The constant strive to up the game of application development touches upon all departments, devices and platforms. That phenomenon is no stranger to the line of building TV apps where efficiency and speed are paramount. The question always is, is there something that would revolutionize the processes of development? Particularly something that would bring benefits to both, the teams involved and the users.
The pursuit of discovering new, powerful tools lead to the increased popularity of LightningJS and LightningJS TV apps. Let’s look into this topic to discover how this framework became one of the top contenders in the industry.

What is LightningJS

At its core, LightningJS is an open-source JavaScript framework for TV application development. The main objectives of its existence are accelerating the development and simplifying the structures used to create the final product and its components. The distinctiveness of this framework derives from the use of WebGL application programming interface for rendering. Thus it creates an environment that doesn’t require HTML nor CSS for layout modelling.

What’s special about Lightning is that it is highly portable and serves multiple major platforms from Smart TVs and Set-top-boxes to all devices running on the HTML5 browser. It performs well on different operating systems and native applications. Such high portability creates a perfect environment to make informed choices regarding used tools. Unlike other popular frameworks, it doesn’t force the developers to comply with top-down software limitations.

Lightning VS HTML DOM

The comparison of Lightning JS and HTML DOM has to come from a greater understanding of different approaches to front-end development. Although this topic on its own is very broad, its simplest explanation is that Lightning is architecturally component-based. One may say that it utilizes certain building blocks which abstract a great deal of manual work. HTML DOM is more of a means to directly manipulate the structured representation of the HTML document with the use of JavaScript.

Main benefits of LightningJS

Cross-platform development

When we take a closer look at the variety of devices and operating systems of use, native development is not only time-consuming but often the costs can outweigh the advantages. One of the main benefits of Lightning JS applications is that they can be simultaneously built for a wide variety of platforms, AKA operating cross-platform. Thanks to its adaptability it’s possible to create a seamless and flawless experience across all of the application versions.

Scalability

Expansion of the project scope may prove to be challenging. Fortunately the modular architecture of this popular framework is a way to combat that issue. The reusable components are built to be implemented along the way without a hiccup. Scalable properties of Lightning JS apps can accommodate growing data and user bases as well as new features.

Faster development

The component-based structural build proves to be a critical factor when it comes to the time of solution development. By focusing on applications with VOD services LightningJS provides ready functionalities and components that solve many of the common problems that developers face when creating applications for, for example, TV sets. We are talking here, among others, about the thoughtfully designed and pre-existing navigation functionality using the remote control or even about providing the Asset List component.

High performance

The use of WebGL is one of Lightning’s best advantages as it is responsible for the heightened speed of animating objects. WebGL’s access to Hardware Acceleration allows for maintaining great quality of even advanced animations.

Lightning  strikes

It’s no surprise that this framework became such a popular choice among content owners and agencies. It has rapidly taken a seat among the most popular solutions available on the market.
What can we take out of this shift in the media industry?

Our experiences with LightningJS proved that it is a magnificent tool that empowers the parties involved in solution creation in designing and releasing powerful and dynamic applications. The right skills and knowledge allow specialists to make the most of the functionalities that can be designed with Lightning.
In conclusion, detailed consultations are the key to success when thinking about choosing technologies for projects and Lightning is definitely one to consider.