If this is what it appears to be, it could be damn important – Internet videos streamed under broadcaster control direct to TV sets using the latest MHEG-5 middleware.
Strategy & Technology (S&T), which specializes in “interactive TV play out systems” and MHEG-5 middleware, has developed what it says is the first applications that streams Internet video to TV sets under broadcaster control using the latest MHEG-5 middleware specifications.
It worked with set-top box maker Humax, which is building set-top boxes with the technology built-in.
MHEG-5 is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardized by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group (MHEG). It is most commonly used as a language to describe interactive television services such as weather, sports, news and stock prices. It is used in the UK and New Zealand to provide interactive services for digital television.
S&T enhanced its RedKey 2 technology and MHEG applications to exploit the capabilities of the new MHEG Interaction Channel as defined by the sixth edition of the Digital TV Group’s D-Book, which is being published as an ETSI standard. Humax plans to use the new technology in products designed for Freeview HD.
Unlike the proprietary IPTV services that the telcos are deploying, the MHEG Interaction Channel specification gives broadcasters the option to retain full control over viewer access to online video content. Viewers are free to select online content with a full range of playback controls via their remote control.
S&T says the technology allows for “immersive,” flexible and on-demand television. The MHEG Interaction Channel allows broadcasters to offer a host of value-added services including Catch-Up TV and User Generated Content (UGC) services launched from a broadcast portal. Interactive advertising applications include the delivery of on-demand teleshopping video clips, complete with Internet-style usage and response statistics.
Broadcasters will also have the capability to offer a comprehensive range of information services, plus secure interactive voting and quizzes.
Instant messenger and social networking applications can also be used.
Content from the broadcast channel can be merged seamlessly with content delivered over IP via the Interaction Channel. For maximum simplicity it uses HTTP streaming, which will work on any network without the need to configure routers and firewalls. A parental guidance mechanism is also available.
A built-in ability to test the connection speed allows RedKey 2 to ensure that content is streamed at a suitable bit rate. Paul Daly, general manger of S&T client systems, said the result is a cost-effective package that maintains the trust and quality associated with broadcasting.”
Bob Hannent, Humax CTO, said its products include IP connectivity, “a feature for which there is huge consumer demand,” and the ability to provide an effective return channel to MHEG with minimal impact to existing infrastructure. It’s all done within a standards framework, he said.