Abstract: A method and device for providing downloaded objects to an application including downloading from a received transport stream a module containing an object requested by an application, storing the downloaded module, monitoring whether the stored module is the current version, when the application requests an object of a stored module and the stored module is a current version, providing the application with the object from the stored module, and when the application requests an object of a stored module and the stored module is not a current version, copying only the objects of the stored module still in use by the application, downloading the current version of the stored module and overwriting the stored module with the downloaded current version of the stored module.

Abstract: A method and system for optimizing the time required to download objects from an Object Carousel used in a DVB system is provided. The method comprises ensuring that all the directory object representations are located in a subset of modules on the Data Carousel. This means that after one file object has been downloaded, most, if not all of the directory information of the virtual file system will have been resolved so that only a single module needs to be downloaded to access any further file objects.

Abstract: A method and device for downloading application data from a distributed application environment by requesting the downloading of a target object, downloading the target object, processing the target object, and where necessary, requesting the downloading of another object on which the target object depends. Simultaneous with processing the target object, the target object is parsed so as to determine all of the objects on which the target object depends and the objects are downloaded and stored such that the another object can be retrieved in response to the step of requesting the downloading of the another object.

Abstract: A method and device for providing downloaded objects to an application including downloading from a received transport stream a module containing an object requested by an application, storing the downloaded module, monitoring whether the stored module is the current version, when the application requests an object of a stored module and the stored module is a current version, providing the application with the object from the stored module, and when the application requests an object of a stored module and the stored module is not a current version, copying only the objects of the stored module still in use by the application, downloading the current version of the stored module and overwriting the stored module with the downloaded current version of the stored module.