HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV)
Introduction

HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV) is a new industry standard providing an open and business neutral technology platform that seamlessly combines TV services delivered via broadcast with services delivered via broadband and also enables access to Internet only services for consumers using connected TVs and set-top boxes [40].

You can find a full range of connected TVs nowadays. Every major brand has its own IPTV platform, such as Panasonic has VieraConnect or Samsung has Smart TV, they are offering a mixture of catch-up services and additional content, such as movie trailers, YouTube access, and other applications.

HbbTV is similar to MHEG (Multimedia and Hypermedia Expert Group) it means, that an application can be delivered to the TV using a data carousel, too. That application can later work with or load additional content from the internet. HbbTV is also an ETSI standard (TS 102 796).

HbbTV doesn't depend on a particular broadcast link or on a particular IP link – it'll work with either [40]

HbbTV applications, however, can be downloaded from an application portal in the TV and delivered solely over the internet. So it can support content services from providers who don't own broadcast channels.

Other advantage is that, it is based on technologies that are well known to web developers, mainly CE-HTML, a specification that includes XHTML, Ajax, CSS, and Javascript (jQuery). Because of that, content providers can build and release their apps more quickly.

HbbTV's Javascript API was extended to provide TV functionality, such as handling channel changes. This standard expects that host TVs have a minimum display resolution of 1280x720.

The HbbTV specification corrals standards and technologies, including CE-HTML, DVB and JavaScript, from many existing organizations, such as the Open IPTV Forum and the W3C [40]

The HbbTV specification also contains a contribution from the Open IPTV Forum, which has defined a set of audio and video formats that should be supported. HbbTV relies on the AVC (H.264) codec for both standard and high-definition video, with either E-AC3 or HE-AAC for audio. Audio streaming services use either MP3 or HE-AAC.