❝ HbbTV is a widely adopted standard in the very matured markets around the world , such as the US , Europe , Russia and various parts of Asia , which are beginning to use it . It allows operators to not just deliver linear TV , but also VoD , as and when viewers want to consume media . Basically , it means that viewers can consume media at their own convenience .❞
May 2018
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HbbTV on their digital terrestrial television ( DTT ) networks . Other countries such as Thailand , Indonesia , Brunei and Myanmar , are either performing trials or are evaluating the adoption of HbbTV , he adds .
The HbbTV Association has also published a new version of the HbbTV 2.0.2 core specification . This update is designed to enable HbbTV applications to benefit from new 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) video and audio technologies , such as high dynamic range ( HDR ), high frame rate ( HFR ), and next-generation audio ( NGA ), delivered as streaming services using , for instance , MPEG-DASH .
“ Besides , it is also a way to enable the use of new audio and video technologies to deliver HD and 4K / UHD with much better pixel quality to HbbTV-compliant devices ,” Pettazzi continues . “ One relevant use case is the capability of delivering enhanced 4K / UHD content to DTT / HbbTV-enabled connected devices , where DTT networks are normally unable to deliver 4K / UHD content .
“ The HbbTV 2.0.2 specification has been under development since October 2017 . Many HbbTV devices already support these technologies today , but there has been no standardised way to use these features . The new specification defines a common standard mechanism for accessing them from HbbTV applications .”
Calling the HbbTV specifications as “ industry standard ” that provide enhanced solutions to broadcasters and operators , Pettazi explains that these standard specifications allow media companies to directly control the design and the distribution of applications to the widest possible audience using HbbTV-enabled TV sets from every manufacturer brand .
More importantly , he suggests that the specifications bring forth the advantages of granting access to interactive services from broadcasters and operators , thus allowing them to exploit the wider reach of their channels .
Pettazi concludes : “ In today ’ s broadcast ecosystem , broadcasters and media operators are looking to enhance their channels offerings . The Internet competition is requiring that TVs , as a result of the connectivity enabled through smart TV features , would be able to offer additional functionalities provided by the nature of bidirectional connectivity .
“ From the viewer perspective , in the early days , the most relevant HbbTV activity came from public service broadcasters , and the most common apps were electronic programme guides ( EPGs ) and teletext replacement apps . Today , the industry is witnessing growing
Frode Hemes , senior vice-president of product management at Vewd , points out two roles that HbbTV plays in today ’ s media landscape . Firstly , it is a unified standard combining both OTT and broadcast , and secondly , it empowers media companies to enhance their content offering by adding interactivity and content promotion .
activity from commercial broadcasters , with services appearing even in IPTV networks , with apps that add value to broadcast services .
“ And the next step moving forward will be the dynamic ad substitution of a broadcast ad with a personalised ad delivered via broadband .”
For Vewd , an over-the-top ( OTT ) solutions provider and a member of the HbbTV Association , the company recently sealed a multi-year contract renewal with Vestel , a manufacturer of consumer electronics and home appliances in Europe , which will see more Vewd products delivered across the full range of Vestel ’ s TV sets . This agreement , according to both companies , will result in one of the largest deployments of smart TVs with the HbbTV standard that allows streaming video to merge with linear TV .
Hakan Kutlu , vice-president , marketing and product management , Vestel , says : “ Vestel has relied on Vewd to deliver the most compelling OTT platform on millions of smart TV sets each year . For our brands , the quality of the OTT experience is paramount . Vewd is the only partner we trust to deliver both premium content , and the latest streaming technologies to millions of households .”
