The 16th Plugfest and HbbTV Testing Event concluded today at Fraunhofer FOKUS in Berlin after five days of intensive interoperability testing.
Organised by Deutsche TV-Plattform (DTVP) and Digital Television Group (DTG) in cooperation with the HbbTV Association, the event recorded the highest participation in its history.
More than 30 companies from 13 countries – including Germany, Belgium, China, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, Poland, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the USA – sent their development teams to Berlin to take part in around 200 testing sessions. The participants worked with hardware and software close to market readiness, including a wide range of smart TVs, set-top boxes and HDMI test devices, as well as content services from public and commercial broadcasters.
The testing covered a broad spectrum of topics, from various HbbTV functionalities and accessibility features to the design of DVB-I services, HDMI interoperability and immersive audio soundchecks.
“Content providers want to offer viewers the highest possible quality of content across all distribution channels. At the same time, device manufacturers and infrastructure operators aim to ensure a seamless hybrid TV experience. The Plugfest is the only place where all market participants come together to test all functions and new standards for interoperability and make quick adjustments where necessary,” explained the organisers Stefan Kunz, Head of the UHD Working Group of DTVP, and Frank Heineberg, Head of the Media over IP Working Group of DTVP.
The results of the tests remain confidential and are available only to the participating teams, feeding directly into their ongoing product and service development.