❝ The way we watch TV is changing . We now talk about second , third and even fourth screens . Offering a complete experience on the one ‘ big screen ’ destination makes intuitive sense . Let ’ s see if the audience agrees .❞
March 2017
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Another HbbTV deployment in Asia-Pacific is FreeviewPlus New Zealand , which brings together broadcast content from live channels and on-demand content from Television New Zealand ( TVNZ ), Maori Television and Mediaworks .
with the former coordinating a move away from the Multimedia Home Platform ( MHP ) standard to HbbTV . The latter , meanwhile , will move beyond legacy MHEG technology ( MHEG-5 ) to industry-wide adoption of HbbTV 2.0.1 .
This is a strategy that the UK public broadcaster BBC intends to follow , in time for equipment manufacturers to build HbbTV into 2018 product cycles .
The BBC will remove the MHEG requirement from the ‘ BBC Interactive HTML application ’ specification , and work with industry partners to align other specifications such as the D-Book owned by the DTG ( Digital TV Group ), and the Freeview Play specification and Trade Mark License framework managed by Digital UK and Freeview .
The BBC also believes that support for HbbTV 2.0.1 addresses the feedback received to date from manufacturers and balances the needs of audiences , and will drive the industry forward , providing a better environment for UK free-to-air services .
Agreeing that HbbTV is becoming increasingly important , Shad Hashmi , VP , digital development , global markets and operation at BBC Worldwide Asia , tells APB : “ The way we watch TV is changing . We now talk about second , third and even fourth screens . Offering a complete experience on the one ‘ big screen ’ destination makes intuitive sense . Let ’ s see if the audience agrees .”
Audiences ’ attention and , arguably , imaginations are now increasingly being captured by video streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video . The issue for both , says the EBU ’ s MacAvock , is having to develop and maintain individual platforms for each of the TV set vendors on which they want to appear .
This , he points out , is exactly the problem that HbbTV set out to address , and thus far , successfully . With over-the-top ( OTT ) becoming increasingly popular around the world — in Europe and Asia- Pacific alike — HbbTV is providing an open platform for broadcasters and content providers to deploy attractive OTT content .
“ In the true sense of the word , HbbTV prides itself on its broadcast heritage , affording a set of enhanced services on top of linear TV ,” MacAvock continues . “ Of course , the modern HbbTV isn ’ t just triggered by a linear broadcast , and this is being exploited by many in the European market .”
In January this year , the HbbTV Association also announced a Request for Proposals ( RfP ) for the creation of a reference application for online streaming of DRM
( digital rights management ) - protected video to HbbTV TV sets and STBs .
Through this initiative , HbbTV aims to make it easier for broadcasters and content providers to monetise content in the HbbTV ecosystem by providing a known working application with content that they can use as a model for their own services , says the HbbTV Association .
While HbbTV may not be as widely deployed in Asia-Pacific as it is in Europe , this is likely to change as the region ’ s digital switchover nears completion , and as Internet infrastructures begin to be built up , suggests David Mouen , senior market manager , broadcast at Harmonic .
Describing HbbTV as “ the component within the DVB framework that enables inter activity ”, he says : “ Most Asian countries selected DVB-T2 as the standard for digital terrestrial televison ( DTT ) services . Utilising HbbTV , broadcasters have an opportunity to deliver a hybrid broadcast and broadband service , and compete against online video services providers like Netflix .”
Some notable current HbbTV deployments in Asia-Pacific include FreeviewPlus in both Australia and New Zealand , while Singapore terrestrial broadcaster Mediacorp is offering its Toggle Red Button service . Powered by HbbTV , the Toggle Red Button service brings together live broadcast TV and Toggle ’ s — Mediacorp ’ s OTT service — catalogue of VoD services into a
“ single , seamless environment ”, as Mediacorp describes .
Mediacorp ’ s Toggle Red Button service is a prime example of how broadcasters can use HbbTV to deliver a variety of advanced TV services , according to Mouen . These , he details , include linear streaming , non-linear offerings such as start-over , catch-up TV and VoD , as well as targeted advertising , gaming , voting and emergency messaging .
He continues : “ With regards to linear streaming , HbbTV enables broadcasters to take advantage of broadband capacity to deliver secondary channels , temporary channels and live events , saving costs on over-the-air spectrum .”
