September 2, 2015

HbbTV 2.0 Specification Released

 

Sets Foundation for Innovative TV Services in 2016 & Beyond

GENEVA — Feb 10, 2015 — The HbbTV Association, a global initiative dedicated to providing an open standard for the delivery of broadcast and broadband services through connected TVs and set-top boxes, today announced the release of the new HbbTV 2.0 specification. HbbTV 2.0 paves the way for a new wave of consumer TV services based on advances including companion device support, HTML5 user experiences and support for advanced video delivery features like Ultra HD and HEVC. The HbbTV Association anticipates that manufacturers, broadcasters, and operators will begin introducing a new generation of interactive broadcast and broadband TV services in 2016.

With HbbTV 2.0, consumers will be able to enjoy a wide range of new services including:

• Advanced user experiences based on HTML5
• Seamless viewing of video content across TV, Smartphones, PCs and Tablets
• Innovative companion applications that enhance the TV experience with detailed program info, voting, play to screen and other use cases
• Standardized delivery of Ultra HD content with HEVC
• Improved accessibility of services with better support for subtitles in multiple languages
• Access to broadcast content captured to local storage in the receiver
• Support for consumer privacy

Broadcasters, pay TV operators and OTT video providers will benefit from the many new features in the HbbTV 2.0 specification, including:

• Synchronization of broadcast and broadband streams to augment the broadcast stream with additional audio channels and other advanced features
• Media and application synchronization between TV, tablets and smartphones
• Secure playback for adaptive streaming technologies
• Support for new advertising models

To achieve these benefits, the new specification adds a range of new technologies and features including support for HTML5, DVB CI Plus 1.4, HEVC video and TTML subtitles. It also enhances support for existing technologies including MPEG DASH, DSM-CC object carousel, synchronisation of apps to TV and user input. It is designed to ensure that HbbTV 1.0 and HbbTV 1.5 applications will continue to work on HbbTV 2.0 devices.

The HbbTV Association is also immediately launching its tender process for the supply of an HbbTV 2.0 Test Suite. It is anticipated that the test suite will become available in 2016, enabling the launch of HbbTV 2.0 compliant products and services that year.

“The HbbTV Association is pleased to announce the HbbTV 2.0 specification which sets the stage to introduce exciting new services in 2016. The specification benefits consumers and broadcasters by introducing new and innovative ways for enjoying TV programming” said Klaus Illgner, Chair, HbbTV Association. “With HbbTV 2.0, consumers will be able to explore a richer, more immersive experience with new applications, exciting user interfaces and support for companion devices. This is an important milestone for the industry and represents the efforts of HbbTV Association members who have worked to define the specifications for the next wave of TV based on HbbTV.”

Downloads:

• HbbTV 2.0 specification – is now available at www.hbbtv.org/pages/about_hbbtv/HbbTV_specification_2_0.pdf

About HbbTV Association (www.hbbtv.org)

Hybrid broadcast broadband TV (or “HbbTV”) is a global initiative aimed at harmonizing the broadcast and broadband delivery of entertainment services to consumers through connected TVs, set-top boxes and multiscreen devices. The HbbTV specification is developed by industry leaders to improve the video user experience for consumers by enabling innovative, interactive services over broadcast and broadband networks. The specification uses elements of existing specifications from other standards including OIPF, CEA, DVB, MPEG-DASH and W3C. In June 2014, the activities of the Open IPTV Forum (OIPF) were transferred to the HbbTV Association. This broadened the HbbTV Association’s mandate to include defining specifications for service providers and technology suppliers that streamline and accelerate deployment of IPTV services.

HbbTV Association Contacts:

Kirk Edwardson and Régis Saint Girons
Co-Chairs, HbbTV Marketing Group
Email: press@hbbtv.org