The General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union has given its support to Hybrid Broadband Broadcasting (HBB), describing the technology as “one of the most exciting developments in the media today”.
The EBU is attempting to bring together the various HBB systems, HbbTV, MHP and Canvas, but it was the commercial HbbTV that goes live in Germany that was demonstrated to delegates. It is expected that HbbTV receivers will be in the German market in time for Christmas, enabling news, information, and catch-up TV services. In a statement, the EBU said efforts were being made to develop a “common core” that would be universally used.
Last week the HbbTV consortium, which comprises over 20 different companies, passed its draft specification for approval by the European standards body ETSI.
