MarketAnalysis SmartTV · In order to keep the public informed at all times, the WG has developed...

Market AnalysisSmart TV

A Status Report by the German TV Platform

Market AnalysisSmart TV

Market A

nalysisSmart TV

Preface 2

1. Overview of Internet and TV 41.1 Web TV, IPTV and Hybrid Reception Devices (“Smart TV”) 41.2 Consumer Electronics and Connectivity 5

2. Types of Interactive Television 72.1 Overview of Various Hybrid-TV Packages 72.2 Display and Use of Web Services on Smart TVs 82.3 HbbTV as a Standard: Origin, Application and Outlook 112.4 The Smart TV Alliance and SDK Options 172.5 Business Models and Advertising Options with Smart TV 182.6 Over-the-Top (OTT) TV: Important National/International Players 21

3. Results of the Smart TV Working Group 233.1 Commercial Requirements 233.2 Content Guidelines 273.3 Workshop “Smartphone to Smart TV: Apps Conquer TV” 283.4 Symposium on Second Screens: Perspectives on Smart TV and Social TV 293.5 Usability – Studies on Operation Concepts 313.6 “SearchFindNavigate” Joint Event 353.7 Consumer Protection with Smart TVs and HbbTV 363.8 New Focuses of Activity and Open Questions of the Smart TV WG 39

4. Market Situation, Viewer Acceptance, and Forecast 414.1 Appliance Sales and Usage Development 414.2 Smart TV and Audience Acceptance in Germany and Beyond 424.3 HbbTV and Market Development 474.4 Initiatives on Behalf of Smart TV and HbbTV 484.5 Trend Forecasts and Future Opportunities 49

5. Glossary: Key Terms and Abbreviations 51

6. Sources 55Appendix 57Publisher, Contacts, Authors, Disclaimer

Contents

Fifty-nine percent of the TV sets sold in 2013were capable of displaying Web-based con-tent and were thus considered “smart TVs”(2012: 50%, or 4.8 million; 2011: 3.4 million).Moreover, a full 92 percent of the smart TVssold in 2013 supported the HbbTV standardfor interactive television via a special red but-ton on the remote control. Not all smart TVssold in Germany are actually hooked up tothe Internet, but a survey conducted inApril/May 2013 on behalf of gfu (Gesellschaftfür Unterhaltungs- und Kommunikationse-lektronik) showed the number of those thatare connected to the Web now to be close to60 percent.

Figures published by content providers alsopoint towards a growing popularity of smart-TV options. In June 2013 alone, ZDF regis-tered 1.1 million video requests via smart TVfor its media libraryan increase of 250 percentin just 12 months. With a coverage of 5.89million HbbTV-enabled smart TVs, ProSieben-Sat.1 counted 380,000 active users for Pro -Sieben content alone in December 2013.Even video-on-demand (VoD) providers likeMaxdome, service providers like Feratel („Al -pen panorama”), and home-shopping net-works like QVC report enormous growth ratesin usagemostly via smart TVs. Based on a TNSInfratest analysis, the latest progress reporton digitalization issued by the German statemedia authorities estimates that approxi-mately 1.2 million viewers make frequent oroccasional use of the TV broadcasters’ HbbTVoptions.

Since May 2009, this dynamic developmenthas been the focal issue for the German TVPlatform’s working group (WG) called “Hy-brid Consumer Devices for the Integrationof Broadband and Broadcast,” later redubbed“Smart TV.” The purpose of this workinggroup is to promote the development of themarket for smart-TV consumer devices andpertinent services in Germany, taking intoaccount the various business models alongthe entire supply chain.

Preface An Important Stimulus

for Interactive Digital Television

Jürgen Sewczyk, Head of the Smart TV Working Group and Board Member of the German TV Platform

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Apart from various systems developed by appliance manufacturers and mostlybased on standardized programming languages, the international HbbTV (for “Hy-brid broadcast broadband TeleVision”) standard has become an established formatfor merging broadcast and online services. HbbTV was first standardized in June2010 by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and has sincebeen developed continuously to the point where it is now being employed by morethan 70 television content providers and all appliance manufacturers in Germany.

At the same time, the number of devices in use by consumers has seen a very dynamic development. According to GfK Retail & Technology, a total of 20.5 millionWeb-enabled consumer devices had been sold by the end of 2013 on the Germanmarket, including TVs, Blu-ray players, and set-top boxes.

In order to keep the public informed at alltimes, the WG has developed and continu-ously updated a variety of publications, in-cluding consumer brochures and flyers pre-senting and explaining appliances and serv-ices. With professional publications onhybrid/smart TVsuch as the “White Book,”published in several revised and updated edi-tions in both German and English –, thisworking group has, on the other hand, alsocontributed to a better understanding withinthe industry, as it did with several workshopsand other topical events. A special researchproject at the Ilmenau University of Tech-nology on the usability of HbbTV contenton smart TV devices has shown that there isstill much room for improvement, as detailedin a style guide for professional users. A fol-low-up to this usability study has been pro-jected for 2014.

Thanks to the commitment of the GermanTV Platform and its members, smart TV is arapidly developing mass-market phenome-non in Germany today. This is the appropri-ate time, the WG believes, to continue theline of White Books with an updatedoverview as “Market Analysis Smart TV.”Early on, all those involved recognized thatconsumer education and information as wellas an increase in the number of smart TVsconnected to the Internet had to take priorityas the development progressed. For this rea-son, the “Smart TV” working group has beenfocusing its efforts since IFA 2013 on sup-

porting two initiatives: „Smarter Fernsehen”(by ZVEI and BVT) and „Auf ROT geht’s los:Meine Taste für smartes Fernsehen” (by ARD,ZDF, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland,ProSiebenSat.1, and VPRT).

In the future, the working group’s work areaswill increasingly follow aspects of contentand intuitive handling. It will also cooperatewith the German TV Platform’s “User Guid-ance” project group, which, in its firstbrochure („TV in der Zukunft”“TV in the Fu-ture”), has analyzed new trends in searching,finding, and navigating through the broadrange of content. This realignment will resultin new priorities, including member, trade,and consumer information on all smart-TVconcepts; applications for the second screen;coverage data; privacy, consumer, and con-tent protection; and payment methods.

The more than thirty representatives of hard-ware manufacturers, infrastructure operators,television broadcasters, universities, andother institutions in the “Smart TV” workinggroup thus have their work cut out. After all,we are certain that the trend towards smartTV will generate important stimuli for marketdevelopment, change the consumption ofaudiovisual services, and open up televisionto new content, new providers, and new busi-ness models. The publication at hand will be just one contribution. It summarizes theresults of our working group from our firstfour years of work. This market analysis isintended to provide readers with a compre-hensive overview of the working group’s sub-jects and beyond, including trend forecastsand a glossary. I invite everybody who is in-terested to join our efforts.

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Broadcast& Internet

From Latin roots, the term hybrid gen -erally means, “blended, a cross between different species”in other words: a com-bination of parts of various origins. Hybrid consumer electronics combine various,previously separated transmission meth-ods into one consumer device. In this way,different media content from varioussources can be displayed on one TV screen.The basis of hybrid media services is thedigitalization of content and transmissiontechnologies that allows a combination ofvarious broadcast and IT standards in ad-dition to new, convergent technologies.

Smart TVs are television sets that can displaybroadcast programs and services from tradi-tional broadcast channels as well as contentfrom the Internet, so that both sources canbe used side-by-side as suppliers of informa-tion and/or entertainment. The technical fa-cilities are supplied by an increasing numberof TV models with integrated digital receivers(iDTV), as well as digital receivers and Blu-ray players/recorders. Smart TV as a linkagebetween Web and TV on one device is an-other level of convergence between televisionand Internet. In a first stage, moving imagesfrom the World Wide Web reached computermonitors either as openly-accessible Web TV,as (paid) video-on-demand services, or as livestreams. At the same time, IPTV services wereoffered which were similar to traditionalbroadcast services, but on the basis of the Internet protocol (IP), reaching the monitorvia broadband networks (usually upgradedphone lines).

receivedigital

Overview of Internet and TV

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1.

1.1 Web TV, IPTV and Hybrid Reception Devices (“Smart TV”)

In the second stage of convergence, all devicemanufacturers are developing systems tomake Internet services usable on TV screens,thus providing users with both a wider di-versity and a certain degree of interactivityon the TV set. In addition, more and moreTV broadcasters are offering hybrid TV in theform of teletext as well as video libraries(catch-up video-on-demand services mainlyoffered by public broadcasters)mostly in theHbbTV (Hybrid broadcast broadband TV)standard (cf. 2.3). In addition, various onlinecompanies and other organizations offer on-line content for smart-TV devices. In Europeand around the world, the German market isregarded as a trailblazer in the field of smartTV. In addition to high-definition (HD) andultra-high-definition (UHD) television, inter-active TV has become one of the dominatingtrends in consumer electronics.

The imprecise use or even confusion of theterms IPTV, Web TV and hybrid or smart TVin the media often puzzles consumers. Thesevarious services and types of audiovisual- media delivery and use are frequently mixedand intermingled as “Internet-enabled.” Allthree do indeed feature a combination of Internet and TV, yet their approaches are en-tirely different.

IPTV denotes the transmission of (mainly lin-ear) broadcasting services via a broadbandnetwork. This means transmitting a signalcarrying broadcast content (TV and radio)

and encoded in Internet protocol (IP) on adedicated section of a broadband link (usu-ally a telephone network) in a guaranteedquality to TV households. To display thetransmitted content on a TV screen, an IPTVreception box from the provider is required,together with a service subscription. IPTV isabout to establish a fourth transmissionmethod for linear TV, in addition to cable,satellite, and terrestrial broadcast.

The term Web TV describes audiovisual mediacontent that is distributed over the WorldWide Web, but without quality assurance andgenerally only for display on PC monitors,laptop and tablet computers or smartphones,i.e. not on large TV screens.

Originating from the consumers’ desire toview moving picture content from the Weband other popular online media also on TVscreens whenever they like, the CE industrydeveloped smart-TV devices. These are hybridTV devices (digital flat-panel TVs [iDTV], dig-ital receivers, and Blu-ray players/recorders)that can receive and display broadcast signalsvia cable, satellite, or terrestrial antennas, aswell as content and services from the Internet(incl. Web TV). The integrated browser usesa broadband network via Local Area Network(LAN) or Wireless LAN (WLAN or WiFi), inorder to display the content supplied via thereturn channel in exactly the same way asTV programming on the TV screen.

1.2 Consumer Electronics and Connectivity

Since early 2009, hybrid TVs have been avail-able on the German market, allowing bothbroadcast reception and Internet connectionas well as an optimized display of Internetservices on the TV screen. Initially, this wasalmost exclusive to digital flat-panel TVs(iDTV/smart TV). By now. an increasing num-ber of manufacturers of digital receivers orBlu-ray devices are relying on the hybrid ap-proach. The benefit: with a “smart” receiver,

almost any flat-panel TV with an HDMI con-nection can be upgraded to a hybrid device.

These smart TVs also often provide the op-tion to connect with other consumer elec-tronics or the home network. Thus, digitalcameras, MP3 players, DVD and Blu-ray de-vices, and game consoles as well as moderncell phones can be used with the TV screen.Some TV manufacturers also offer solutions 5

that permit control of the flat screen viasmartphones or tablet computers, generallyby using specific apps. This allows the variousdevices to be connected. The content ex-change between these consumer devices andthose of the communications and IT worldis facilitated by dedicated software.

A new form of TV/Web communication isthe integration of TV and the increasinglypopular social networkssuch as Facebook,Twitter, and so on –, termed “Social TV”within the industry. The linkage of TV andsocial networks may be achieved via apps inthe manufacturers’ portals or even alongsideTV programs running on the main displaypanel (cf. also 3.3 and 3.4).

Some CE manufacturers even envision theirhybrid devices as the control hub of a com-prehensive home network that can monitorand control building and household technol-ogy. The possibilities for connections withinand between sectors that were previously separate seem technically unlimited. Variousdevelopers are at least working on the adap-tation of various technologies. The key factorin the development of the entire market seg-ment, however, will be whatever finds ac-ceptance with users and thus establishes itselfon the market.

Web &

TVOverview

61.

Examples for flat-screen remote control

via smartphones or tablet computersand state-of-the-art TV remotes

Initially, it was several manufacturers of flat-panel TVs that drove the development of hybrid TV, starting in 2009. This resulted inflat-panel TVs with various hybrid optionsfor the display of Web content on the TVscreen being marketed in Germany. Some device manufacturers and content providersrelied on variations of the Internet’s HTML(HyperText Markup Language) language forconsumer electronics, known as CE-HTML.Others used IT solutions such as JavaScriptfor their smart-TV portals. Thus the manu-facturers offered their services to the viewerson their TVs in proprietary formatsmostly asan application (app). For providers of servicesand content, this meant adapting their pack-ages and coming to an agreement with therespective device manufacturer to access totheir particular portal.

