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Interactive television standards are standards for television broadcasting that are designed to add modes of interaction and feedback mechanisms, thereby extending the traditional television experience. [1]
Interactive television was first standardized in the 1980s with Teletext, used in analog television. [2] This standard, which simply added data to invisible scan lines, allowed limited interaction with television sets to visualize extra textual and numerical information, such as show schedules and weather data, as well as optional subtitles. [3] Today, the technology has developed to a point that allows for a more complex, bidirectional communication. Early private broadcasters, such as Canal+, were the first to adopt this new form and have continued to develop it over the years.
As the analog format became obsolete, the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) project was developed, which digitalized public television, in competition with private broadcasters. Among its new features was interactive menus, which (as in private broadcasting) gave information to the user and allowed them to adapt the product for their own needs.
This interaction is possible due to Set-top-Boxes (STBs), television decoders that are able to receive a digital signal, decode it, and display it through an analogue television set. This device allows analog users access to the same content as the digital television net. Running interactive programs is one of the STB's functions, among others.
STBs are required to be dynamically programmed and updated, often done by an intermediary software that runs both the applications and the audiovisual signals simultaneously. This intermediary software is referred to as middleware. Some STB systems allow updates via USB flash drives.
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Defined by Canal Plus Technologies, the media highway represents the wide range of middleware solutions that allow the STB software to do the following: interpret and execute interactive applications, broadcast software and data from servers to interactive applications via satellite, cable, and/or terrestrial nets. Other functions also include having different profiles to better respond to the needs of the broadcaster.
These interactive applications can be written in different programming languages as Java, MHEG-5 or HTML, and can support the middleware specifications DVB-MHP, OCAP, DAVIC or ATSC, and other specifications.
Open TV Core is the most important product from Open TV, a middleware for digital television (DTV). The Open TV Core software technology contains a hardware abstraction layer (allowing the hardware to be independent), TV libraries (a selection of execution environments for the interactive applications), and support for Personal Video Recorders (PVRs), to create a DTT environment for the decoders (carried out by the STBs).
TV libraries include support for Rich Graphics (RG) and High Definition (HD), net communications from a phone line or a broadband internet provider (via DSL, ethernet or fibre), management for the digital audio and video signals (DVB or other standards and formats), and authentication/encryption via CA/DRM systems.
Open TV Core supports a number of Applications Environments Execution (AEE) programs, including the 'C' Virtual Machine (an HTML browser), an Adobe Flash presentation environment, and a Java Virtual Machine, in compliance with the MHP standard. The 'C' Virtual Machine is an execution environment that allows the APIs of the Open TV software Developers Kit to create applications in O code, centered on TV by via development tools from Open TV or other sellers.
As early as 1995, the ISO (International Organization for Standardization), together with the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group, published the MHEG standard. This gave an approach to the creation of multimedia applications that could work in every operative system in compliance with this standard. Conceptually, MHEG intended to do for multimedia application as HTML did for documents, to give a common exchange format that can be executed by every receiver.
MHEG-1: this version included support for objects containing procedure codes. One may add to the basic model of MHEG-1 by adding decision making functions, as it was not possible in any other way.
MHEG-3: this version defined a standard virtual machine and a byte representation code, giving it portability through hardware platforms.
These versions were unsuccessful because they were based on concepts that the industry was not technologically ready to execute. MHEG-5 , a simpler version of MHEG-1, was created in April 1997. While many of the functions were identical, there were many differences between the two versions.
MHEG-3 was overshadowed by the success of Java, and in 1998, the ISO created MHEG-6, based on the fifth version but with added support for the use of Java to develop object scripts, combining MHEG with the procedural elements of Java. For this, they defined a Java application programming interface (API) for MHEG, allowing Java to manipulate MHEG objects in its mother application.
Though the MHEG-6 was not extended, it was the basis for the DAVIC's (Digital Audio Video Council) standard.
This standard was created a little later on after the MHEG-6 in 1998. It was created by adding a new series of APIs for Java to MHEG's sixth version. The APIs of the above-mentioned standard allowed the Java-created objects access to some information services, as well as control of audio and video services, and the management of resources in the receiver. Though the creation of an application was not possible with Java alone for the receiver DAVIC, the Java APIs were already capable of controlling more elements in the receiver than what was possible with other standards.
