European broadcasters develop hybrid-STB standard

A consortium of European broadcasters, satellite operators and software providers are collaborating on a new set-top box standard.

Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) aims to “harmonize the broadcast and broadband delivery of news, information and entertainment to the end consumer through TV’s and set-top boxes with an optional Web connection.”

According to the firms working on the project, “HbbTV products and services will provide the consumer with a seamless entertainment experience with the combined richness of broadcast and broadband.

“This entertainment experience will be delivered with the simplicity of one remote control, on one screen and with the ease of use of television that we are used to.”

As such, users will no longer have to switch between their TV and PC to watch different television programmes, but will be able to access all catch-up TV direct from their set-top box.

“By making the most of today’s hybrid receivers, HbbTV merges broadcasting and broadband services seamlessly to deliver value added content such as web and on demand in addition to traditional linear broadcast TV,” said Klaus Illgner-Fehns, one of the project’s developers.

HbbTV will compete directly with Canvas, a similar joint project by the BBC, ITV, and telecoms provider BT.

Canvas is set to launch in 2010, while HbbTV will be on show this week at the IFA show in Berlin.

Companies working on HbbTV include Canal+, France Televisions, TF1, Institut fuer Rundfunktechnik, SES Astra, OpenTV, and ANT.