Since 2009, a European consortium has beentaking care of the harmonization and devel-opment of interactive television on smart TVsunder the designation HbbTV (Hybrid broad-cast broadband Television). Several membersof the German TV Platform, such as the Institute for Broadcast Technology (IRT),Philips, and Astra have actively participatedas founding members. And since June 2010,the HbbTV specification has been recognizedas a standard by the European Telecommu-nications Standards Institute (ETSI). More andmore companies, including all the membersof the German TV Platform, now supportHbbTV technology (cf. 2.3).

Types of Interactive Television

2.

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2.1 Overview of Various Hybrid-TV Packages

Despite several variations between HbbTVbroadcaster packages and manufacturer por-tals, there are important similarities. Apartfrom television reception via the traditionalbroadcast infrastructures of satellite, cableand terrestrial broadcast, all smart-TV con-sumer devices support the use of services andcontent from the Internet and can use a re-turn channel to provide genuine interactivity

via the TV remote control. While the newhybrid devices in consumer electronics arecertainly not intended to replace the com-puter, they do provide additional benefitsand add a new diversity to television sets.Ever more smart-TV devices even combineboth: HbbTV functions with manufacturer-specific portals and multi-media networking.

Originating from the consumers’ desire toconcurrently use moving picture contentfrom the Web and other popular online me-dia on TV screens, the CE industry developedhybrid devices that allow both Internet con-tent and apps to be used on the TV set. Onthe other hand, TV program providers, to-gether with technology companies and otherinstitutions, developed the HbbTV standard,which allows linear TV programming to belinked with select Web content. Initially, itwas primarily hybrid flat-panel TVs (iDTV)that were equipped with the hybrid function.

By now, there is a wide variety of applianceson the market: Next to flat-panel TVs, thereare digital receivers, set-top boxes (STBs) with-out built-in receivers, and Blu-ray players thatcan receive and display Internet content andservices (including Web-TV) in addition tobroadcast signals via cable, satellite, or terres-trial transmission. Nearly all of these devicesimplement the HbbTV standard. In most cases,manufacturers of “smart” devices not onlyprovide hardware but also offer their ownportal for accessing the diverse world of Web-TV and other, non-television-based services.

The manufacturers’ smart-TV portals vary indesign and in user interfaces on the one handand content on the other. Generally, the var-ious manufacturers’ portals offer services suchas news, weather, games, and social networksas well as video-on-demand and video-libraryservices. The majority of the services availableTypes of

Interactivity

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2.2 Display and Use of Web Services on Smart TVs

2.

can be found on the various portals of dif-ferent device manufacturers, for exampleYouTube, Bild.de (popular German electronicnewspaper), or the video libraries run by theTV networks. From the manufacturer portals,on which the services are often displayed astiles in a gallery, similar to the well-knownapps on a smartphone display, users can access the desired service by means of the remote control. It is possible thatdependingupon the servicethere are access conditions,such as registration or payment. Other serv-ices are free of charge and instantly available.Some of the portals described above are as-sembled by the device manufacturers them-selves and, in some cases, operated by third-party service providers. What is new are theways in which users can navigate throughthis diversity of content: from touchpads in-tegrated into TV remotes via pointers all theway to gesture and voice control.

Portals are offered both by TV manufacturersand the manufacturers of digital receiversand Blu-ray players, but also by infrastructureoperators such as Astra (HD+), Eutelsat (Ka-belkiosk Choice), andsince March 2013MediaBroadcast, operator of a terrestrial broadcastnetwork (Multithek). The Astra and Eutelsatportals can be used by device manufacturersas white-label products and rebranded. MediaBroadcast has expanded the limited capacityof DVB-T with a hybrid approach. The scopeof services offered by the portals varies fromone manufacturer to another, but in general,those who started developing hybrid devicesearly on are now providing a wider choice of

content. Usually, por-tals offer users an op-portunity to configureand personalize servicesaccording to individualpreferences, to group“favorites” together,and to personalize thescreen by selecting ad-ditional tiles from asort of “app gallery”and adding them to thepre-installed selection.

The services that can be accessed via the por-tal may include the following types:

• Services with direct reference to broadcastcontent, for example the networks’ videolibraries, where viewers can re-watch orcatch up with recent programs or watchcertain programs in a livestream (such asnewscasts);

• Services with an indirect connection tobroadcast content, like e.g. the Web portalsof TV broadcaster groups or their commer-cial video-on-demand portal, from whereTV programs can be downloaded exclu-sively ahead of broadcast;

• Services that have no connection to broad-cast content but contain moving images,such as user-generated content like You -Tube;

• Services that neither have a connection tobroadcast content nor contain moving im-ages, such as e.g. electronic newspapers,social networks, online photo galleries,game portals, auction platforms, or tele -communications services;

• Shopping offers of all major home-shop-ping networks, partially with options toorder via TV.

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On smart TVs, HbbTV services offered by broadcasters as well as app portals canbe selected simply by the push of a button.

Regarding the variety of content and servicesthat are available via a portal, the develop-ment is still in its infancy. Some portals alsooffer free Internet access via an open browser.With these devices, users may input any URLand access any Website via their TV. An ad-vantage of curated services is to have the assurance of the best possible display andfunctionality on screen, as well as the legalsecurity of excluding illegal content, protect-ing copyright, and locking inappropriate con-tent.

Another way to access more content and serv-ice than the TV program via a hybrid deviceis to access the packages of the TV broadcast-ers themselves. In this area, it is more or less

exclusively the HbbTV standard that is im-plemented. It links the TV signal of a broad-caster with relevant content from the Inter-net. This way, HbbTV allows a new inter -active TV experience. On HbbTV-enableddevices, HTML pages are generally openedand closed by the red button, one of the fourcolored keys on a standard TV remote. AnyWeb content defined by the broadcaster asrelevant to the current program,can thus beaccessed. Under the HbbTV standard, the TVbroadcaster is in full control of this processand can guide viewers from the current pro-gram to various Websites.

These may be thematically linked to the cur-rently watched TV program, or link to a high-definition teletext in a modern design and acomprehensive EPG. Links to the navigationportals of the TV networks or their corporateWebsite are also feasible. With HbbTV, inter-active involvement of the viewer is possible,for example online voting in live programsor home shopping without switching media.With the video libraries, programs can alsobe watched via Internetdepending upon thebusiness model, registration or payment maybe required to do so.

It goes without saying that the link from thecurrent program can only be provided by theTV broadcasters that are actually received in

a particular household by the broadcast trans-mission method available. Technically, thelink is transported via the EIT informationin the broadcast signal. Infrastructure opera-tors of broadcast services such as cable net-work operators, satellite operators, andproviders of terrestrial broadcast networks of-fer access to Web services usually in the formof portals that are similar in principle to thoseof the CE industry. Here, too, graphics, range,and diversity of the services vary.

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Types ofInteractivity2.

2.3 HbbTV as a Standard: Origin, Application and Outlook

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The resolution of modern HD displays wouldpermit any content from the Internet to bedisplayed and to be made navigable. Never-theless, approaches to display content on aTV in the same way as on a PC seem ques-tionable for several reasons. Viewing distancerelative to screen size is generally greater witha television than with a PC, which most In-ternet content is displayed too small andpoorly legible on regular TVs. Moreover, In-ternet content is optimized for navigationwith a mouse cursor and keyboard, and bothinput features seem to be incompatible withcommon TV usage, where standard remotecontrols with arrow, number, and color keysare still dominant. However, since IFA 2013,keyboards on TV remotes, pointers, gestureand voice controls have become prevalent.For faster navigation, newer remote controlshave even integrated small touchpads, whichare familiar to users from laptop computers.

In addition, there are also commercial argu-ments against the integration of hardwareinto TVs or set top boxes that would allowthe full scope of Internet services to be dis-palyed in the same way as on a present-daymultimedia PC. For these reasons, Internetservices are only available in a limited formon current hybrid TVs, or they have to bespecially processed for display on the TVscreen. This means that two problems arisefrom the service providers’ point of view:

1. Each manufacturer of hybrid devices usesa different browser and supports a variety ofstreaming formats and protocols. This leadsto the problem of having to adapt contentindividually for various manufacturers, andthis heterogeneity represents an immense ob-stacle for a dynamic market.

2. Inside hybrid devices, the areas of Internetand television are, in fact, separated, eventhough they share the same screen.

Why HbbTV?Hybrid devices do not represent an entirelynovel concept. For years, there have beenattempts by device manufacturers to alsodisplay Internet content on TV screens viaan integrated browser. But it is only nowthat affordable, high-bandwidth Internetaccess has become so widespread and somuch attractive media content is availableon the Internet that critical mass for awider market penetration has beenreached.

Almost all device manufacturers have intro-duced smart-TV devices onto the market. Formanufacturers, there is a need to set them-selves apart in the increasingly competitivemarket for flat-panel TVs, and the feature of“Internet access” is used as a selling point.On these devices, a “portal” can generally belaunched, from which a variety of Internetcontent can be accessed. Of particular interestis moving picture content, e.g. YouTube orthe video libraries of the German public net-works, ARD and ZDF. The concepts pursuedby the industry, however, have raised a cou-ple of issues.

For this reason, various market partners (ANT,APS, IRT, Open TV, Philips, and the FrenchHD Forum, as well as Samsung und Sonymore recently) joined to develop a uniformtechnological platform that would allow the“smart” linkage of universal functions andcontent from the Internet with that of theTV, using HTML as the basic technology. Theobjectives for the hybrid system to be devel-oped were:

• It had to be open and standardized, in or-der to permit efficient development of con-tent independent of individual manufac-turers or platform operators.

• It had to be based upon open-source stan-dard technologies as far as possible.

• It should only specify the minimal requiredcomponents and features, so that the spec-ification could be supported by as manymarket players as possible.

• It should allow the combination of allbroadcasting systems (satellite, cable, ter-restrial) with all Internet access technolo-gies (DSL, cable, wireless).

• It should permit connection between lineartelevision content and additional interac-tive services.

• It should also permit the use of the broad-cast channels for the distribution of addi-tional services.

• It should be suitable as a successor to thepresent-day teletext system.

• It should not affect the integrity of broad-cast programs, i.e. not combine servicesfrom the Internet with the screen image inan uncontrollable way.

This meant that, in the future, accompanyingHTML pages could be launched directly outof a TV program. It also meant visibly betterdisplay options for teletext in the age of HD.Additional information, such as news crawls,could be superimposed transparently acrossthe TV image, and information relevant tothe TV program could be displayed simul -taneously, for example during game shows.But the HTML environment will also be en-hanced:

• A smaller TV picture can be integrated intoHTML pages, allowing seamless access fromthe Web page.

• A key reason for employing the HTML isalso the simple carry-over of services al-ready developed for the Internet. This way,attractive services can be launched quickly,and not just by broadcasters, as demon-strated by the host of Internet services onhybrid TVs already available.

The objective of developing a standard withinthe parameters outlined above has beenachieved. The specification was submitted toETSI in late 2009 and published in June 2010in its initial version as ETSI TS 102 796.

The Technical Concept of HbbTVThe HbbTV standard defines as few new tech-nical elements as possible, but is rather basedon existing technical standards. In that respect, the specification is more a profile ofwhat exists than a new technological ap-proach, thus speeding up the implementa-tion on devices. Essentially, HbbTV is basedon the following three standards:

The CE-HTML standard, currently availableas a 2007 version, is based on W3C Internetstandards and specifies an HTML profile forCE devices. This browser profile also formsthe technical foundation of HbbTV. It is basedon XHTML 1.0, DOM 2, CSS TV profile 1.0and ECMAScript-262 (JavaScript) and is opti-mized for the display on HTML/JavaScriptpages conforming, by and large, to the Webstandards, on CE devicesgenerally TV screens.It should be mentioned that the XMLHttp -12


Request object in particular is supported, sothat application developers are able to de-velop HTML applications comparable to cur-rent so-called Web 2.0 applications. This com-patibility makes it possible for existing know-how, technology, and experience employedin contemporary Web applications to beseamlessly transferred to HbbTV set top boxeswhile focusing on aspects of broadcast inte-gration. Furthermore, the key codes for themost popular TV remote controls, for exam-ple, are also included.

