Interactive television standards are standards for television broadcasting that relate to different modes of interaction and feedback mechanisms. This interaction system is what creates an extension to the general, traditional television experience.
The first stage of interactive television occurred in the 1980s with the introduction of
Teletext
A British Ceefax football index page from October 2009, showing the three-digit page numbers for a variety of football news stories
Teletext, or broadcast teletext, is a standard for displaying text and rudimentary graphics on suitably equipp ...
in analog
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...
. This standard, which simply added bits of data to invisible scan lines, allowed limited interaction with
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...
sets to visualize extra textual and numerical information, such as show schedules and weather data, but also optional subtitles.
Today, the technology has developed to a point that allows for a more complex, bidirectional communication. The early private broadcasters, such as
Canal+
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow unde ...
, were the pioneers in adopting this new form and have continued to develop it over the years.
As a consequence of the increasing obsolescence of the analog format, the project known as
Digital Terrestrial Television
Digital terrestrial television (DTTV or DTT, or DTTB with "broadcasting") is a technology for terrestrial television in which land-based (terrestrial) television stations broadcast television content by radio waves to televisions in consume ...
(
DTT) was developed, which created public
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...
in digital format, 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. Today, this is known as
interactive television
Interactive television is a form of media convergence, adding data services to traditional television technology. It has included on-demand delivery of content, online shopping, and viewer polls. Interactive TV is an example of how new informatio ...
.
This interaction is possible due to
Set-top-Boxes (STBs),
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...
decoders that are able to receive a digital signal, decode it, and display it through an analogue
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...
set. This device allows analog users access to the same content as the
digital television
Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television technology which used analog signals. At the time of its development it was considered an innovative advanc ...
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
Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
...
that runs both the applications and the audiovisual signals simultaneously. This intermediary
software
Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
...
is referred to as
middleware
Middleware is a type of computer software that provides services to software applications beyond those available from the operating system. It can be described as "software glue".
Middleware makes it easier for software developers to implement c ...
. Some STB systems allow updates via USB flash drives.
Private standards or private property
Media Highway
Defined by Canal Plus Technologies, the media highway represents the wide range of middleware solutions that allow the STB
software
Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
...
to do the following: interpret and execute interactive applications, broadcast
software
Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
...
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
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
,
MHEG-5
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 descri ...
or
HTML
The HyperText Markup Language or HTML is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. It can be assisted by technologies such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and scripting languages such as JavaScri ...
, and can support the middleware specifications
DVB-MHP
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. Interactiv ...
,
OCAP,
DAVIC DAVIC, Digital Audio Video Council, was founded in 1994 with the aim of promoting the success of interactive digital audio-visual applications and services by promulgating specifications of open interfaces and protocols that maximise interoperabilit ...
or
ATSC
Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standards are an American set of standards for digital television transmission over terrestrial, cable and satellite networks. It is largely a replacement for the analog NTSC standard and, like that ...
, and other specifications.
Open TV Core
Open TV Core is the most important product from Open TV, a
middleware
Middleware is a type of computer software that provides services to software applications beyond those available from the operating system. It can be described as "software glue".
Middleware makes it easier for software developers to implement c ...
for
digital television
Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television technology which used analog signals. At the time of its development it was considered an innovative advanc ...
(DTV). The Open TV Core
software
Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
...
technology contains a
hardware
Hardware may refer to:
Technology Computing and electronics
* Electronic hardware, interconnected electronic components which perform analog or logic operations
** Digital electronics, electronics that operate on digital signals
*** Computer hard ...
abstraction layer (allowing the
hardware
Hardware may refer to:
Technology Computing and electronics
* Electronic hardware, interconnected electronic components which perform analog or logic operations
** Digital electronics, electronics that operate on digital signals
*** Computer hard ...
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
High definition or HD may refer to:
Visual technologies
*HD DVD, discontinued optical disc format
*HD Photo, former name for the JPEG XR image file format
*HDV, format for recording high-definition video onto magnetic tape
* HiDef, 24 frames-pe ...
(HD), net communications from a phone line or a broadband
internet provider
An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise private ...
(via DSL,
ethernet
Ethernet () is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in ...
or fibre), management for the digital audio and video signals (
DVB
Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) is a set of international open standards for digital television. DVB standards are maintained by the DVB Project, an international industry consortium, and are published by a Joint Technical Committee (JTC) o ...
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
The HyperText Markup Language or HTML is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. It can be assisted by technologies such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and scripting languages such as JavaScri ...
browser), an Adobe Flash presentation environment, and a
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
Virtual Machine, in compliance with the
MHP standard. The 'C' Virtual Machine is an execution environment that allows the
API
An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how ...
s 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.
Open or public standards
MHEG
As early as 1995, the
ISO
ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization.
ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance
* Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007
* Is ...
(
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Ar ...
), 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
The HyperText Markup Language or HTML is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. It can be assisted by technologies such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and scripting languages such as JavaScri ...
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
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 descri ...
'', 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
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
, and in 1998, the ISO created ''MHEG-6'', based on the fifth version but with added support for the use of
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
to develop object scripts, combining MHEG with the procedural elements of
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
. For this, they defined a
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
application programming interface (
API
An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how ...
) for MHEG, allowing
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
to manipulate MHEG objects in its mother application.
Though the MHEG-6 was not extended, it was the basis for the
DAVIC DAVIC, Digital Audio Video Council, was founded in 1994 with the aim of promoting the success of interactive digital audio-visual applications and services by promulgating specifications of open interfaces and protocols that maximise interoperabilit ...