Leveraging the HbbTV 2.0.1 specification to create new experiences , these new Vewd-enabled
❝ HbbTV is a widely adopted standard in the very matured markets around the world , such as the US , Europe , Russia and various parts of Asia , which are beginning to use it . It allows operators to not just deliver linear TV , but also VoD , as and when viewers want to consume media . Basically , it means that viewers can consume media at their own convenience .❞
The HbbTV Association reports a growing number of HbbTV deployments around the world . In Europe , Freenet TV Connect is an HbbTV-based streaming service accompanying German DVB-T2 platform Freenet TV . In Asia-Pacific , Freeview Australia , a digital TV service launched in 2008 , offers Freeview Plus , a catchup TV enhanced EPG service built on HbbTV .
and Vestel-manufactured smart TV sets are equipped with capabilities such as companion screen sync , which is the synchronisation of companion screen audio and video with a live TV broadcast .
Dynamic OTT insertion , meanwhile , is an integration of broadcast and IP content , such as dynamically adding a streaming local news programme to follow a national news broadcast , or providing personalised advertising during the broadcast of a TV programme .
Frode Hemes , senior vicepresident of product management , Vewd , identifies two major roles that HbbTV plays in today ’ s media and broadcast landscape : n HbbTV defines a unified standard for both OTT and broadcast , and simplifies the deployment of content in a complex ,
— Ken Loke , CCO , Eutelsat Asia multi-vendor ecosystem . And as some of the content is carried over a one-way broadcast channel , having a robust standard is “ absolutely necessary ”. n It makes it possible for broadcasters to enhance their own content , add interactivity , more robust targeting and content promotion . This is crucial for broadcasters who are still garnering attention from viewers via traditional revenues , but are on a migration path to subscription video-on-demand ( SVoD ) and other online services .
Hemes adds : “ After many years of HbbTV shipments in the core European markets , we see that the full ecosystem is getting mature . The standard is stable and robust , the certification test suite has good coverage , and software is available from experienced vendors such as Vewd . This means that broadcasters can roll out new services and content fast and inexpensively , trusting that the audience has the tools they need to consume it .”
Another member of the HbbTV Association is Eutelsat , which has collaborated with Abertis , Arqiva , Httv , Quadrille and TDF to develop the push video-on-demand ( VoD ) functionality based on HbbTV 2.0 standard . This , according to Eutelsat , unleashes the potential of
push VoD technologies by standardising the distribution system , paving the way for the benefits of the economics of scale in consumers electronics .
And by leveraging both broadcast and broadband infrastructures , Eutelsat adds that HbbTV is able to provide the cost and quality advantages of broadcast while offering the flexibility of broadband .
Other key benefits that the push VoD functionality offers include : n Video service providers can focus on the backend while benefit ing from an installed base of consumer electronic devices that is compatible with their solutions . n Independent actors ( single broadcasters or independent VoD providers ) can have access to a technology previously restricted to TV platforms controlling the receiver STB at end-viewer level . n Smaller TV platforms can benefit from mass-market economies of scale , avoiding the integration process of a specific proprietary push VoD technology . n Consumer electronic vendors can provide their customers with VoD services , irrespective of Internet connection speeds , and from a wide selection of new service providers who will adopt this version of HbbTV .
Ken Loke , CCO of Eutelsat Asia , says : “ It ’ s been 20 years since the invention of the Internet , and 10 years since smartphones came into the market . The emergence of these technologies has brought forth a word — data . Everything is converging to data — from broadcast , audio , video and news — and the industry is digitising practically to get everything into data , and to deliver that in one single platform .”
Suggesting that the way materials and media are being consumed have changed , Loke points out that it is the incidental consumption of media that is overtaking linear programming and linear channels . He continues : “ There is a need to change the way media is delivered , and at Eutelsat , we are reinventing and innovating in the media distribution sphere . For us satellite operators , as well as direct-to-home ( DTH ) service providers , HbbTV is an extension to DTH platforms , adding on new dimensions of ondemand services .
“ HbbTV is a widely adopted standard in the very matured markets around the world , such as the US , Europe , Russia and various parts of Asia , which are beginning to use it . It allows operators to not just deliver linear TV , but also VoD , as and when viewers want to consume media . Basically , it means that viewers can consume media at their own convenience .”