CE-HTML does not, however, contain any el-ements that specify the connection to a DVB(digital video broadcast) environment, as isthe case with digital television. This is, how-ever, achieved by the browser specificationof the Open IPTV Forum, published in Janu-ary 2009. While this specification was writtenfor application in IPTV networks, it containsAPIs that can also be used for hybrid de-coders. These include, among others, specificfeatures for integrating the TV image intoHTML applications, for switching radio orTV channels, for pre-programming record-ings, and for accessing DVB data. With ele-ments of both these specifications selectedfor HbbTV, the key browser features havebeen defined.

Three important additional features are pro-vided by the “Signalling and carriage of in-teractive applications and services in hybridbroadcast/broadband environments” DVBstandard, which was completed in March2009 and is available as ETSI standard TS 102809. First of all, this DVB standard controlshow applications that are launched out of aTV or radio program are signaled in the DVB-multiplexes. In line with the previous MHPstandards, this is performed via the Applica-tion Information Table (AIT) listed in the Pro-gram Map Table (PMT) of the respective pro-gram. The AIT of any program lists All appli-cations permitted to run alongside a specificprogram are registered in its AIT. Other ap-plications may switch to this program butare stopped by the system. This ensures thatthe program is not “hijacked” by external ap-plications and for example superimposed bythird-party advertising.

One of the applications assigned to a programcan be designated in the AIT as a so-called“autostart application.” It will be launchedautomatically when the respective channelis switched to and usually displays a red button symbol on the screen that disappearsafter a brief period. This symbol indicates toviewers that they may launch additional applications by pressing the red key on theirTV remote control. An additional signalingoption in the AIT is designed for applicationsthat are intended to replace today’s teletextservice. This signaling can be linked to theteletext key by the device manufacturer sothat a new teletext application can belaunched directly. In addition to applicationsthat are linked to a broadcast service via AITsignaling (broadcast-related applications),HbbTV also supports applications that arenot necessarily linked to a broadcast service(broadcast-independent applications). Thesemay, for example, be third-party programguides, or applications such as Flickr, YouTube,etc. HbbTV permits the switch from broad-cast-related to broadcast-independent appli-cations, but limits access by broadcast-inde-pendent applications to broadcast content.

Furthermore, TS 102 809 specifies the trans-mission of applications via the DVB broadcastchannel. This option is interesting in the caseof devices that have a browser but are nothooked up to the Internet by the consumer.While the volume of data that can be trans-mitted via the broadcast channel is limited,it is suitable for simple services such as en-hanced teletext.

For the transmission of HTML applications,according to the Blue Book, the DSM-CCstandard is applied, which is already beingemployed for MHP.

The “stream events” with which small datapackets can be piggybacked to the broadcastchannel in sync with the TV program are alsopart of the DSM-CC standard. With this, forexample, questions or answers may be trans-mitted at exactly the right time during inter-active quiz shows. Via Internet connection,this kind of synchronization of broadcastcontent and interactive responses would be 13

quite difficult to achieve, and Web serverswould have to be designed to handle millionsof simultaneous requests. For these purposes,using the broadcast channel is therefore con-siderably more efficient.

In total, the HbbTV browser profile representsa pragmatic compromise that offers a flexibleand universally usable technical infrastruc-ture for various service options on the onehand, while on the other hand it can be im-plemented in hardware (iDTV/STB) that isconsiderably less efficient than the computerscommonly used to access the Internet today.A browser that complies with the HbbTVspecification can be integrated into any con-sumer device as an independent component.Providers of complete middleware solutionscan, however, also market this browser as anintegral part of their product. Dependingupon the requirements of individual markets,this browser concept may also be combinedin the user devices with API systems that havealready been introduced (such as MHP orMHEG5).

The HbbTV Consortium TodayAs already mentioned, the HbbTV initiativewas initially an informal cooperation be-tween ANT, APS, France Télévisions, IRT,OpenTV, Philips, and TF1, joined by Sonyand Samsung in August 2009. At this time,the HbbTV partners announced the new initiative in a press release and open up thepossibility for additional companies to jointhem as supporters, which more tha 100companies and institutions have done in themeantime.

In April 2010, Philips, ANT, Sony, Samsung,OpenTV, SES Astra, IRT, TF1, EBU, and FranceTélévisions signed a consortium charter to

regulate further cooperation and open upHbbTV to new members. In the meantime,this consortium is a legal entity registered inSwitzerland. Over 60 companies have joinedas members so far. The further technical ac-tivities are being driven by a series of workinggroups. These activities are primarily:

• a review of the first version of the HbbTVstandard to correct errors or ambiguities,as well as to integrate some new features,such as the DASH standard for adaptivestreaming; this new version of the HbbTVstandard, designated “HbbTV 1.5”, waspublished by ETSI in November 2012 asETSI TS 102 796 v1.2.1;

• the development of a test suite for testingwith HbbTV devices; this test suite is in-tended to ensure a uniform and consistentimplementation of HbbTV in all devicesand reduce expenses for testing devices;this test suite has been available to all mar-ket partners since 2012;

• the development of a 2.0 version of thestandard, offering a number of new fea-tures, including HTML5 support and inter-activity options between devices; technicalspecifications for “HbbTV 2.0” are more orless complete;

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• discussion forums and workshops, in thecourse of which implementation questionsand potential errors will be discussed onthe basis of past practical experience andknow-how in all aspects of HbbTV will beassembled.

Status of Market Development: HbbTV Services in Germany Since IFA 2010, all four free-to-air televisionbroadcast groups in GermanyARD, ZDF, RTL,and ProSiebenSat.1have been offering HbbTVservices. While public broadcasters have fo-cused mainly on media libraries, teletext, andEPG, the commercial broadcasters have em-phasized colorfully upgraded variations oftheir teletext pages with photos, video clips,and interactive advertising, and Pro7 andSat.1 also offer games and voting. An out-standing example for the potential of HbbTVwas demonstrated during the 2012 OlympicSummer Games and the 2014 Olympic Win-ter Games with the integration of six andfour livestreams, respectively, into the HbbTVOlympics apps of ARD and ZDF.

But smaller broadcasters also regard HbbTVas a valuable extension feature to their pro-gram activities: By now, Sport1, HSE24, QVC,Sonnenklar TV, and Astro TV have launchedtheir own HbbTV options. Interestingly, agrowing number of local TV broadcasters isalso providing HbbTV contentbringing thetotal to 70 program providers offering HbbTVservices (as of September 2013). They alreadyinclude applications that allow bookings orpurchases. There is no doubt that such ap-plications will also be offered by many moreproviders in future.

Status of Market Development: HbbTV Devices By the end of 2009, the Humax iCord HD+was introduced as the first HbbTV set topbox for satellite reception. In the course of2010, further manufacturers of DVB-S STBsfollowed with VideoWeb, Smart, and Inverto.At IFA 2010, more major manufacturers, in-cluding Philips, LG, Toshiba, Loewe, andTechnisat, followed, particularly with inte-

grated TV receivers (iDTV) that supportedHbbTV. In the meantime, virtually all majordevice manufacturers – currently more than50 – have HbbTV-enabled devices on the market (for specific data, please refer to chap-ter 4).

HbbTV on Various Transmission ChannelsHbbTV is a standard that can be genericallyapplied to all combinations of broadcast net-works and Internet access, i.e. also via DVB-Tand mobile Internet. Here is a brief overviewof the status of HbbTV in the various GermanDVB distribution channels:

DVB-S is, as for many other new develop-ments in digital television, the earliest marketsegment. Many of the HbbTV services men-tioned above are available free of charge viasatellite, and quite a few of the HbbTV de-vices available support satellite reception.Paid services are offered mostly via the HD+portal with a service called “replay.” A regional portal operated by the state mediaauthorities combines various regional serviceson one satellite transponder.

DVB-T: At the „Medientage München” con-gress in Munich in October 2010, ARD, ZDF,and ProSiebenSat.1 switched HbbTV signal-ing onto their terrestrial multiplexes anddemonstrated their HbbTV packages onHbbTV prototype devices or with a DVB-Tfrontend. Virtually all of the HbbTV iDTVsfrom major manufacturers marketed in 2011also support DVB-T reception. In the mean-time, broadcast network operator MediaBroadcast has added Multithek.

DVB-C: In cable, HbbTV signaling for allchannels is already available across all net-works. As with terrestrial broadcast, HbbTViDTVs from major manufacturers are gener-ally also equipped with DVB-C tuners.Thanks to the CI Plus interface, they can beused in all major cable networks. A specialservice by Eutelsat with a white-label HbbTVportal called “Choice” is directed explicitlyat cable network operators.

15

HbbTV can even be an issue for IPTV net-works: The hybrid standard can be employedhere in the same way as in conventional DVBnetworks, and in this segment, too, someIPTV providers have already started workingon their HbbTV decoders. There are thus nomore obstacles in the way for HbbTV to be-come a universal standard for hybrid tele -vision across Germany.

HbbTV and Second ScreenUsage of a “second screen” while watchingtelevision has become increasingly popular,as the vivid interest for a conference on thissubject, hosted by the German TV Platform,

demonstrated. Since the current version ofthe HbbTV standard does not permit directcommunication with a second screen, IRThas developed a system that allows the inte-gration of a mobile device into HbbTV serv-ices even today. This way, HbbTV applica-tions can, for example, be controlled re-motely from the second screen, or certaininformation may be pushed from the TV tothe second screen. To establish a connectionbetween the devices, the user simply has toscan a QR code on the TV screen with a suit-able application on his secondary device. Fol-lowing a successful handshake, the second-screen application is launched automatically

on the secondary device. Since it is entirelybrowser-based, implementation is platform-independent. Due to its HbbTV-compatibility,services directly related to TV program con-tent can be implemented. This system hasbeen operational since IFA 2012 with ARD’sHbbTV EPG and has been marketed by T-Sys-tems since March 2014 under the brandname, “First Connect.”

The Status Quo of HbbTV in Europe and around the World Germany was a pioneer in the launch ofHbbTV on an international scale. The Frenchmarket had already played a key role in thedevelopment of the HbbTV standard, and bynow, TF1, France Télévisions, and Canal+ areusing HbbTV. Internationally, HbbTV hassince made great strides: In Europe, ninecountries have regular HbbTV operations(Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Den-mark, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland,Spain, and Switzerland). A number of otherEuropean countries are planning the launchof HbbTV or have commenced test runs(Hungary, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and theUnited Kingdom). Even beyond Europe,HbbTV has been reviewed, and in some cases,introduction has already been greenlighted.Russia and China have conducted field tests,and Turkey included HbbTV in their DVB-T2specifications. This combination of DVB-T2and HbbTV will most likely be used inMalaysia, Vietnam, and other Asian countriesas well. In Australia, HbbTV services will berolled out in May 2014. In South America, acombination of HbbTV and ISBD-T is beingtested, and in the United States, HbbTV isbeing discussed as a technology componentof the new 3.0 version of the ATSC standard.

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The requirement for a speedy developmentof hybrid television has compelled major CEmanufacturers to cooperate. In early July2012, they founded the Smart TV Alliance inLos Angeles, initiated by LG Electronics, TPVision (a Philips subsidiary), and Toshiba, allof which are also members of the GermanTV Platform and active collaborators in theSmart TV working group. In the meantime,Technisat, Panasonic, Vestel, and 14 othercompanies have joined the Alliance.

Together, these companies intend to supportan improved infrastructure for TV applica-tions and platforms, allowing Web services,on-demand services, games, and music to beused or played on all flat-panel displays andother TV devices under uniform specifica-tions. As a first step, a version of their soft-ware development kit (SDK) is available fordownload by app developers. It is based onopen-source Internet technologies (such asHTML5) and allows applications to run onall smart TVs produced by the participatingmanufacturers, independent of their plat-form.

The Smart TV Alliance is open to other hard-ware manufacturers, broadcasters, and con-tent providers, as well as infrastructure oper-ators. At the same time, the Alliance’sfounders support the Hybrid broadcast broad-band TV (HbbTV) standard, which has itsown organization (cf. chapter 2.3) and is ap-plied by TV broadcasters in Germany andother countries.

Manufacturers that are not members of theSmart TV Alliancesuch as Samsungalso offersoftware development kits and regularly hostdeveloper meetings. This makes it easier forcompanies that do not manufacture hard-ware to develop services for the varioussmart-TV portals. Even for Google’s newChromecast dongle, there is an SDK calledGoogle Cat that allows third parties to de-velop apps and services for this digital mediaplayer.

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2.4 The Smart TV Alliance and SDK Options

According to a gfu study, the penetration of Germanhouseholds with smart TVs is above the European aver-age, but they lag behind in actually connecting these devices to the Internet.

