The CEO of French streaming platform Salto has called on the HbbTV Association to take urgent action to produce an ecosystem that is “Viable for the future”.
Delivering the keynote presentation at the 9th Annual HbbTV Symposium in Paris, Thomas Follin said HbbTV fulfilled the major requirements needed by a broadcaster, but there was a big gap in the triangle between broadcasters (publishers), the HbbTV Association and manufacturers that needed reinforcing with more dialogue with manufacturers.
Hybrid broadcast broadband TV (or “HbbTV”) is a global initiative aimed at harmonising the broadcast and broadband delivery of entertainment services to consumers through connected TVs, set?top boxes and multiscreen devices.
Follin said the practical deployment of HbbTV was “really tough”. Describing the test of a new service on the French DTT platform (known locally as TNT), he said only 10 per cent of the devices in the market were found to be compatible.
“Maybe it was us and we didn’t develop the application well, maybe it was the DRM, maybe the French market isn’t mature enough. In the end, it did not work,” he told delegates. “There were three parties around the table; HbbTV Association, that specifies; manufacturers that integrate the specification and publishers that develop with this specification, and working together was clearly not efficient.
“HbbTV is meant to be a pan-European certification and there should be no difference between any of the countries. We should have the same issues everywhere.”
Follin emphasised that it was important for HbbTV to be there and everyone had to roll up their sleeves to make it happen.
