Hybrid digital TV
Encyclopedia
Hybrid digital TV can show digital TV content from a number of different sources including traditional broadcast TV, internet, and connected devices in the home. To watch hybrid digital TV, consumers will need a hybrid IPTV Set-Top Box
with a range of input connectors, including Ethernet
as well as at least one tuner
for receiving broadcast TV signals. The tuner in a hybrid set-top box can be digital terrestrial (DVB-T), digital cable
(DVB-C) and digital satellite (DVB-S).
broadcasting in the home is well established in many countries. Internet TV and the delivery of multimedia content to the home user via the Internet are also becoming increasingly common, although such content is often viewed on a PC or fed to a TV screen from a PC via a media player connected to a home network.
Hybrid TV is intended to extend the reach of multimedia content directly to the television set in a seamless, viewer-friendly manner and to enable the TV viewer to more conveniently access both broadcast digital content (especially HD) and Internet multimedia content (including Internet TV and IPTV) on a TV set using a single remote control/box and a single on-screen interface.
Hybrid TV includes to include video and high-definition text, more reminiscent of web presentation, information services extending the concept of teletext
.
- hybrid digital TV also provides consumers with access to user-generated content
[either stored on an external hard drive, or cloud storage
, and to a range of advanced interactive services and Internet
applications.
Hybrid set-top boxes are increasingly commonplace amongst pay-TV operators, as they look to meet the changing media consumption trends for more video content, advanced interactivity and internet applications, like social networking. Operators like n
, a division of ITI Neovision, in Poland
and Telekom Austria
are two of the leaders in the deployment of hybrid set-top boxes. The 2010 IPTV World Forum Awards recognized a hybrid solution as the best interactive TV service/application: the solution, developed by Advanced Digital Broadcast
, is the first three-way hybrid
platform that enables content delivered via Satellite
, Terrestrial
and Ethernet
networks to be viewed on a television.
has emerged in the UK with the advent of DVB-T2
services. DVB-T2
tuner
s enable the reception of free-to-air
terrestrial high definition
programmes to be received in around twelve areas of the UK. High definition digital terrestrial services have encouraged a range of device manufacturers, to launch new hybrid set-top boxes for the UK consumer retail market. Some of these companies have launched devices that, in addition to allowing traditional broadcast and IP-delivered services to be received, have an integrated smart-card slot that allows consumers to receive encrypted ‘Premium’ services like sports, movies and lifestyle [documentaries, sit-com, etc.] .
Analyst data suggests that hybrid devices will continue to grow in popularity – both by operators and consumers alike.
Hybrid IPTV Set-Top Box
A hybrid IPTV set-top box enables the aggregation of traditional linear TV broadcasts with video delivered via both managed and unmanaged IP networks...
with a range of input connectors, including Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
as well as at least one tuner
Tuner
Tuner may refer to someone or something which adjusts or configures a mechanical, electronic, or musical device.- Electronic :* Antenna tuner, a device to adjust the resonance frequency of an antenna or transmission line...
for receiving broadcast TV signals. The tuner in a hybrid set-top box can be digital terrestrial (DVB-T), digital cable
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
(DVB-C) and digital satellite (DVB-S).
Design
Designing and developing a hybrid set-top box is a complex challenge , and not simply a matter of integrating the different input sources. The consumer experience must be optimized so that all media sources are integrated seamlessly and accessible through a single Electronic Programme Guide – and this requires very advanced software progamming.Background
The reception of digital TV and, in particular, high definitionHigh-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
broadcasting in the home is well established in many countries. Internet TV and the delivery of multimedia content to the home user via the Internet are also becoming increasingly common, although such content is often viewed on a PC or fed to a TV screen from a PC via a media player connected to a home network.
Hybrid TV is intended to extend the reach of multimedia content directly to the television set in a seamless, viewer-friendly manner and to enable the TV viewer to more conveniently access both broadcast digital content (especially HD) and Internet multimedia content (including Internet TV and IPTV) on a TV set using a single remote control/box and a single on-screen interface.
Hybrid TV includes to include video and high-definition text, more reminiscent of web presentation, information services extending the concept of teletext
Teletext
Teletext is a television information retrieval service developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. It offers a range of text-based information, typically including national, international and sporting news, weather and TV schedules...
.
Applications
Services delivered through Hybrid TV include traditional broadcast TV channels, catch-up services, video-on-demand, EPG, interactive advertising, personalisation, voting, games, social networking, and other multimedia applications,Benefits
A hybrid device enables consumers to view all of these advanced services on their flat screen TV, via a single device. In addition to a broader range of content from TV providers – ranging from traditional broadcast TV, video on-demand and catch-up TV services, like BBC iPlayerBBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer, commonly shortened to iPlayer, is an internet television and radio service, developed by the BBC to extend its former RealPlayer-based and other streamed video clip content to include whole TV shows....
- hybrid digital TV also provides consumers with access to user-generated content
User-generated content
User generated content covers a range of media content available in a range of modern communications technologies. It entered mainstream usage during 2005 having arisen in web publishing and new media content production circles...
[either stored on an external hard drive, or cloud storage
Cloud storage
Cloud storage is a model of networked online storage where data is stored on virtualized pools of storage which are generally hosted by third parties. Hosting companies operate large data centers; and people who require their data to be hosted buy or lease storage capacity from them and use it for...
, and to a range of advanced interactive services and Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
applications.
Hybrid set-top boxes are increasingly commonplace amongst pay-TV operators, as they look to meet the changing media consumption trends for more video content, advanced interactivity and internet applications, like social networking. Operators like n
N
N is the fourteenth letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet.- History of the forms :One of the most common hieroglyphs, snake, was used in Egyptian writing to stand for a sound like English ⟨J⟩, because the Egyptian word for "snake" was djet...
, a division of ITI Neovision, in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Telekom Austria
Telekom Austria
Telekom Austria is a provider of a range of fixed line, mobile, data, and Internet communications services. The company has a 100 per cent share in telecommunications provider A1 Telekom Austria....
are two of the leaders in the deployment of hybrid set-top boxes. The 2010 IPTV World Forum Awards recognized a hybrid solution as the best interactive TV service/application: the solution, developed by Advanced Digital Broadcast
Advanced Digital Broadcast
Advanced Digital Broadcast designs, manufactures and deploys solutions to distribute pay-TV and multimedia services to the connected home, for all types of networks. The company has its global headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and regional headquarters in Denver, USA and Taipei, Taiwan...
, is the first three-way hybrid
Three-way hybrid
A three-way hybrid set-top box is a hybrid device typically used by Pay TV operators and Telecommunications service providers to converge content delivered via three different video transport networks – satellite, terrestrial and IP [managed or public Internet]...
platform that enables content delivered via Satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
, Terrestrial
Terrestrial television
Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...
and Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
networks to be viewed on a television.
2010's
Since the beginning of 2010 a new generation of advanced hybrid IPTV Set-Top BoxHybrid IPTV Set-Top Box
A hybrid IPTV set-top box enables the aggregation of traditional linear TV broadcasts with video delivered via both managed and unmanaged IP networks...
has emerged in the UK with the advent of DVB-T2
DVB-T2
DVB-T2 is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting – Second Generation Terrestrial; it is the extension of the television standard DVB-T, issued by the consortium DVB, devised for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television....
services. DVB-T2
DVB-T2
DVB-T2 is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting – Second Generation Terrestrial; it is the extension of the television standard DVB-T, issued by the consortium DVB, devised for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television....
tuner
Tuner
Tuner may refer to someone or something which adjusts or configures a mechanical, electronic, or musical device.- Electronic :* Antenna tuner, a device to adjust the resonance frequency of an antenna or transmission line...
s enable the reception of free-to-air
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
terrestrial high definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
programmes to be received in around twelve areas of the UK. High definition digital terrestrial services have encouraged a range of device manufacturers, to launch new hybrid set-top boxes for the UK consumer retail market. Some of these companies have launched devices that, in addition to allowing traditional broadcast and IP-delivered services to be received, have an integrated smart-card slot that allows consumers to receive encrypted ‘Premium’ services like sports, movies and lifestyle [documentaries, sit-com, etc.] .
Analyst data suggests that hybrid devices will continue to grow in popularity – both by operators and consumers alike.
See also
- Smart TVSmart TVSmart TV, which is also sometimes referred to as "Connected TV" or "Hybrid TV", , is the phrase used to describe the current trend of integration of the internet and Web 2.0 features into modern television sets and set-top boxes, as well as the technological convergence between computers and these...
- Hybrid IPTV Set-Top BoxHybrid IPTV Set-Top BoxA hybrid IPTV set-top box enables the aggregation of traditional linear TV broadcasts with video delivered via both managed and unmanaged IP networks...
- Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TVHybrid Broadcast Broadband TVHybrid Broadcast Broadband TV is both an industry standard and promotional initiative for hybrid digital TV to harmonise the broadcast, IPTV, and broadband delivery of entertainment to the end consumer through connected TVs and set-top boxes...
- IPTVIPTVInternet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...