Source: gfu – Gesellschaft für Unterhaltungs- und Kom-munikationselektronik. Representative study by gfu in2013: 8,000 households surveyed in Germany, seven otherEuropean countries, and Turkey

The number of hybrid consumers devices inGermany is growing rapidly. All relevant device manufacturers have offered HbbTVsupport in their hybrid devices off the shelfsince fall 2011. The major TV broadcastgroups and also a growing number of smallerbroadcasters have developed and launchedHbbTV applications. At the same time, thenumber of information and entertainmentoptions that TV viewers can access in theportals of their TV device manufacturers (so-called “TV apps”) is growing. Most marketplayers assume that the combination of linearbroadcasting reception and the Internet-based transmission of content will have amajor impact on the TV market in the yearsto come. After PCs, smartphones, and tabletcomputers, television will become anotherhighly attractive sales channel for new typesof advertising and e-commerce, or rather “TV-commerce.”

Video AdvertisingWhile the HbbTV packages from the publicbroadcast groups do not pursue any commer-cial interests but are rather intended to be amethod of combining enhanced teletext,EPGs (Electronic Program Guide), and freeaccess toin some cases very expansivevideolibraries, the marketers of commercial broad-cast networks regard HbbTV more and moreas a venue for new advertising formats. Apartfrom the display ad formats familiar from theonline sector, video ads are increasingly beingused in the shape of pre-rolls. For theproviders of commercial TV apps in the man-ufacturers’ portals, revenues from video ad-vertising in particular are the substantialsource of funding their efforts today.

According to projections made by Goldmediain 2011, the net advertising turnover for on-line video advertising will increase from €80million then to approximately €350 millionin 2015.

The percentage attributed to hybrid TV is stillrelatively small, but according to the mov-ing-image marketer, smartclip, providers ofhigh-coverage TV apps will be able to gener-ate annual advertising revenues in the low-to mid-six-figure range with an upward trend,since the number and reach of apps increases,as does their quality.

TV CommerceIn contrast, the segment of paid content al-ready plays quite an important role by now.In fact, Maxdome announced in early 2013that half of their one million registered usersstream movies via smart TV. And non-com-mercial providers, such as public broadcasterZDF, also report a sharp increase: In April2013, 1.6 million of their video items wereviewed via HbbTV.

According to a 2012 study by the Munichconsultancy firm, Mücke, Sturm & Company,a wider use of these packages in Germany aswell as further transaction-based businessmodels for smart TVs (home shopping, di-rect-response TV, contests, games, call-to-ac-tion campaigns, etc.) can only be realized af-ter processes for customer-friendly and securepurchase and payment methods have beenestablished on the market. It is only thenthat a part of the purchases made today viatraditional television will migrate to smartTV. Apart from that, new players will comefrom the Internet realm that will use tele -vision as an additional sales channel, suchas e.g. operators of e-commerce sites or shop-ping portals. According to this study, mer-chandise worth over €1.8 billion will be soldthis way in five years’ time.

It should, however, be noted that the userscenario is different for television, comparedwith PC and smartphone. The viewer usesTV offers in a relaxed situation and is not us-ing a keyboard but rather a remote controlwith a limited number of keys. It remains tobe seen how RC-integrated keyboards or voicecontrol will change viewer habits. But in or-18

2.5 Business Models and Advertising Options with Smart TV

The more than 70 broadcasters who offer HbbTVservices in Germany also include numerous local TVstations, whose videos can be accessed via a portal, as well as home-shopping networks such as QVC.


der to successfully establish the previouslymentioned business models, an unambiguousidentification of the television viewer is nec-essary. On the Internet, this is generally per-formed by authentication of the user withthe combination of user name and password.

One of the solutions lies certainly with “sec-ond screens” or “companion devices,” i.e. ad-ditional devices, such as smartphones ortablet computers, that allow more complexinputs. Here, too, user-friendliness is the keyto success in consumer acceptance.

With an increasing number of content orservice packages that require registrationand/or payment, both on manufacturers’portals as well with broadcasters, the neces-sity arises for a TV-compatible central authen-tication or single sign-on system (SSO) as apayment system for vendors and customers.The example of iTunes shows how importantthis factor can be for the commercial successfrom the content provider’s point of view,and the study by Mücke, Sturm & Companyalso confirms: “Entering user data and pay-ment information is by far the conversionkiller par excellence for every sale via remotecontrol.” In that respect, the announcementsby several device manufacturers that theywill be introducing their own authenticationand payment systems are a basic step in theright direction, as they are designed to in-crease user-friendliness for consumers, thusreducing purchase inhibitions. Unlike in thecase of smartphones, no one manufacturerhas a dominant market position so far, sothat content and service providers are forcedto provide their offerings to as many manu-facturers as possible. Adaptation of the serviceto the respective manufacturer’s authentica-tion and payment system (if at all available)provides sellers with complex adaptation andadministration processes that block rapidmarket penetration.

One possibility is therefore to introduce spe-cial payment systems that are tailored to theHbbTV standard, since one of the key prop-erties of the standard is that it combines themost diverse CE devices (TVs, sat receivers,Blu-ray players, etc.), so that services can be

displayed uniformly and independently ofdevice manufacturer and type. One exampleof this is the TV-ID service offered by teveointeractive. Similar to Facebook Connect onthe Internet, it offers customers on interactivetelevision the option to register with all con-nected services, irrespective of which devicethe customer is using the service on. In addi-tion, the customer can also use paid contentthat is then billed via the TV-ID on behalf ofthe provider. For service providers, this meansthat they can use the same system on all devices with the same procedures, withouthaving to adapt their services to each device.Another example is offered by Ping 24/7,which presented its solution for TV com-merce to the German TV Platform in April2011 on a smart TV (cf. chap. 3.3). Apartfrom the convenience of SSO, this system of-fers the option to choose between variouspayment methods. Authentication is per-formed conveniently through a PIN.

PayPal also offers a payment solution forHbbTV, which allows to access HbbTV paidcontent and pay for the service via PayPal.Registration is easy: Once the user has de-cided on a product or paid content, he orshe only needs to hit the “Buyand pay byPayPal” button. The user then opens the pay-pal.de/hbbtv Website on a secondary device(e.g. a PC or smartphone) and enters the five-digit code displayed on the TV screen. He orshe is then automatically directed to PayPal’slog-in page, and logs in with his or her per-sonal PayPal access data. Back at the TV, thecustomer only has to confirm his or her pur-chase by entering a four-digit authorizationcode.

For future purchases, the user only needs theauthorization code, regardless of channel,merchant, product, or content. For users, Pay-Pal’s new HbbTV payment solution offers aneasy and convenient way to conduct a trans-action. After his or her initial registration,the user does not have to enter any text nordoes he or she have to use any device otherthan his or her TV. These kinds of solutionsmay encourage both content providers andusers to shed their reservations and carry outtransactions via TV. 19

A new, independent payment option for smart-TVservices in the HbbTV standard is offered by eBay’swell-known Internet money-transfer service, PayPal.

Such options for conducting transactions di-rectly on TV open up exciting developmentprospects. Moreover, the second screen willoffer an increasing number of applicationscenarios for e-commerce, e.g. for orderingproducts displayed in a broadcast program.Home-shopping networks are already findingways of offering users merchandise presentedin their programs for direct purchase via re-mote control. Apart from traditional prod-ucts, virtual products such as moving-picturecontent and games are the driving forces to-wards profitability. But there is yet no clearroad map for the dominant models in thissegment in sight, and this conclusion isshared by a study commissioned by the statemedia authorities, entitled „Wie smart ist dieKonvergenz? Markt und Nutzung von Con-nected TV” (“How Smart is Convergence?Connected TV Market and Usage”).

New Types of AdvertisingAs soon as adequate penetration has beenachieved in the smart-CE-device market, newforms of advertising will develop from thepossibilities of directly addressing the cus-tomer on television, where interactivity andclose proximity to the purchasing decisionare primary factors. One possibility would beto personalize traditional TV commercials.For this, TV broadcasters or advertisers wouldbe provided with anonymous profile data ofviewers in real time, putting them in a posi-tion to adding narrowly targeted content andlinking their commercials to a dedicated Web-site, thus encouraging viewers to take actionor stimulating spontaneous purchases.

This direct contact to customers via televisionis not limited to TV commercials, either. It isalso conceivable that the broadcaster fadesin a personalized display that is linked to thecurrent program. Advertising will benefitfrom the emotional framework provided bythe linear television program and in this wayclearly increases the likelihood of customerresponse. This option goes far beyond thepotential of purchasing within TV apps onmanufacturers’ portals but it is extremely de-manding with regard to the checkout processbeing simplified (e.g. a central PIN to all

transactions) and privacy laws being ob-served. As soon as these new advertising for-mats have established themselves on the mar-ket, the TV advertising market will clearlyexpand.

To gain acceptance among advertisers andboost profits for HbbTV and app providers,it is vital that advertising effects can be quan-tified and compared to other media. For thispurpose, various projects have been initiatedby established service providerssuch as ivw,AGF, Agof, and agmawhose main objective isto establish a uniform currency for usingmoving images on the Internet and on smartTVs and to create a standard that allows com-parisons with other advertising media. Someof these institutions have given lectures onthis topic at the German TV Platform. A sur-vey on the current situation can be found inGuido Schneider’s chapter, „Das Ringen umdie WährungsunionBewegtbildmessung imFernsehen und Online” (“The Struggle forMonetary UnionMoving-Image Quantifica-tion on Television and on Line”), in the statemedia authorities’ 2013 digitalization report.

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21

The term Over the Top (OTT) refers to theon-line transmission of video and audio con-tent, even without an Internet serviceprovider (ISP) controlling the OTT offer. Noregistration is usually needed to access thecontent on the platform in question. The ISPis aware of the transferred IP packages but isnot responsible for copyright, use of the ma-terial, and any further transfer of the content.The transfer is independent of Internet band-width, which means that technical qualitycannot be guaranteed. Users can receive OTTcontent via online-enabled devices, such aspersonal, laptop, or tablet computers, smartTVs, set top boxes, or game consoles. Accessis mostly accomplished by an IP addresscheck and can therefore be restricted to cer-tain territories, if desired. OTT is not broad-cast, DVD, or PVR.

OTT TV refers to television sets receiving pro-gram content from the Internet. Even periph-eral devicessuch as Blu-ray players/recorders,or game consolescan receive content fromthe Internet via a LAN or WiFi connection.This content is then relayed to the TV screen,often customized for TV to allow simple nav-igation via the TV’s remote control.

As OTT providers are generally individualcompanies, it is difficult to achieve a

standardization of the consumer de-vices and their OS software. Eachoperator is tempted to promotetheir own proprietary solutions onthe market to try to force compet-ing companies off the market.OTT TV is a software-based ap-proach. As such, the service

provider needs to work togetherwith the device manufacturers of

Blu-ray players, STBs, TVs, and gameconsoles, since, after all, it is these man-

ufacturers that bring the software to theconsumer in their devices.

Google TVIn May 2010, Google presented its Android-based TV platform. With its Google TV,Google is one of the largest representativesof OTT TV and typically intends to bring allservices offered via Internet to the TV screen,alongside traditional broadcast programming.The platform contains a search function sim-ilar to that on mobile devices using Androidtechnology. In addition, Google offers fea-tures similar to those of other smart-TVproviders. Google TV is based on the Androidoperating system and the Google Chromebrowser. For displaying all moving contentfrom the Internetincluding videos and ani-mation -, a full-fledged Flash plug-in has beenintegrated into Chrome. Google TV waslaunched in Europe with special Sony de-vices, and Google-TV sets from Sony havebeen available in Germany since fall 2012.For 2014, Philips/TP Vision is offering an An-droid-based smart TV. The latest attempt tolaunch a device-independent Google TV iscalled “Chromecast” and consists of an HDMIdongle that allows TV sets to access streamingservices via WiFi.

Skype Goes TVThanks to OTT-TV, Skype, the Voice-over-IPsoftware with instant messaging, has alsofound its way to television sets. This way,news and calls can be enjoyed directly in theliving room on a big screen. Skype is inte-grated by Oregan Networks into various TVdevices. The Oregan media browser is an em-bedded software for Internet and IPTV serv-ices. CE device manufacturers such as LG,Panasonic, and Samsung supply the addi-tional system prerequisites: Skype-compatibleTVs and Freetalk TV cameras with a specialmicrophone system.

2.6 Over-the-Top (OTT) TV: Important National/International Players

22

Apple TV: Primarily for iTunes ContentWith Apple TV, Apple is following conceptdifferent from and not competing withGoogle or Yahoo!, since Apple does not in-tend to provide access to the free Internet.Apple presented the second generation of itsApple TV on 1 September 2010 and the thirdgeneration on 7 March 2012: a device to playiTunes content such as music, podcasts,videos, movies, and your own photo collec-tion. The small streaming box is connectedto the television or a screen and permits ac-cess to media content which is fed from a lo-cal network or saved on the integrated harddisc, synchronizing computer and Apple TVvia AirPlay. An additional five computers canalso stream data to the Apple TV, but withoutan option to save.