's (
Digital Audio Video Council DAVIC, Digital Audio Video Council, was founded in 1994 with the aim of promoting the success of interactive digital audio-visual applications and services by promulgating specifications of open interfaces and protocols that maximise interoperabilit ...
) standard.
DAVIC
This standard was created a little later on after the MHEG-6 in 1998. It was created by adding a new series of
API
An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how ...
s for
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
to MHEG's sixth version. The
API
An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how ...
s of the above-mentioned standard allowed the
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
-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
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
alone for the receiver
DAVIC DAVIC, Digital Audio Video Council, was founded in 1994 with the aim of promoting the success of interactive digital audio-visual applications and services by promulgating specifications of open interfaces and protocols that maximise interoperabilit ...
, the Java
API
An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how ...
s were already capable of controlling more elements in the receiver than what was possible with other standards.
DVB-MHP (The Multimedia Home Platform)
This was defined by the
Digital Video Broadcasting
Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) is a set of international open standards for digital television. DVB standards are maintained by the DVB Project, an international industry consortium, and are published by a Joint Technical Committee (JTC) ...
(DVB) to offer interactive services in digital television (DTV). It is a limited version of the
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
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:
:1. Interactive Broadcast: incorporates bidirectional communications via a backward IP channel towards the STB, allowing the download of applications.
:2. Enhanced Broadcast Profile: interactive applications are downloaded via broadcasting. This does not incorporate a backward channel into the STB.
:3. Internet Access: The STB itself processes
internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a ''internetworking, network of networks'' that consists ...
content, without broadcasting.
There exist two versions that cover the mentioned profiles:
*
MHP 1.0 covers the first two profiles. This version is used most by modern receivers, and the majority implement the Interactive Broadcast profile. Many countries such as Spain, Italy and Finland have adopted it into their DTV's interactive services.
*
MHP 1.1 covers all three profiles, but it is not found in most commercial receivers because there are limited compatible protocols.
OCAP
The American company
CableLabs
Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. (CableLabs) is a nonprofit corporation promoting innovation as a research and development lab founded in 1988 by American cable operators. System operators from around the world are eligible to be members.
Th ...
collaborated with
DVB
Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) is a set of international open standards for digital television. DVB standards are maintained by the DVB Project, an international industry consortium, and are published by a Joint Technical Committee (JTC) o ...
for the creation of a new open standard, which led to the acceptance of
MHP as a base for OCAP standard (
OpenCable Application Platform
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 comput ...
), in January of 2002. With MHP as its center, OCAP provides a common specification for the
middleware
Middleware is a type of computer software that provides services to software applications beyond those available from the operating system. It can be described as "software glue".
Middleware makes it easier for software developers to implement c ...
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
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 (ETSI TS 102 819, ETSI TS 102 728) and an ITU "Recommendation” (ITU-T J.202 ...
(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 (Advanced Common Application Platform)
ACAP was created by the
Advanced Television Systems Committee
The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) is an international nonprofit organization developing technical standards for digital terrestrial television and data broadcasting. ATSC's 120-plus member organizations represent the broadcast, b ...
(
ATSC
Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standards are an American set of standards for digital television transmission over terrestrial, cable and satellite networks. It is largely a replacement for the analog NTSC standard and, like that ...
) 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.
See also
*
Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV
Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) is both an industry standard ( European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) TS 102 796) and promotional initiative for hybrid digital TV to harmonise the broadcast, Internet Protocol Television (I ...
*
Project Canvas
YouView is a hybrid television platform in the United Kingdom developed by YouView TV Ltd., a partnership of four broadcasters, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5; and three telecommunications operators, Arqiva, BT Group and TalkTalk Group ...
*
Open IPTV Forum
The Open IPTV Forum (OIPF) was a non-profit consortium and standards organization focused on defining and publishing open for end-to-end Internet Protocol television (IPTV) standards. It was later joined by several others.
Since June 2014, OIPF ...
*
Teletext
A British Ceefax football index page from October 2009, showing the three-digit page numbers for a variety of football news stories
Teletext, or broadcast teletext, is a standard for displaying text and rudimentary graphics on suitably equipp ...
*
Videotex
Videotex (or interactive videotex) was one of the earliest implementations of an end-user information system. From the late 1970s to early 2010s, it was used to deliver information (usually pages of text) to a user in computer-like format, typi ...
*
Ceefax
Ceefax (, punning on "seeing facts") was the world's first teletext information service and a forerunner to the current BBC Red Button service. Ceefax was started by the BBC in 1974 and ended, after 38 years of broadcasting, at 23:32:19 BS ...
*
Minitel
The Minitel was a videotex online service accessible through telephone lines, and was the world's most successful online service prior to the World Wide Web. It was invented in Cesson-Sévigné, near Rennes in Brittany, France.
The service ...
Further reading
*MHP: https://web.archive.org/web/20060421101018/http://www.mhp.org/
*MHEG: http://www.mheg.org/
*Canal+ Technologies: https://web.archive.org/web/20071223011417/http://www.canalplus-technologies.com/
*Open TV: http://www.opentv.com
*Steven Morris and Anthony Smith-Chaigneau, "Interactive TV Standards: A Guide to MHP, OCAP, and JavaTV". Elsevier 2005.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Interactive Television Standards
Interactive television
Interactive television standards
Television transmission standards