Another key benefit offered by HbbTV , Mouen believes , is how it allows broadcasters to have more insightful monitoring and analysis of their audiences , while HbbTV advertising can potentially open up new avenue revenues for broadcasters . “ For instance , broadcasters can deliver the same TV programme with a different ad for households with various profiles , improving their monetisation of the ad inventory ,” he explains .
As a company , Harmonic has supported , and will continue to support , future versions of HbbTV . This is manifested in developments that include videoquality enhancements , videocompression optimisation , as well as HEVC / H . 265 and AVC / H . 264 compression improvements . These will all make OTT delivery more efficient and , therefore , will
❝ The way we watch TV is changing . We now talk about second , third and even fourth screens . Offering a complete experience on the one ‘ big screen ’ destination makes intuitive sense . Let ’ s see if the audience agrees .❞
— Shad Hashmi , VP , Digital Development , Global Markets and Operation , BBC Worldwide Asia enable more HbbTV deployments , Mouen concludes .
For broadcasters looking to start HbbTV deployments in Asia-Pacific , the EBU ’ s MacAvock relates Europe ’ s experiences , where , initially , leading applications for HbbTV were based on enhanced informational services , catch-up TV and the notable addi tion of events linked to a main broadcast event .
“ Typically , large sporting events offer an opportunity to follow less popular sports , or matches , via HbbTV ,” he notes .
Or perhaps , HbbTV offers a chance for the brave to launch new services , as Polish public broadcaster TVP demonstrated in 2015 when launching trial 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) OTT services . According to MacAvock , TVP , via HbbTV , was able to deliver immersive object-based audio and 4K / UHD pictures over the Internet to customers with TV sets capable of receiving the service .
Critically , TVP was able to do this without having to disrupt their mainstream services . Citing the TVP trial as one to emulate , MacAvock adds : “ Many in the EBU feel that HbbTV will be the main vehicle for the delivery of 4K / UHD services to customers in the short term .”
In the long term , HbbTV is a partnership between the key stakeholders in the industry , he emphasises . These include broadcasters , consumer electronics providers , network operators and technology vendors , collectively providing the requirements to produce a good specification .
“ But it ’ s all about the services ,” MacAvock says . “ We at the EBU have focused on pushing the public service media organisations to deploy HbbTV services , exploiting the platform , and encouraging others to adopt it .”
“ Asia promises to be the next big market for HbbTV , and we will work with our sister union — the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union ( ABU ) — to provide the necessary forums for exchanging best practices .”
SDVoE brings convergence to A / V signal distribution
With the aim of standardising the adoption of Ethernet to transport A / V signals in professionals A / V environments , six companies have come together to form the software-defined video-over-Ethernet ( SDVoE ) Alliance .
Consisting of AptoVision , Aquantia , Christie Digital , Netgear , Sony and ZeeVee , the SDVoE Alliance will also work towards creating an ecosystem around SDVoE technology that allows software to define A / V applications , as well as cost-effective architectures for A / V signal distribution using Ethernet switches .
With the formation of the SDVoE Alliance , the idea of AV / IT convergence can become reality , suggested Justin Kennington , president of the SDVoE Alliance .
“ The SDVoE Alliance and its technology finally provide the platform that is necessary to enable it ,” he explained . “ Using 10Gb Ethernet hardware to move video with flawless quality and zero latency is only the beginning . The creation of a software platform enables the development of whole new classes of applications not yet conceived .”
At last month ’ s Integrated Systems Europe 2017 in Amsterdam , the Netherlands , the SDVoE made its debut with a series of demonstrations showcasing what SDVoE technology is capable of delivering .
These include a “ full stack solution ” for AV-over-IP , zero-latency 4K60 over Ethernet , 4K60 with high dynamic range ( HDR ), an application development platform , and A / V processing with simple controls .
Toru Suzuki , deputy senior general manager , B2B ( business-to-business ) segment business division , professional solutions and services group , Sony , said : “ High image quality and low transport latency are both required in the B2B field , and we expect SDVoE technology to enable an ideal AV-over-IP product solution .
“ By incorporating SDVoE ’ s high-bandwidth , processing flexibility and longdistance connectivity , our latest display systems are able to create immersive experiences more flexibly .”