HbbTV is making its mark felt across Europe, but there is still life in MHEG-5, writes Julian Clover
The statement from the Digital TV Group that it had given its approval to HbbTV-based connected TV hybrid products raised a few eyebrows, not least from those who support the MHEG-5 standard that has supported UK Red Button services for the past 12 or so years.
The UK finds itself in a rather strange position when it comes to connected TV services. On the one hand the market is waiting for the arrival of YouView, expected early next year, yet at the same time we have both proprietary systems emerging and the sleeping giant that is the MHEG Interaction Channel.
That giant might be about to wake up; this weekend a World Light-Heavyweight title challenge between Nathan Cleverly and Tony Bellew will give boxing fans at least the incentive to connect their Freeview HD boxes to the internet. The majority of the two million or so Freeview HD boxes in the market are compliant to the D Book 6.2.1.
However, some do not support MHEG streaming as they were finished before the standards were completed.
Already the BBC iPlayer can be viewed through MHEG-IC and now Slipstream is underway with its white label service that will carry the boxing coverage as part of the Sport Tonight channel.
These services are essential for growth, and one would assume that sooner or later catch-up services from ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 will appear. They are needed because the BBC has said it will reduce the amount of capacity given over to Red Button to a single stream once the Olympics are completed.
So why the fuss about HbbTV? Other than making a good headline, haven’t we already got something the equal of HbbTV?
Rewind to the start of YouView and the dance between the DTG and the then BBC-backed project. I remember spending time trying to work out where on the interactive stack YouView sat and what elements were in common with HbbTV. Commonality is the key and even the new generation of Freesat boxes that are expected to include HbbTV will still have MHEG. Whatever happens to Red Button there are still assorted text-based services to be carried.
Meanwhile in addition to its presence in Australia and New Zealand, MHEG is still being selected for new projects in Ireland and most recently Ghana.
What did Mark Twain say again?
