A new online catch-up service has begun in Finland, featuring Restart functionality, and using MPEG DASH and HbbTV 1.5 technology.
Ruutu, already available online, is now running on the Finnish digital TV network. It’s a collaboration between Nelonen Media, Digita and Sofia Digital.
Viewers equipped with an HbbTV 1.5 receiver can use the service that matches what’s already available on web and mobile versions. The launch is running as a live beta and will be developed further according to viewer feedback.
Kai Taka-Aho, senior vice president, Online at Nelonen Media said: “You can restart a current programme by pressing a button on the remote control when you have the Ruutu application in a smart television and you can access other free-of-charge online content in the Ruutu service. For the viewer, this means an increase in content supply and the opportunity to watch a favourite programme at a suitable time on television. In addition, there is a new functionality that will allow the viewer to restart a programme and watch other episodes of the same series”.
MPEG DASH is the main enhancement of the HbbTV 1.5 specification that has been adopted as part of the NorDig Unified 2.5 specification to be adopted in various markets in Scandinavia.
Both the new Ruutu HbbTV service and Digita’s existing HbbTV platform are built on Sofia Backstage HbbTV solution which is deployed already in several markets in addition to Finland: Hungary, Estonia and Turkey.
