The chairman of HbbTV, Vincent Grivet, has opened the organization’s annual symposium by saying the hybrid technology was part of a world where streaming and broadcast are sharing leadership.
Grivet paid tribute to co-hosts Freely, saying the “UK a very important part of the HbbTV ecosystem.” He said the established broadcasters were successfully reinventing themselves, while the challenging streaming services were beginning to find it more difficult than has previously been the case. “We can see the legacy traditional broadcasters accentuating their path to streaming.”
One notable trend, said Grivet, apologising for the term was the OS-isation of operating systems that have become increasingly important to TV manufacturers. While there had been no update this year, Grivet promised the upcoming 2.0.5 would include important DRM specifications. The first version would include Widewine and PlayReady with scope for other technologies.
Steps have also been taken to improve the usability of HbbTV, including a revamped developer portal, and a complete DRM test suite. Membership in HbbTV has seen a slight decrease, which Grivet attributes to consolidation within the industry.