Strategy & Technology has developed the first applications that brings streaming video from the internet to the TV under broadcaster control using the latest MHEG-5 middleware specifications.
Working in collaboration with set-top box manufacturer Humax, S&T has enhanced its advanced 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, which first licensed S&T’s RedKey™ 2 for a range of STBs including the Foxsat-HDR PVR to support the U.K. launch of Freesat+ in November 2008, plans to use the new technology in products designed for Freeview HD.
The MHEG Interaction Channel spec 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. Answering demands for more 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. The specification also makes possible the addition of Instant Messenger and Social Networking applications. The hybrid file system enables content from the broadcast channel to be merged seamlessly with content delivered over IP via the Interaction Channel, and for maximum simplicity uses HTTP streaming, which will work on any network without the need to configure routers and firewalls. A parental guidance mechanism is also available to prevent the viewing of inappropriate content – in line with playback of broadcast content recorded on hard disk — while the facility to test the connection speed built into RedKey 2 ensures that content is streamed at a suitable bit rate.