The device is visually very plain and also fea-tures various connections and interfaces(HDMI, optical-fiber audio connection, Eth-ernet, integrated IR receiver, micro USB forservice/support) and, except for the remotecontrol, has no buttons. A training programis integrated, though, allowing various re-mote controlssuch as iPhone or iPadto con-trol the complete home cinema. As men-tioned above, Apple TV has no built-in TVreceiver, which is why only content from theiTunes library can be playednow also in HD1080p. Services like YouTube, Flickr, Vimeo,and WSJ live (Wall Street Journal videos) cannow be accessed, as can some subscriptionservices like MLB.tv. There has only beenspeculation so far regarding a TV made en-tirely by Apple.


As one of its first tasks, the Smart TV (for-merly Hybrid Consumer Devices) workinggroup took on the definition of commercialrequirements in 2009. Defining the follow-ing commercial requirements took severalmonths and was accompanied by lively discussions. In order to remain as closeas possible to market development, the

requirements referenced existing speci -fications and standards as closely as pos-sible, including the HbbTV specification.Taking into account the international sig-nificance of hybrid TV, these commercialrequirements were phrased in Englishfrom the beginning.

The following table lists the main Commer-cial Requirements for Hybrid broadcastbroadband TV devices which are regarded thebasis for the Smart TV working group of the

German TV Platform. They are compared tomodules of a technical concept for such de-vices.

23

Results of the Smart TV Working Group

3.

3.1 Commercial Requirements

Jürgen Sweczyk, head of the working group, at the Platform’s press conference at the IFA trade show

No. Commercial Requirement Realization in HbbTV Specification

1 Technology must be based as far as possible

on open standards and allow easy realization

of applications

State of the art browser technology:

XHTML 1.0, ECMAScript-262, DOM 2,

CSS TV Profile 1.0 (CEA-2014-A / chap. 5.4)

2 Access to and control of broadcasting service

related (bound) applications shall be easily

possible for the user

The “Red Button” functionalities and the

application lifecycle function in HbbTV cover

this requirement

3 Access to and control of non broadcasting

related service (unbound) applications shall

be easily possible for the user

HbbTV does not mandate any easy access

mechanism to unbound applications and does

not prohibit a device manufacturer to imple-

ment the system in way that he is a gatekeeper

for unbound applications in “HbbTV Implemen-

tation Guidelines” the implemen tation of an

easy URL entry (soft-keyboard or selection

from a list of all available apps) and the possi-

bility of permanent storage of favorite apps

should be mandated

4 The system shall allow the implementation

of application platforms, where the system

features, including application access and

control functions, for both bound and unbound

applications are well balanced, especially also

from a customer usability and convenience

perspective

See 3

5 Starting and stopping of applications

(including teletext replacement) triggered by

DVB services must be possible

Signalling based on DVB BlueBook A137,

detail clarification by HbbTV profile

6 Applications must be able to trigger a service

change

A service change can always be triggered by

the application (OITF-DAE / chap. 7.4). If the

application is not signaled on the new service,

it will be terminated.

7 For users it shall be easily possible to termi-

nate a running application

The concept of HbbTV is to avoid killing an

application in the technical sense (this could

be done via an EXIT key which is optional

for the RCU) but to allow launching and hiding

applications using the red button. This is part

of the application guidelines.

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ResultsSmartTV

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8 The Transmission of applications via the

broadcast channel must be possible

Usage of DSM-CC object carousel according to

DVB BlueBook A 137 (future ETSI TS 102 809)

is possible for application transmission.

DVB-SI has to be extended to allow the

signaling of pure HbbTV data services.

9 Secure data exchange shall be possible covered by HbbTV-Specifications

(https server certificates)

10 The inclusion of one TV signal in the applica-

tions must be possible (picture in graphic).

Some broadcasters have the requirement to

control PiG in their applications exclusively.

OITF-DAE / chap. 7.7

11 Applications must be able to use resident

storage


minimum 100 cookies; each 4 kByte

12 Access to EIT data (EIT present / following

and EIT schedule actual and other) must be

possible by applications


HbbTV profile: restriction to EIT p/f

(complete EPG data can be transmitted

via IP). EIT schedule is optional

13 Synchronization of interactive content and

broadcasting services must be possible

1) Polling is possible

2) AJAX according to CEA-2014-A

/ chap. 5.5.2

3) DSM-CC stream events

(DVB BlueBook A137)

14 Individual programming of PVRs by

customers should be possible via trusted

applications

HbbTV Annex A1: PVR API only for “trusted

applications” (triggered by manufacturer or

broadcaster) – HbbTV chap. 10.1.2: applica-

tions could read signs only from applications

of the same domain.

Manufacturer can create further dialogs

(10.2.3.3)

15 Transmission of still pictures must be possible

using state of the art encoding GIF, JPEG, PNG

(CEA-2014-A / chap. 5.4)

26


16 Streaming formats and protocols must comply

to the state of the art

– unauthorized download

of streamed content shall not be possible

– HbbTV profile (Minimum)

protocols: http (https), RTSP

container: MPEG2-TS/MP4

encoding: H.264, HE-AAC

– a full DRM system can be integrated

(optionally)

17 There must be a defined common set of input

keys for application control (red button, colour

buttons, number buttons 0–9, P+, P-)

basis: CEA-2014-A / chap. 5.4.1

details: HbbTV chap. 10.2.2

18 Entry of short text (words) into HTML-pages

must be possible

HbbTV profile mandates manufacturer

specific solution

19 It shall be possible for EPG-applications

(bound or unbound) to tune to a service

selected by the customer. Furthermore it shall

be possible for an EPG-application

(bound or unbound) with the permission of the

content provider to present a preview of a

service as a downscaled live video at any time,

without termination of the EPG application

HbbTV-Standard: only if the broadcaster

allows the EPG-Application

20 Applications must be able to tune to a service

or select a (VoD) event delivered via both the

broadcasting transmission path (DVB) or the

Ethernet path (IP). This shall not be restricted

to services provided by the channel list

(tuning by frequency), but also cover e.g. VoD

services via DVB or IP

Streaming video via IP is specified in section

7.3. of the HbbTV specification plus the refer-

enced standards. Section 6.2.2.2 of the HbbTV

spec. clarifies that tuning can also be done to

VoD channels which have no SDT entry.

21 Applications (bound or unbound) shall be

able to access to DSM-CC-carousel data.

This would allow especially also applications

for CPEs without or not yet activated return

channel capabilities.

Section 8.2.2 of the HbbTV specification states

that for accessing the content of a DSM-CC

carousel file, the XMLHttpRequest object can

be used.

ResultsSmartTV

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Hybrid devices and the associated changesin use of media provide a whole range ofchallenges for the sector. Hybrid receptiondevices have the potential of triggering long-term changes in the user habits of TV viewers,who are turning more and more into activemedia users and are in a position of compil-ing their media intake from various sources.Players from the traditional broadcast sectorfind themselves facing competition from the“Web.”

The interplay of media from various distri-bution channels on a single TV screen hasnot yet been resolved. The regulations inforce to this daysuch as the European Audio-visual Directive, implemented into Germanlaw as the 13. Rundfunkänderungsstaats -vertrag (“13th Amendment to the InterstateBroadcast Treaty”) differentiate between lin-ear services on one hand and non-linear serv-ices on the other, with different degrees ofregulation for each. In view of the new tech-nological possibilities of smart TV, however,it remains unclear, which rules apply to theinteraction between linear broadcasting andonline services. The new generation of TVsalso raises new questions in the areas of copy-right and the protection of minors.

For several years, the German TV Platformand its “Smart TV” working group have beenhosting discussions between public and com-mercial TV broadcasters and the consumerelectronics industry, where the networks’ demands on hybrid consumer devices in gen-eral and HbbTV devices in particular werediscussed, with a focus on audiovisual con-tent. The aim of the discussions was to alignthe supply-chain partners’ visions and expec-tations and to create the best possible frame-work for the introduction of services and devices. These discussions have honed themarket players’ sensitivity towards and un-derstanding for each other. Thus far, the me-diation of the TV Platform had a considerableeffect on the positive development of themarket.

At this point in time, it can be said that thewidest consensus currently possible has beenreached. The market partners’ divergent ideasespecially on scaling, dissolve, and overlayare well-known, and it is now up to the vari-ous companies to draw their conclusions. Thebasis will be three different documents thatwere contributed by and discussed at the Ger-man TV Platform over the past three years:

• discussion paper of the industry on the2010 VPRT requirements

• ARD and ZDF’s demands on HbbTV userdevices as of August 2012

• comments of ZVEI on the demands of ARDand ZDF as of July 2012 (in reaction to thestate of the discussions by mid-year)

The VPRT supports the guidelines introducedby ARD and ZDF as specifications shared byall content providers.

It can be expected that discussions on con-tent handling for smart TV will continue onvarious bilateral levels. The German TV Plat-form will follow this development on behalfof its members and report on it. If necessaryor expedient, the “Smart TV” working groupwill revisit the subject and deal with it ingreater depth.

3.2 Content Guidelines

Content Guidelines

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The German TV Platform with its dedicatedworking group had long foreseen the devel-opment from hybrid TV to smart TV andmade it the topic of an event. At the “Smart-phone to Smart TV: Apps Conquer TV” work-shop on 6 April 2011 in the “media city” ofPotsdam-Babelsberg, over 120 experts dis-cussed in ten lectures and panel discussionshow smart TV can add real value and providea new television experience to viewers. Theunanimous opinion was that, in addition toattractive content and services, a user-friendlynavigation was essential. Uwe Welz, directorof the ARD Playout Center, described ruleshow a combination of linear and non-linear

television in the fashion of HbbTV could beorganized. This required continued arrange-ments among all market players. Rike Brechtfrom the Illmenau University of Technologycalled for uniform operational conceptsacross all devices and services. With referenceto the current different navigation conceptsof the major TV networks, Brecht explainedthat for the use of video libraries and digitalteletext, improvements were required.

Matthias Greve of VideoWeb illustrated howhybrid flat-panel TVs could be turned intomultimedia terminals and gave practical tipsfor HbbTV implementation in interactive devices. Professor Claus Sattler, managing director of Goldmedia Innovation, does notsee the development of consumer electronicsstopping short at the TV screen. Instead,smart TVs would be linked seamlessly withmobile devices such as smartphones and

tablet computers. Dr. Stefan Arbanowski ofFraunhofer FOKUS gave an overview of theintroduction of the Web programming lan-guage, HTML 5, and the related opportunitiesfor the CE industry and the TV sector, in-cluding the option of cloud-based apps.Volker Blume, Philips Consumer Lifestyle,presented the various possibilities of smartTVs. Along with a comprehensive media portal with access to content offers from theInternet and digital teletext from the TVbroadcasters, the devices offer an advancedinteractive program utilizing the red key onthe remote control. As remote control for thesmart TV, Volker Blume envisions the use of

both smartphone andtablet computer.

Carsten Urbanski of Ping 24/7 explained howviewers will soon be ableto buy directly via asmart TV’s remote con-trol. According to Urban-ski’s forecast, home shop-

ping will gain a new meaning with the con-nection between TV and Internet. Thisrequired easy solutions for secure paymentsystems on smart TVs. How well HbbTV isalso suitable for B2B solutions was shown byMatthias Schwankl of Eutelsat Kabelkiosk, using Kabelkiosk Interactive as a white-labelportal for cable network providers. LarsFriedrichs of SevenOne Intermedia outlinednew advertising and marketing options forcommercial providers in a networked TV environment and announced new HbbTV applications for ProSiebenSat.1.

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3.3 Workshop of the German TV Platform: “From Smartphone to Smart TV: Apps Conquer TV”

Workshop of the German TV Platform on hybrid TV and apps (1)

Workshop networking: Jürgen Sew-czyk, Board Member of the German TV Platform and Head ofthe “Smart TV” working group, talk-ing to attendees in Potsdam (2)

Carine Chardon, Executive Secretaryof the German TV Platform, wel-comes Uwe Welz, Director of theARD Playout Center (3)

(1) (2) (3)

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The trend towards a “second screen” and thusthe prospect of smart TV in combination withother consumer devices was a central themeof six specialist lectures and a panel discus-sion at the 21st Symposium of the GermanTV Platform on 24 May 2012. Although thesimultaneous use of smartphones, tablet orlaptop computers alongside the stationaryTV may distract viewers, the smart TV screenwill not fall behind as a resultquite the con-trary. That was the conclusion of the eventin the Rhein-Main-Hallen in Wiesbaden withover 200 participants. Intelligent networkingand synchronization of the devices meansthat TV networks can benefit from multi-

screen applications. For the viewers, the sec-ond screens offers a clear benefit through ad-ditional information, convenient interaction,and social TV.