This was defined by the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) to offer interactive services in digital television (DTV). It is a limited version of the Java virtual machine, where a set of extra functionalities are added to make adjustments to the DTV environment. To arrange this standard's specifications, there are three definable profiles, all relating to the capabilities of the STBs:
There exist two versions that cover the mentioned profiles:
The American company CableLabs collaborated with DVB for the creation of a new open standard, which led to the acceptance of MHP as a base for OCAP standard (OpenCable Application Platform), in January 2002. With MHP as its center, OCAP provides a common specification for the middleware layer in the cable systems within the United States. Since DVB standards are not used in the United States, OCAP is based on parts that are not DVB-specific, replacing DVB-specific parts with others. Originally, OCAP was based on the 1.0.0 version of the MHP standard.
Later, DVB presented the specification Globally Executable MHP (GEM) to facilitate the use of MHP's elements in other standards. OCAP's most recent versions use GEM instead of MHP as their base, but they still refer to some MHP elements that are not included in the GEM specification.
ACAP was created by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) as a common base for all systems of interactive TV in USA, via cable, terrestrial, or satellite. It is also based on GEM while adding some of OCAP's elements adapted for the USA market.
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522–5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group (MHEG). It is most commonly used as a language to describe interactive television services.
Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting is a Japanese broadcasting standard for digital television (DTV) and digital radio.
Multimedia Home Platform (DVB-MHP) is an open middleware system standard designed by the DVB project for interactive digital television. The MHP enables the reception and execution of interactive, Java-based applications on a TV-set. Interactive TV applications can be delivered over the broadcast channel, together with audio and video streams. These applications can be for example information services, games, interactive voting, e-mail, SMS or shopping. MHP applications can use an additional return channel that has to support IP.
Message-oriented middleware (MOM) is software or hardware infrastructure supporting sending and receiving messages between distributed systems. MOM allows application modules to be distributed over heterogeneous platforms and reduces the complexity of developing applications that span multiple operating systems and network protocols. The middleware creates a distributed communications layer that insulates the application developer from the details of the various operating systems and network interfaces. APIs that extend across diverse platforms and networks are typically provided by MOM.
OpenMAX, often shortened as "OMX", is a non-proprietary and royalty-free cross-platform set of C-language programming interfaces. It provides abstractions for routines that are especially useful for processing of audio, video, and still images. It is intended for low power and embedded system devices that need to efficiently process large amounts of multimedia data in predictable ways, such as video codecs, graphics libraries, and other functions for video, image, audio, voice and speech.
In most telecommunications organizations, a virtual channel is a method of remapping the program number as used in H.222 Program Association Tables and Program Mapping Tables to a channel number that can be entered as digits on a receiver's remote control.
In Digital Video Broadcasting, the Common Interface is a technology which allows decryption of pay TV channels. Pay TV stations want to choose which encryption method to use. The Common Interface allows TV manufacturers to support many different pay TV stations, by allowing to plug in exchangeable conditional-access modules (CAM) for various encryption schemes.
Globally Executable MHP (GEM) is a DVB specification of a Java based middleware for TV broadcast receivers, IPTV terminals and Blu-ray players. GEM is an ETSI standard and an ITU "Recommendation”. GEM defines a set of common functionalities which are independent from the signaling and protocols of a specific transmission network and enables to write interoperable Java applications for TV. GEM is not intended to be directly implemented, but rather forms the basis for broader specifications targeting a particular network infrastructure or class of device. GEM defines profiles for different device classes (targets) – these define the set of available features of GEM for this device class. Currently GEM defines targets for broadcast, packaged media (Blu-Ray) and IPTV. Combinations of these targets can be combined into a hybrid GEM platform, which enables to build devices with multiple network interfaces, such as a combined broadcast/IPTV set-top box.
