At German media sector event, Medientage München, IRT and TARA Systems have presented the use of HbbTV applications in IPTV networks. More than half the TV devices sold in Germany provide HbbTV technology and the option to connect them to the internet. HbbTV allows the use of catch-up TV portals, improved teletext, games, interactive features and other Smart TV applications.
So far in Germany, HbbTV applications have been limited to the TV signals for terrestrial TV (DVB-T), satellite TV (DVB-S) and cable TV (DVB-C) networks. IRT has shown that this potential can be used for IPTV networks too.
Last year, the Bundeskartellamt (German Federal Cartel Office) issued a formal decision to remove the encryption of SDTV channels of the ProSiebenSat.1 and RTL group. In combination with the freely available public broadcasting channels of ARD and ZDF, this allows an open receiver device market to open up in the IPTV segment. IRT in its role as mediator between broadcasters, the CE device industry and network operators coordinated a showcase of this possibility at Medientage München.
The demonstration used the unencrypted signals of the IPTV network of the Deutsche Telekom AG which already include the HbbTV signalization. TARA Systems supports the presentation with a prototype of an IPTV set-top-box based on TARA’s Inaris DVB/IPTV-Middleware which handles the HbbTV services. IRT has developed a cross-programme EPG on the basis of HbbTV.
“With the signalization in IPTV the European standard HbbTV develops an additional and important distribution way. Our showcase underlines the universal applicability of this open standard for all distribution systems”, says Dr. Klaus Illgner-Fehns, IRT’s Managing Director.
“Due to the decision of the Bundeskartellamt, the standard transmission is already based on open IPTV and our own increased activities in the field of IPTV, we were able to realize with comparably little effort these modifications in our DVB/IPTV-Middleware and HbbTV solution.” says Alexander Wass, TARA’s Managing Director.