Guido Bülow of Südwestrundfunk (SWR)said: “Viewers like to interact with the tele-vision program and participate in a commu-nity experience.” The online expert gave acomprehensive overview of worldwide appsand platforms for second-screen applications.With the use of such apps, TV broadcasterscan already actively involve their viewers, asdemonstrated by first experiences with“Tatort+” as an extension of the popularcrime drama into the Web.

Stephen Strubel of ProSiebenSat.1 regards theuse of interactive applications as an impor-tant strategy for building viewer loyalty to-wards specific TV network. ProSieben already

experimented in the first season of The Voiceof Germany with social TV apps. These willbe expanded due to the overwhelming viewerresponse. But he emphasized that money alsoneeded to be made. Strubel added that theadvertising industry is already interested inthe new forms of usage, but that quantifica-tion issues still needed to be worked on.

Dr. Marc Mogalle of Zapitano showed thatsecond screen services also provide opportu-nities for new companies. The start-up com-pany sees itself as a social-TV platform andwants to modernize television by turning itinto “permanent public viewing.” The vision

of TV viewers as members of a community isat the heart of Zapitano’s strategy: a com -munity connected by the TV medium. Dr.Mogalle said that second screens are not athreat, but that they breathe new life intothe smart first screen.

Oliver Lewis showed how much multi-screensolutions were already in demand by usingthe example of Sky+ and SkyGo, which per-mit the pay-TV subscriber to enjoy their fa-vorite program on any screen of their choice.Particularly popular is the use of Sky contenton the iPad. Social features that have recentlybeen introduced allow more interaction onSkyboth with the program and with the com-munity.

Dr. Peter Baum of Technicolor explainedwhich available technology allowed the syn-chronization of first and second screens. He 29

3.4 Symposium of the German TV Platform on Second Screens: Perspectives on Smart TV and Social TV

Impressions from the German TVPlatform’s symposium on second screens (left to right):Guido Bülow, SWRStephan Strubel, ProSiebenSat.1Dr. Marc Mogalle, ZapitanoOliver Lewis, Sky

explained the methods of audio watermark-ing and audio fingerprinting, which both re-quire a matching of data streams. Baum alsosees a benefit of second screen applicationsin the personalization of services.

Dr. André Schneider of Samsung showed howwide the fields of application for secondscreens are: The smart screens can be con-nected to browse content, control content,or use them on the go. For the “allshare” of-fer, user-generated content in the cloud isavailable anywhere and could be transferredto the neighbors’ TV screen, for example, viasecond screen. Also, the networking optionsof the devices are com-prehensive: tablet com-puters, smartphones, andcameras are connected toflat-panel dispalys andBlu-ray players/recorders.Multifunctional applica-tions also play a centralrole, such as the “smartview” app by Samsung.

In the concluding panel discussion chairedby Prof. Ulrich Reimers of the Technical Uni-versity of Brunswick, the question whetherthe viewer “still actually watches the TVproper” was clearly affirmed. Dr. AndreasBereczky (ZDF) and André Prahl (RTLDeutschland media group) emphasized thatsecond screens owe their attraction to thecontent displayed on the first screen. How-ever, the inclusion of social media into theconcepts of the program providers had be-come imperative. In the opinion of the ex-perts, the non-linear use of moving-picturecontent is also becoming more important.Gert von Manteuffel (German Telekom) de-scribes the development that is currently tak-ing place as “emancipating television fromthe television set.” Interoperability based onstandardized procedures for the connectionof first and second screen is the crucial factorin the supply chain, according to GerhardSchaas. The chairman of the German TV Plat-form sees this as an important challenge forcompanies over the coming months andyears.

HTML5 expands Smart TV and HbbTVAn important role for the future developmentof Smart TV and HbbTV falls to HTML5 as anew, emerging standard. HTML5 is not yetan official standard, however it is alreadywidely used in some areas, e.g. in developingWeb apps, which are Websites in an app lookwith touch functionality. They are able torun in the browser across all systems on vir-tually all operating systems. For providersand developers, they thus appear to be abridge and an efficient alternative to nativeapps, which would have to be programmedindividually for iPhone, iPad, Android, andother operating systems.

Essential HTML5 procedures like WebSockets,Canvas, WebStorage and Application Cacheenable intelligent apps with completely newuser interfaces that work well on the smart-TV screen and outsource CPU-intensive ortime-consuming tasks into the cloud.

An example of this are the projects of theCELLULAR agency, specifically the network-ing of third-party apps with smart TVs. Atthe same time, the desire of the HbbTV con-sortium to integrate HTML5 into future ver-sions of the HbbTV standard is a logical nextstep that shows how important this key tech-nology is for multi-device apps.

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Insights at the German TV Plat-form’s symposium on secondscreens by (left to right):Dr. Peter Baum, TechnicolorDr. André Schneider, SamsungGerhard Schaas, Loewe

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3.5 Usability – Studies on Usage Concepts

Cover of the German TV Platform’s„TV in der Zukunft“ (“TV in the Future”) brochure

TV in derZukunftTV in derZukunftEine Bestandsaufnahme derDeutschen TV-Plattform

With hybrid TV, conditions have changed incomparison to personal, laptop, or tabletcomputers. A key aspect, for instance, isscreen size. In the case of computers, it iscomparatively small, while TVs use screensthat are as large as possible. This is related,of course, to the typical use of these devices.While computers are primarily intended fora single user and the distance between viewerand screen is relatively small, TVs are de-signed as consumer electronics (CE) enter-tainment devices for multiple viewers, andthe distance to the screen is correspondinglylarge. There is also a substantial difference inoperation. On the one hand, there are thekeyboard and mouse mainly used with com-puters, on the other hand the remote controlfor TVs. Since IFA 2013, however, keyboardson TV remotes, pointers, gesture and voicecontrols have entered the field. For faster nav-igation, newer remote controls have inte-grated small touchpads, which are familiarto users from laptop computers.

Nevertheless, this raises the question how In-ternet use via TV should be designed in orderto achieve sufficient acceptance among users.Apart from a presentation during a GermanTV Platform’s workshop, representatives ofthe Ilmenau University of Technology havegiven lectures on the topic at several meetingsof the German TV Platform’s “Hybrid De-vices” (now “Smart TV”) working group. Thefollowing comments are based on these con-tributions.

The definition of the term usability can bederived from the DIN EN ISO 9241-11 stan-dard, “Ergonomic requirements for officework with visual display terminals (VDTs),Part 11 Guidance on usability” for the fol-lowing definition: “Extent to which a productcan be used by specified users to achieve spec-ified goals with effectiveness, efficiency andsatisfaction in a specified context of use.”

The following guidance criteria must be met: • effective solution of the tasks to be

achieved• efficient use of the system• user satisfaction

In principle, users view hybrid TV in positiveterms, since the simultaneous use of the Internet parallel to watching TV facilitatesaccess to more content. This includes, for example, the video libraries now available onthe TV screen, the more diverse teletext butalso the large number of applications whichcan be accessed directly by clicking on anicon rather than by entering an URL. Eitherway, this involves the effective adaptation ofvisual content to the large television displays.Another advantage is seen in the fact that allthe information is current, due to the Inter-net connection.

The experience, however, will only be en-joyed by users under optimal usability con-ditions. Here, user interface and processesplay a major role. It should be noted thatwith hybrid TV, only the remote control isavailable. It provides fewer features for Inter-net use than the keyboard or mouse with acomputer.

The usage concepts must be based on the fol-lowing keys on the remote:• number keys (0 through 9) • arrow (cursor) keys • OK/enter key • color keys (red, green, yellow, blue)

User expectations must not be overlooked,and usage should be designed to be equallysimple for children and senior citizens. Thisincludes particularly clearly visible displayson system status and actions taken. Each useraction must thus lead to a clear feedback.Users would also like to have their customarypassive “lean-back position” preserved andnot be forced into an active “lean-forwardposition” for the Internet. In the case of hybrid TV, the various usage options of tele-vision devices should be also taken into account. Thus there would have to be a dis-tinction between individual television use, acozy TV night in a small circle, the broadcastof a sports event with more viewers, andother scenarios.

A very important requirement is in fact thatthe user does not want to lose reference tothe current program. Therefore any actionmust always offer a quick return path to thepreviously visited content.

Rike Brecht of the Ilmenau University ofTechnology emphasized the fact that, apartfrom the fundamental requirements, the spe-cific tasks of the user must always be consid-ered. The core duties of an HbbTV offeringinclude:• switching the HbbTV package on and off• return to the home page• navigate within the package• access teletext• parallel TV viewing• personalization• change settings• using help

A variety of content is usually displayed inthe form of menus, and it is therefore neces-sary to support fast access to informationthrough transparent navigation. Only a fewindividual steps should be required. Usersmust at all times have clear navigation op-tions at their disposal to show them howthey can return to the home page of the hy-brid-TV package, and this should be possiblein a single step.

The teletext now available on hybrid TV issubstantially more powerful than the previ-ous version. For the user however, no adap-tation in operating it should be required.

Especially in case of program-related appli-cations, users are often interested in watchingthese at the same time as a program, whichis usually referred to as “parallel viewing.” Inorder to do so, there should be various op-tions. One would be to display the televisionpicture in the background, another the split-screen display of application and program.Another popular concept is to display the television picture in small format in a cornerof the screen. Switching back to the televisionprogram in full format must in all cases bepossible in a single step.

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Well-structured navigation in the portal of a smart TV manufactured by TP Vision/Philips

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Personalization means nothing else than thepossibility for all users to tag applicationsand/or programs with individual identifiersto facilitate targeted access. This includesbookmarks, favorite lists, and reminders.

When settings have to e changed or the helpfunction is used, it is absolutely vital thatnecessary instructions for the user are unam-biguous and clear.

In all hybrid-TV applications, special atten-tion must be given to the legibility of texton the display. Font size, in particular, playsan important role for the typical viewing distance of 2.5 meters and more to the tele-vision screen. In case of computers, consid-erably more text can be better displayed onthe screen because of the substantially smallerviewing distance.

Adapting to the situation of hybrid TV leadsto the following requirements:• use an appropriately sized font• avoid long copy and subdivide wherever

possible• reduce the horizontal extension of lines

and separate into text blocks• design text blocks in a way that they can

be accessed individually• avoid scrolling

These conditions for the layout on the screencorrespond to the operational features offeredby remote control with hybrid television. Ob-serving these criteria will substantially affectuser acceptance. This raises the question ofhow the requirements listed are satisfied inpractice, and in this respect, there are stillconsiderable deficits because content is par-ticularly heterogeneous and the structure ofuser interfaces is quite diverse. This consid-erably affects user satisfaction and also putshigh demands on future standardization inthis sector.

For the above reasons, there is a continuingneed for action on the harmonization of userinterfaces. This can be achieved by the fol-lowing steps:• avoid long navigation strings• ensure that returning to the home or pre-

vious page is possible in a single step• adapt the display size to the TV screen size• display each navigation option in a clear

manner• ensure display of system status and user

actions

First tests and usability studies provide in -teresting indicationsincluding one studycommissioned by the German TV Platformfrom the Ilmenau University of Technology(July/August 2011). The study, which focusedon the usability of HbbTV “red button” ap-plications, was performed at the Institute forMedia Technology by a team of scientists un-der the leadership of Professor Heidi Krömker.The objetive was to identify the strengthsand weaknesses of HbbTV “red button” of-fers, in order to map out the usability opti-mization potential and provide style guidesuggestions.

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Samsung demonstrates their range of smart TVs, which are subdivided into various areas of application for enhanced user-friendliness.

As seen, the inconsistency in the user-inter-face concepts of various TV broadcasters (e.g.color key layout), the slow response time ofseveral HbbTV options with sometimespoorly visible navigation confirmation andmissing personalization features hamper user-friendliness. “However, since usuabiltyapartfrom the actual services and information-strongly affects the success and acceptanceof HbbTV options, ergonomic guidelinesshould be observed in design, as well as user-oriented development,” according to the styleguide, “Usability of HbbTV Red Button Of-ferings” by the Ilmenau University of Tech-nology.

At the same time, it contains specific sugges-tions on navigation, displaying information,speed of response, media control, help andpersonalization features. The style guide pro-poses generic usability guidelines as recom-mendations for developers and designers ofHbbTV offerings. Their intuitive operationhas substantial influence on whether viewerstake advantage of “red button” options, according to the Ilmenau researchers and

others. A usability study commissioned byARD in early 2011 indicated that HbbTV serv-ices “at their current state of developmentare already very positively accepted by po-tential users and seen as clear added value toexisting digital television.” Increased accept-ance could be achieved by improved usabilityand particularly by harmonizing the user interface concepts of the various TV broad-casters.

In order to analyze the current developmentof smart TV and issue specific recommenda-tions for the user-friendly design of HbbTVapplications, the German TV Platform hascommissioned another study in late 2013.For this study, the University of Applied Sciences in Mainz will test about 15 selectHbbTV offers by German TV broadcasters onfive common smart TV sets with various testsubjects and evaluate usability. Early advancetests were conducted during the OlympicWinter Games in February 2014, but themain study will take place in spring/summer,and results are scheduled to be published inearly September at IFA 2014.

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Illustration of typical usage scenarios from the German TV Platform’s „TV in der Zukunft“ (“TV in the Future”) brochure

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On 4 November 2014, the Verband PrivaterRundfunk und Telemedien (Association ofCommercial Broadcasters and Tele-Media,VPRT), the German state media authorities,and the German TV Platform will present re-cent developments in the area of user guid-ance and control of smart TVs at a joint evententitled „SuchenFindenNavigieren” (“Search -FindNavigate”). “The devices’ new technicaloptions also offer new potential for content,and we all have to adapt: regulatory bodies,content providers, hardware manufacturers,and users. We are only at the threshold of a potentially revolutionary development,”declared Dr. Jürgen Brautmeier, President ofthe State Media Authorities’ Commission forLicensing and Supervision (ZAK). “Conver-gence is an extremely exciting and challeng-ing opportunity for broadcasters. We intendto explain these complex processes, becausethe gain in diversity does, of course, also raisequestions about how content can be located,”added Dr. Tobias Schmid, Chairman of VPRT.“As an industry forum that transcends indi-vidual interests, we are happy to contribute,with this event, to an open dialog on the op-portunities and challenges of changing mediausage. It is the common goal of all marketplayers to create added value for the user,”Carine Chardon, Executive Secretary of theGerman TV Platform, emphasized in front ofapproximately 200 attendees.

At the beginning of the lectures, Dr. KristianKunow, Advisor on Platform Regulation andDigital Access (die medienanstalten), demon-strated the market’s basic economic parame-ters for smart-TV portals. Although the cur-rent variety of available offers was quite grat-ifying, there was no guarantee that it wouldendure as the market developed. A compari-son with similarly structured marketssmart-phones, for exampleshowed that it mighteventually concentrate on just a handful ofuser interfaces and app stores. Another keyfactor was whether users were committed toa certain method of accessing content, orwhether they were free to choose and woulddo so. The figures in the state media author-

ities’ Digitalization Report showed a tendencyof German smart-TV users to access videocontent directly via the device and less fre-quently via secondary devices, such as per-sonal computer, laptop or tablet computer.

Next, Michael Wörmann, Managing Directorof Facit Digital, presented the results of anethnographic study on smart-TV usage,which documented behavior patterns in In-ternet-connected TV households. It showedthat linear television programming stillplayed an amazingly central role in the subjects’ daily lives. The media authorities’study, „Wie smart ist Konvergenz?” (“HowSmart Is Convergence?”), which was first pre-sented at this event, also showed that thedistribution channelbroadcast or Internetwasbarely relevant from the user’s point of view:What counts is content. Moreover, the studyconducted by Facit Digital in Munich showedthat the households mainly used their smartTVs to access video on demand. While EPGsand listings are a key factor in accessingbroadcast content, the pre-installed layout ofthe manufacturers’ portals influences thechoice of Internet-based content. It was oneof the key results of the study that users willrarely add extra apps to those pre-installedon their devices.

In a practical demonstration hosted by Se-bastian Artymiak (VPRT), Head of the “UserGuidance” project group within the GermanTV Platform’s “Devices and Connectivity”working group, new features that will revo-lutionize content search, access, and retrievalwhile watching TVsuch as program listings,gesture and voice control, or recommenda-tion managementwere shown on smart TVsfrom various manufacturers. Online featureswere demonstrated via browsers and “red but-ton” functions that facilitate access to thebroadcasters’ HbbTV content. In addition toinstalling and sorting apps on the device por-tals, it was demonstrated how online streamscan be integrated into the existing channellist, thus making broadcast and Internet con-tent indistinguishable to the viewer. 35

3.6 “Search – Find – Navigate” Joint Event

Representing the hosts: Carine Chardon (German TV Plat-form), Dr. Jürgen Brautmeier (die medienanstalten), Dr. Tobias Schmid (VPRT)

In the future, recommendations for TV andvideo usage will play an ever-growing role.Recommendation systems based on viewerhabits and personal preferences were demon-strated. Finally, various features for the inte-gration of a “second screen” (smartphone,tablet computer, etc.) were demonstrated, in-cluding the transfer of TV content from thesmart TV to a smartphone.

In a keynote speech, Gareth Barr, Head ofPublic Service at the U.K. Office of Commu-nications (Ofcom), outlined how Britain dealswith the challenges of connected TV and newplatforms. He called for the development ofways and means to prevent discriminationin the findability of content and to safeguardequal opportunity. The question how thismight be achieved in Germany was the maintopic of the subsequent panel discussion. Thepanelists agreed that the technological de-velopment offered a wide range of opportu-nities for all players. A heated debate followedon the necessity, scope, and implementationof rules for smart TVs and their content.

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3.7 Consumer Protection with Smart TVs and HbbTV

The media have repeatedly reported onsecurity loopholes in interactive television:computer viruses that might damage hard-ware, Trojan horses that may spy on pass-words or the users’ banking information,and even cyberattacks that could instru-mentalize hybrid TV and STBs for large-scale network attacks. Another cause ofconcern is the fact that viewing habitsmight be transmitted, recorded, and ex-ploited, for instance, through the use ofcookies. The German TV Platform is con-cerned with both aspects of consumer pro-tection, which will be examined in the following sections, in order to contributeto an objective debate by naming and ex-plaining the facts.

1. Security

The manufacturers of consumer electronics(CE) are taking the issue of securityi.e. theshielding of devices against hackers andvirusvery seriously. First of all, the intrinsicstructure of smart TVs already provides a highlevel of security: From a technological pointof view, these devices are, by and large, closedand thus secure systems. This makes the installation of malware or the clandestine,unauthorized retrieval of data far more diffi-cult for hackers. In addition, security mecha-nism, such as data encryption within the de-vice, are constantly being developed and up-dated. Firmware updates will allow users toreliably close even those security gaps thatmight be discovered after delivery to the con-sumer.

Top: Sebastian Artymiak (VPRT)moderated the appliance demon-strations; bottom: Gareth Barr from theBritish Office of Communications(Ofcom)

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Panel discussion on the regulation of smart TV, hosted by Dr. Christian Stöcker (Spiegel online). Participants:Gareth Barr (Ofcom), Dr. Hans Hege (mabb), Dr. Matthias Knothe (Office of the Prime Minister ofSchleswig-Holstein), Dr. Tobias Schmid (VPRT), Dr. André Schneider (ZVEI), Stephan Zech (Axel Springer).

Although smart TVs are hooked up to the In-ternet via LAN or WLAN (WiFi), they accessthe Web mainly in two ways: either via appssupplied through the hardware manufactur-ers’ portals, or via HbbTV (Hybrid broadcastbroadband TV) services that are linked to directly from the broadcasters TV programs.In both cases, the service providers or opera-tors ensure the best possible protection forthe receiving devices.

Smart-TV Portals and TV Apps In the case of app services supplied via man-ufacturer portals, the security is provided bythe fact that the hardware manufacturer orany third party he has commissioned willcheck all applications before offering themto consumers on the portal. In many of thedevices, the apps are not downloaded directlyto the device, but a connection is establishedto the manufacturer’s secure server instead.The portal provider’s preliminary check willinclude the exclusion of viral infections andsecurity gaps, and it will be applied in partic-ular to apps that were created by a third partyusing an open-source software developmentkit (SDK).

The HbbTV Standard and Pertinent Services The same applies to the TV network’s HbbTVapplications and to the HbbTV offers pro-vided by infrastructure operators for satellite,cable, or terrestrial broadcast. HbbTV, an in-ternational ETSI standard, is based on estab-lished Web standards and does allow the set-ting of cookies. However, it does not provideany interfaces that would allow Websites toinstall scripts, plug-ins, or other executablefiles. In other words: Apart from setting cook-ies, apps have no access to the system underthe HbbTV standard. It is thus impossible tosmuggle spyware, e.g. for recording viewerhabits, into the TV set.

Free Internet Access via a TV-integrated BrowserThere are also smart TVs that allow users tofreely enter an URL as free text via an inte-grated browser. In these cases, the manufac-turer minimizes potential risks throughbrowser settingsfor example by blockingplug-insthat the user cannot change or ma-nipulate.

Connections within the Home Network and with Other DevicesIn addition to app portals, HbbTV servicesand the free-text input of URLs, many smartTVs offer a variety of connectivity options,e.g. with IT, telecommunications or otherequipment in the home network, or withgame consoles. For these cases, smart-TVmanufacturers have also taken various pre-cautions to prevent damage to the TV setcaused by the transfer of malwareas long asviewers keep using the device manufacturer’soriginal software.

As a rule of thumb, users should handle alldevices connected to the TV panel responsi-bly. This applies, in particular, to the so-called“second screens” (smartphones, tablet com-puters, etc.) and the home network, whichshould be protected using passwords and en-cryption technology for the router. The TV’sfirmware, on the other hand, should be up-dated frequently from the manufacturer’sserver and always reflect the very latest ver-sion available.

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2. Privacy

The handling of user data in connection withsmart TVs and HbbTV services is an impor-tant subject, since the viewers’ trust is key totheir acceptance and thus the success ofsmart TV and HbbTV services. For this reason,the German TV Platform has dealt at greatlength with the handling of user and usagedata and their protection against misuse.

Television ratings are and have been deter-mined in Germany by the Television ResearchConsortium (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Fernseh -forschung, AGF) that analyzes TV usage bymeans of special viewer panels. Unlike whenusingfor instancea personal computer, theaverage viewer in front of a TV watching lin-ear programming is anonymous. This situa-tion changes, however, as soon as he or sheuses HbbTV-capable smart TVsat least whenusing the additional options the device of-fers.

Technically, a viewer accesses the Internetwhen using HbbTV services or a TV app. Sim-ilar to using equivalent services on a com-puter, certain information has to be acquired(e.g. the TV’s IP address) in order, for exam-ple, to stream a program from a media library.Only information that is technically requiredwill be collected. At the same time, bothbroadcasters and portal providers are wellaware of the sensitive nature of this issue andtry to keep their users informed. Contrary tocertain media reports, no personal data arecollected but only data pertaining to the de-vice. Moreover, a distinction has to be madebetween various contexts in which the in-formation is acquired.

Using Smart-TV Portals and/or Smart-TV Apps In order to be enable viewers to make fulluse of the device-based services offered by asmart TV, it is necessary for manufacturers toacquire certain device information. This ap-plies, for example, to all personalized services,such as viewing suggestions. For the viewer’smaximum convenience, certain informationis also acquired via cookies, e.g. the accessdata of frequently used services, so the viewerdoes not have to enter them again each timehe or she uses the service.

In all of these cases, data acquisition takesplace within the framework of currently ap-plicable privacy laws and regulations, whichinclude the requirement for users to give theiradvance consent to the acquisition of theirdata. During set-up or first use of device-basedInternet services, such as the smart-TV portal,the user will thus receive a statement of themanufacturer’s privacy policy, in which theinformation acquired via the portal has tobe specified. Only after the user has givenhis or her express consent will this informa-tion actually be acquired and the services canbe used. In this manner, manufacturers pro-vide the greatest possible transparency in col-lecting user data.

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Using HbbTV Services In order to signal the availability of supple-mental features to viewers by inserting a “redbutton” into the linear program, the trans-mission of the smart TV’s IP address is a tech-nical necessity. Some TV broadcasters anony-mously count devices and red-button usage,always within the boundaries of applicableGerman privacy laws and regulations.

Cookies, which collect usage information-such as browser ID, IP address, or hardwareinformationare familiar to computer users.Cookies like these can also be employed byservice providers for smart TV; however, theydo not record user names, mailing addresses,or other personal data, nor do that relay suchinformation to third parties. As on a com-puter, cookies are used, for example, toanonymously register the frequency of usefor certain services or to customize content,such as barrier-free services, to the user. Theprecise manner in which cookies are used isusually described in the content provider’sprivacy policy and/or terms and conditions.The major public and commercial broadcast-ers allow consumers to switch the usage ofcookies on or off.

