IBC 2012: OIPF and HbbTV team up on testing

The Open IPTV Forum and the Hybrid Broadcast Broadband (HbbTV) Consortium have formed a collaboration on the testing of technologies common to IPTV and enhanced broadcast environments. 

These include testing the Declarative Application Environment (colloquially referred to as the “OIPF browser”) and the Media Formats specifications that are currently being implemented in retail connected TVs and STBs in those regions where hybrid services based on the HbbTV specification are deployed. 

The two industry bodies started collaborating a year ago and have now delivered common procedures for the development, review and acceptance of test material by engineers from both OIPF and HbbTV. 

The results of this cooperation will be included in the first release of the OIPF Test Suite expected to be available in the first quarter of 2013 and the second release of the HbbTV Test Suite expected in the second half of 2013. 

The Open IPTV Forum merged with the MPEG Industry Forum last June, after the latter declared victory in its aim to “facilitate and further the widespread adoption and deployment of MPEG and related standards in next-generation digital media services.” 

The partners behind the HbbTV initiative issued the first release of their test suite for compliant devices last August, and are now working to extend the test suite. Its second release will add further coverage of the HbbTV 1.1.1 specification and address the HbbTV 1.5 specification, including MPEG DASH. 

The HbbTV project is a pan-European initiative set up by some of the continent’s leading broadcasters and equipment vendors to offer TV viewers an easy way to access both traditional broadcast and new broadband-delivered services through connected TVs and set-top boxes.

Source: http://cablequest.org/news/item/1597-ibc-2012-oipf-and-hbbtv-team-up-on-testing.htmlSource: http://cablequest.org/news/item/1597-ibc-2012-oipf-and-hbbtv-team-up-on-testing.html