Sophia Antipolis, 16 November 2015

An enriched experience for interactive TV on all devices

ETSI has just released the latest specification on hybrid broadcast broadband TV (HbbTV), TS 102 796 V1.3.1, which corresponds to HbbTV 2.0. The latest HbbTV release adds support for new capabilities including companion device support, HTML5 user experience and support for advanced video delivery features such as Ultra HD and High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) to enhance the consumer experience. The HbbTV standard allows creation of TV services that combine broadcast and over-the-top content. This hybrid broadcast broadband TV standard creates a global open platform as an alternative to proprietary technologies and extends the user experience.

To date, over 20 countries have launched HbbTV services. These services enable consumers to access a broader range of content which enhances the broadcast programme. It also allows broadcasters to include advanced interactive services and Internet applications such as information services, catch-up services, video-on-demand, electronic programme guide, and interactive advertising. Users can access these services through connected TVs, set-top boxes, and through the connection with a companion screen, on smart phones, computers and tablets. Products and services using the HbbTV standard can operate over different DVB broadcasting technologies, such as satellite, cable, or terrestrial networks.

The newly released version of TS 102 796 specification includes enhanced features taking into account evolving technologies such as HTML5, HEVC for broadband-delivered video and Timed Text Markup Language for broadband-delivered subtitles and improved user privacy. It also adds support for communication and synchronization between an application on a TV/set-top box and a related application on a smart phone or tablet. Video/audio files can be pushed via broadcast to local storage in a device for later consumption.