A long-term, active contributor to the Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) community, Opera Software now claims to be leading the way by offering the first HbbTV 2.0 software development kit.
The company said the new version will allow broadcasters to provide their viewers with a new level of interactivity with their content.
Frode Hernes, VP of products at Opera TV and a member of the Hybrid Broadcast and Broadband Association, said, “HbbTV is a way for broadcasters to engage with viewers and to lead them to their online offerings, which keeps viewers from leaving the broadcast content.”
HbbTV 2.0 builds on HbbTV versions 1.1 and 1.5, which are already deployed in the European broadcast markets.
Opera’s HbbTV 2.0 SDK includes upgraded application management and APIs necessary to create fully HbbTV 2.0 compliant devices. TV manufacturers that integrate HbbTV 2.0 could deploy HbbTV 2.0 devices in early 2016.
HbbTV provides a uniform platform for content owners, defining a profile of HTML, JavaScript and other standards – including the means of streaming and rendering video content. This makes it possible for content owners to re-use the same applications on many devices on many platforms.
More important is the fact that HbbTV is the only modern standard that broadcasters can use to enrich their programming on the TV screen with interactive features.
Stand 14.E2o
