“Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV” (HbbTV) is a global initiative to develop open standards for the provision of interactive TV services via broadcast and broadband. Many broadcasters in Europe and other markets already offer HbbTV services. Using the red button on the remote control, viewers can access HbbTV services such as media libraries, EPG (Electronic Program Guides), alternative live streams, personalized advertising, restart function, news, weather and special apps for popular TV shows. The HbbTV technology is built into current TV sets as standard. An essential benefit for broadcasters in this respect is that only with a single implementation of the HbbTV app can users be reached on all HbbTV-enabled TV sets. Thus, it is not necessary to develop a separate app for each TV platform.
The focus of HbbTV has so far been on enriching broadcast services with interactive offers and requires corresponding signaling via DVB (T/C/S). By implementing HbbTV in an OTT environment, e.g. in linear TV steaming offers provided by most network operators and OTT streaming services, there would be an opportunity to further enhance the experience by engaging the user in the context in which they consume the content, similar to a broadcast environment. This allows broadcasters to deliver HbbTV offerings quickly and efficiently via a standardized platform, as opposed to extensive app integration with broadcaster-owned content for the various platforms. Here is where the HbbTV library for OTT comes into place. It enables HbbTV on OTT devices and platforms by supporting the same HbbTV applications developed for broadcast environment without any modification. It offers APIs for providing HbbTV-related signaling information, which is transmitted within the transport stream in a broadcast environment.
Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems
