German industry association Deutsche TV-Plattform has published the minimum requirements for HbbTV 2 devices in the German market.
They define the technical profile for new services planned by TV broadcasters in Germany from the second half of 2019. The minimum requirements are based on version 2.0.1 of the HbbTV standard developed by the HbbTV Association.
They are primarily aimed at developers in the consumer electronics industry and describe the features of the HbbTV 2 specification necessary for the introduction of new services and applications on HbbTV devices, such as live streaming via DVB DASH, the distribution of HEVC-encoded content or the support of HDR via HbbTV, as well as associated implementation questions and test material.
The minimum requirements were developed within the smart media working group in collaboration with German broadcast technology institute IRT and other companies and organisations. They can be downloaded from Deutsche TV-Plattform’s website. The annex to the document contains a list of the currently available test material; it is continuously updated.
“Thanks to our broad membership base, we succeeded in moderating the dialogue on future requirements for the HbbTV 2 standard at an early stage – especially between broadcasters and the hardware industry. This sets the course for the future development of HbbTV services and the expansion of the broadcasters’ HbbTV offers. It brings additional value to viewers and customers and opens up new growth opportunities for our members,” said Andre Prahl, chairman of Deutsche TV-Plattform.
Vincent Grivet, chairman of the HbbTV Association, added: “We are very happy to see the German market endorse the HbbTV 2.0.1 version for its new definition of minimum receiver requirements. This will bring a whole set of new possibilities and flexibility to application and service providers, meaning better and richer services for consumers. HbbTV is continuously improving and expanding its specifications, and it is very good to see the industry take advantage of it.”