The OpenCable Application Platform, or OCAP, is an operating system layer designed for consumer electronics that connect to a cable television system, the Java-based middleware portion of the platform. Unlike operating systems on a personal computer, the cable company controls what OCAP programs run on the consumer's machine. Designed by CableLabs for the cable networks of North America, OCAP programs are intended for interactive services such as eCommerce, online banking, Electronic program guides, and digital video recording. Cable companies have required OCAP as part of the Cablecard 2.0 specification, a proposal that is controversial and has not been approved by the Federal Communications Commission. Cable companies have stated that two-way communications by third party devices on their networks will require them to support OCAP. The Consumer Electronics Association and other groups argue OCAP is intended to block features that compete with cable company provided services and that consumers should be entitled to add, delete and otherwise control programs as on their personal computers. On January 8, 2008 CableLabs announced the Tru2Way brand for the OpenCable platform, including OCAP as the application platform.
ISDB-T International, also known in Brazil as Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão Digital, is a technical standard for digital television broadcast used in Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Botswana, Chile, Honduras, Venezuela, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Philippines, Bolivia, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Uruguay, based on the Japanese ISDB-T standard. ISDB-T International launched into commercial operation on 2 December 2007, in São Paulo, Brazil.
Broadcast Markup Language, or BML, is an XML-based standard developed by Japan's Association of Radio Industries and Businesses as a data broadcasting specification for digital television broadcasting. It is a data-transmission service allowing text to be displayed on a 1seg TV screen.
In digital video broadcasting (DVB), a data and object carousel is used for repeatedly delivering data in a continuous cycle. Carousels allow data to be pushed from a broadcaster to multiple receivers by transmitting a data set repeatedly in a standard format. A set-top box receiver may tune to the data stream at any time and is able to reconstitute the data into a virtual file system. The carousel may therefore be considered as a transport file system or file broadcasting system that allows data files to be transmitted from the broadcaster to multiple receivers or clients simultaneously.
Freeview is New Zealand's free-to-air television platform. It is operated by a joint venture between the country's major free-to-air broadcasters – government-owned Television New Zealand and Radio New Zealand, government-subsidised Whakaata Māori, and the American-owned Warner Bros. Discovery.
BD-J, or Blu-ray Disc Java, is a specification supporting Java ME Xlets for advanced content on Blu-ray Disc and the Packaged Media profile of Globally Executable MHP (GEM).
Tru2way is a brand name for interactive digital cable services delivered over the cable network. Services include interactive program guides, interactive ads, games, chat, web browsing, and T-Commerce. The brand also appears as <tru2way> and is used to market cable services, applications, and devices that support the tru2way cable architecture. Tru2way is the successor name for technology known as OpenCable. Major cable operators committed to deploy the tru2way platform in service areas covering more than 90 million U.S. homes by the end of 2008.
Ginga is the middleware specification for the Nipo-Brazilian Digital Television System. Ginga is also ITU-T Recommendation for IPTV Services. It is also considered in ITU-T recommendations for Cable Broadcast services and for Terrestrial Broadcast services by ITU-R BT.1889, ITU-R BT.1699 and ITU-R BT.1722. Ginga was developed based on a set of standardized technologies but mainly on innovations developed by Brazilian researchers. Its current reference implementation was released under the GPL license.
ABNT NBR 15606 refers to a collection of technical standards that govern the transmission of digital terrestrial television in Brazil.
Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) is both an industry standard and promotional initiative for hybrid digital TV to harmonise the broadcast, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), and broadband delivery of entertainment to the end consumer through connected TVs and set-top boxes. The HbbTV Association, comprising digital broadcasting and Internet industry companies, has established a standard for the delivery of broadcast TV and broadband TV to the home, through a single user interface, creating an open platform as an alternative to proprietary technologies. Products and services using the HbbTV standard can operate over different broadcasting technologies, such as satellite, cable, or terrestrial networks.
Advanced Digital Broadcast (ADB) is a company which provides software, system and services to pay-TV and telecommunication operators, content distributors and property owners around the world. The company specializes also in the development of digital connectivity devices such as set-top boxes and residential gateways.
RT-RK is a Serbian R&D company and national research institute that delivers development services and own products in the arena of real time embedded systems, with focus on consumer electronics and automotive industry. Headquartered in Novi Sad, with offices in Belgrade, Banja Luka and Osijek (Croatia) with over 550 engineers, RT-RK is one of the biggest development houses in Southeast Europe.
