management and remote control navigation
  • Ensured all components met accessibility standards across platforms

Streaming Infrastructure

Contributed to video playback and DRM integration:

  • Implemented FairPlay DRM for iOS/tvOS secure content playback
  • Worked on Widevine integration for Android and FireTV
  • Built playback controls for live, DVR, and VOD content
  • Developed buffering and error handling for streaming reliability

Content Discovery Features

Built features for content browsing and search:

  • Implemented carousel components for content rails
  • Developed network detail pages with show listings
  • Built search functionality with keyword matching
  • Created content detail screens with metadata display

State Management

Contributed to Redux store architecture:

  • Developed store modules for feature areas
  • Implemented Redux-Saga workflows for async operations
  • Built selectors for efficient state access
  • Created action creators and reducers for state updates

Platform-Specific Challenges

TV Platforms (tvOS, FireTV, Roku)

TV development required different interaction patterns:

  • Focus Management: D-pad navigation instead of touch
  • 10-Foot UI: Larger text and touch targets for viewing distance
  • Remote Controls: Platform-specific button handling
  • Performance: Optimized for devices with limited memory

Mobile Platforms (iOS, Android)

Mobile required touch-optimized experiences:

  • Gesture Support: Swipe navigation and pinch-to-zoom
  • Orientation: Portrait and landscape layout support
  • Background Audio: Continue playback when backgrounded
  • Casting: Chromecast and AirPlay integration

Integrations

Analytics & Monitoring

Comprehensive tracking across the platform:

  • Nielsen: TV ratings and audience measurement
  • Conviva: Video quality and buffering analytics
  • Adobe Analytics: User behavior and conversion tracking
  • New Relic: Performance monitoring and crash reporting
  • Comscore: Digital audience measurement

Advertising

Ad insertion and monetization:

  • Yospace: Server-side ad insertion for live and VOD
  • XAAF: Interactive advertising framework
  • DAI: Dynamic ad insertion with seamless playback

User Feedback

  • Apptentive: In-app surveys and feedback collection

Development Environment

Build Systems

Platform-specific build tooling:

  • iOS/tvOS: Xcode with You.i generate scripts
  • Android/FireTV: Android Studio with Gradle
  • Roku: BrightScript thin client with cloud rendering

Testing

Comprehensive test coverage:

  • Jest: Unit testing for components and business logic
  • Integration Tests: API and service integration validation
  • Device Testing: Physical device testing across platforms

CI/CD

Automated build and deployment:

  • Jenkins: Automated builds for all platforms
  • App Center: Beta distribution for testing
  • TestFlight: iOS beta distribution

Technologies Deep Dive

The technology choices supported scale and cross-platform delivery:

  • You.i Engine enabled a single codebase to run natively on 6+ platforms while maintaining TV-grade performance
  • Redux-Saga managed complex streaming workflows including concurrent video sessions and background data refresh
  • TypeScript provided type safety across a large codebase with 60+ screens and 97 components
  • DRM Integration (FairPlay/Widevine) ensured content protection required by studios and networks
  • MetroBundler enabled rapid development with hot reload across all platforms

Technologies

React Native TypeScript Redux Redux-Saga You.i Engine Accessibility Jest Xcode Android Roku

Key Highlights

  • Built cross-platform streaming app supporting iOS, tvOS, Android, FireTV, and Roku from single codebase
  • Implemented accessibility features including screen reader support, focus management, and VoiceOver/TalkBack integration
  • Developed features for live TV, cloud DVR, on-demand content, and TV guide
  • Implemented DRM integration with FairPlay and Widevine for secure content playback
  • Contributed to Redux state management with 50+ store modules and Redux-Saga