From the outset, the German TV Platform’s“Smart TV” working group has dealt with theissues of security and privacy in hybrid tele-vision. Since January 2014, memberswhichinclude representatives of the state media authorities, the Federal Network Agency, andthe offices of the German states’ primeministershave beendiscussing with in-creased intensity thespecifics of data pro-tection as well as secu-rity issues concerningconsumer hardware,platform operators,and content providers.

Apart from exchanging information, theyhave consulted corporate and institutionalprivacy experts andin the interests of all mar-ket playerstaken a critical look at the situa-tion. The goal is to achieve a consistentlyhigh level of privacy for all small TVs andservices in Germany.

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Coordinated Consumer Education / Marketing The term “smart TV” seems to have prevailedover terms such as “hybrid TV” or “connectedTV.” The abbreviation “HbbTV” for the stan-dard most commonly used, however, appearsmostly in technical publications, while theterm “red button” has gained hold in con-sumer communication. In two initiatives

“Smarter Fernsehen” (“Smarter TV Viewing”)and “Auf ROT geht’s los: Meine Taste fürsmartes Fernsehen” (“RED means Go: My keyto smart TV”), the working group will con-tinue to align the terminology used by allparties concerned, in order to facilitate themarketing of smart TV and HbbTV. The ob-jective is to inform and educate consumersby focusing on the various aspects of smartTV. All these activities are most effectivewhen all market players act in sync, both interms of timing and content. For this reason,the “Smart TV” working groups will focus onsupporting market partners and their mar-keting activities.

3.8 New Focuses of Activity and Open Questions of the Smart TV Working Group

The “Smart TV” (formerly “Hybrid Devices”) working group of the GermanTV Platform has discussed and answered many questions since 2009.However, other points that have not been settled or new points for dis-cussion continuously arise from the ongoing development process.

Usability of content The simple method of accessing and usingcontent and applications is often key to thesuccess of new devices and services. This hasbecome especially evident in the market forsmartphones, which has grown exponentiallyin the last three years. The manufacturers ofconsumer devices have managed to introducenew device features in a playful manner. Thishas, in turn, stimulated the development ofinteresting, diverse applications and services.The German TV Platform believes that smartTVs and interactive services from TV net-works and other providers have a similar potential. And so the working groupin col-laboration with the “User Guidance” projectgroupwill intensify its focus on user-friend -liness and the intuitive control of HbbTVservices and smart TVs, in order to continuecontributing to consumer-friendly solutionsnow and in the future.

OTT and Second ScreenThe term Over the Top (OTT) refers to smartTVs accessing online video and audio con-tent. OTT TV is a method that allows the cus-tomer to receive Internet content on theirtelevision, frequently in a form speciallyadapted to the medium. Second screens arealso often used in this context, especially forsocial TV. The summaries on these topics inversions 1.0 and 2.0 of the German TV Plat-form’s White Book as well as the present Mar-ket Analysis are intended to reflect prelimi-nary results at this point in time. The workinggroup will continue to observe and analyzethe national and international market de -velopment here, partzicularly in terms of therelationship with smart TV and HbbTV serv-ices.

Business Models and Consumer ProtectionThe search for business models for smart TVand HbbTV is still in its initial stages. Com-mercials, e-commerce and VoD seem to beamong the primary moneymakers of the fu-ture, yet there are many issues to be resolvedin all three areas, such as user-friendly pay-ment methods, coverage quantification, and

types of advertising. There are also issues related to privacy and consumer protection,especially since social media are already in-corporated into smart TV (“social TV”). Theworking group will continue to monitor andanalyze these developments and contributeto an exchange of informatio between all parties.

Smart TV and RegulationTwo services that were previously subject toseparate regulations have merged in smartTV devices: TV is subject to broadcast law,Web content is subject to telecommunica-tions law, and other services are not regulatedat all. Moreover, some services come prein-stalled with the device, and applications maybe bundled. In addition, services and appsmay be downloaded individually by thesmart-TV user, who can install or deinstall orsort services and apps according to individualpreferences. In view of the increasing numberof options and features that hybrid TVs offer,it is important to discuss the regulatoryframework for smart TVs and their content.On this topic, the European Commission hasmailed a comprehensive questionnaire to theindustry that had to be filled out in 2013.The German TV Platform will participate inthe discussion as far as possible, taking theheterogeneity of the membership into ac-count.

DRM and Content ProtectionContent protection is becoming more andmore complex as the range of consumer devices and contents grows. How will thecontent be played back over the various plat-forms, such as TVs, smartphones, or tabletcomputers? What are the market needs ofthe consumers, Internet providers, and devicemanufacturers? What can the various pro -cedures achieve, and what does the marketrequire? How can content protection workwith all the devices in the home network?The working group will tackle and discussthese issues.

40

ResultsSmartTV

WG3.

According to GfK Retail & Technology, 20.5million Web-enabled consumer deviceshad been sold by the end of 2013 on theGerman market, including TVs, Blu-rayplayers, and set-top boxes (STBs). Theshare of HbbTV-capable smart TVs was 92percent at that time.

In 2013 alone, 6.4 million consumer appli-ances were sold which are capable of dis-playing Web-based content (“smart TV”).In spite of a decrease in the overall num-ber of items sold, the dynamic rise of Web-enabled consumer electronics is virtuallyunbroken, compared to the previous year(6.5 million).

Again, with 4.7 million items sold, TVs ac-count for the largest share of Web-enabledconsumer devices. This corresponds to 59percent of all TVs sold in 2013, an increaseof 9 percentage pointsin 2012, 50 percent ofthe TVs sold were Internet-enabled.

A total of 92 percent of all smart TVs sold in2013 support the HbbTV standard for inter-active viewing via a red button on the remotecontrol and are able to display correspondingcontent. The HbbTV share was first surveyedin 2011, when only about 8 percent of thedevices were HbbTV-capable, while the per-centage was close to two thirds (89 percent)in 2012. All told, about 9.5 million HbbTV-devices had been sold to German consumers 41

Market Situation, Audience Acceptance, and Forecast

4.

4.1 Appliance Sales and Usage Development

by the end of 2013, including STBs. 4.4 mil-lion were sold in 2013 alone, which corre-sponds to a share of 70 percent of consumerelectronics.

As in the past, not all smart TVs sold are actually being connected to the Internet: Astudy of the Gesellschaft für Unterhaltungs-und Kommunikationselektronik (gfu) showedin April/May 2013 that nearly 60 percent ofthe smart TVs in German households are in-deed hooked up to the Internet. In summary,it can be said that both the share of Internet-enabled and HbbTV-supporting consumer devices on the German market and their us-age are on the rise.

42

cumulative sales 2008 – 2013sales 2013

Web-enabled (“Smart”) Devices

4,7 Mio TV displays 15,2 Mio1,7 Mio STBs, DVD, and BD players 5,3 Mio

cumulative sales 2008 – 2013sales 2013

of Web-enabled CE devices

of Web-enabled CE devices

HbbTV-enabled Devices

14:38 Seite 3

Share of Web-enabled TVs

2013

Share of HbbTV-enabled smart TVs 2013

Source: GfK Retail & Technology GmbH, 02/2014 Graphics:

14:38 Seite 4

“Smart TVs have spread in German house-holds faster than almost any other type ofappliance,” the Zentralverband Elektro -technik und Elektronikindustrie (ZVEI)stated as early as 2012 (Pr-84/2012).

Important information on acceptance andusage of smart TVs and HbbTV by Germanconsumers and viewers is also contained innumerous recent studies.

1. Digitalization Report by the State Media AuthoritiesThe state media autorities’ “Digitalization Re-port” is based on a survey conducted by TNSInfratest. Under the heading, “ConnectedTV,” it is pointed out that in the course of2013, a 40-percent increase in the number ofsmart TVs connected to the Internet was ob-served. At the same time, smart TVs onlyrank third in the list of devices used to accessvideo content on the Internetbehind per-

4.2 Smart TV and Audience Acceptance in Germany and BeyondSituation

& Forecast

4.

German TV Platform infographics (02/2014)on the Status quo of market penetration in Germany

sonal or laptop computers and smartphones,but ahead of tablet computers. ConcerningHbbTV, the Report notes a dynamic increasein awareness and usage in Germany. In fact,54 percent of smart-TV owners know aboutthe “red button” and its purpose, and onequarter frequently or occasionally uses thebroadcasters’ extra options via HbbTV.

2. gfu – Gesellschaft für Unterhaltungs-und Kommunikationselektronik StudyAccording to a representative study commis-sioned by gfuGesellschaft für Unterhaltungs-und Kommunikationselektronik and con-ducted by Concentra Marketing Research inApril/May 2013 (based on a survey of 1,000households in Germany and an additional7,000 in seven other European countries andTurkey), 14 millionmore than a third (34%)of all German households use a smart TV astheir primary TV. Overall, the results of thesurvey attest to the interest in and acceptanceof smart TV on the part of viewers as well asthe general trend to connect devices with/toeach other, both in German households andin other European countries.

On the other hand, the results also show that,in comparison with other European countriesand Turkey, Germany lags somewhat behind

in terms of connectivity. With 34 percent ofhouseholds using a smart TV as their primaryTV, Germany ranks in the middle: In Britain,the rate is only 21 percent, and the Nether-lands (26%), Spain (26%), and Italy (28%)also have a lower rate than Germany, whilePoland (36%), Turkey (40%), and France(42%) show higher rates of “smart” primaryTVs in their households.

In terms of the percentage of smart TVs actu-ally connected to the Internet, Germany,with a rate of 58 percent, also lags behindother European countries and Turkey: Theleader in Internet hook-ups is Britain with86 percent, followed by France (79%), theNetherlands (76%), and Turkey (73%). Theother countries surveyed had rates in themid- to upper 60s percentile range.

One of the conclusions of this study is thusthat there continues to be a need for con-sumer education and information, especiallyin Germany. For this purpose, ZVEI and theGerman TV Platform are working together inpublishing a variety of brochuressuch as a“Connected-Devices Shopping Guide” and a “Smart-TV Shopping Advisor” – and flyerson HbbTV and interactive television (bothavailable [in German] on the German TVPlatform’s Website).

43

Reasons for Purchasing a New TV in Other Countriesfor Comparison

Lowest offer

France 74%Belgium 74%Netherlands 67%European average 57%Spain 56%United Kingdom 49%Italy 49%Turkey 47%Poland 43%Germany 35%

flat-panel instead of CRT

Germany 52%Italy 39%United Kingdom 37%European average 33%Belgium 31%Spain 29%France 28%Poland 28%Netherlands 27%Turkey 16%

should be Internet-connected

Turkey 58%Spain 57%United Kingdom 56%Netherlands 50%Poland 49%European average 48%Italy 45%Belgium 43%France 41%Germany 39%

Source: based on a representative study on behalf of gfu – Gesellschaft für Unterhaltungs- und Kommunikationselektronik, conducted in April/May 2013 by Concerta Marketing Research.

new TV

Smart TVs are not purchased “by chance.”Asked whether the “smart” features influ-enced their decision to purchase a new TV,25 percent of smart-TV owners replied witha clear “yes.” Another 33 percent replied“likely yes.” This means that for more thanhalfnearly 60 percentof German smart-TVowners, the hybrid features played, at leastin part, a key role in their purchase decision.

In other European countries and in Turkey,the “smart” attribute proved to be a muchstronger buying incentive: “yes” or “likelyyes” was the reply of 85 percent of those sur-veyed in Turkey, 77 percent in Spain, and 76percent in Britain. In most other countries,the “smart” features also have a stronger ap-peal than in Germany. Only in France (50%)and Belgium (43%) are they a less relevantfactor in making a purchase decision.

44

One out of four owns a smart TV“Is your TV smart?” “Do you intend to purchase a smart TVFigures in % within the next 12 months?”

More than one quarter of those surveyed owns a smart TV, and nearly one third of those wo don’t intend to buy one in the coming year.

definitely perhaps no purchaseyes yes planned

2013: 23.4% 2014

26.4%

24.0

68.3

7.7

Source: On-site survey in the TFM network; base: n = 5,797 (cases: 5,166 / 3,313); February 2014; in “Smart TV Effects 2014-I”

+12.8%

TOMORROW FOCUS Media has been studying smart TVs

in German households since 2013.Graphics from the study,

“Smart TV Effects 2014-I.”

One out of two goes on line several times a week with his smart TV

“How many times do you access the Internet with your smart TV?”Figures in %, yellow = 2013, red = 2014

Sum “several times a week” to “several times a day” = 53.5%

Source: On-site survey in the TFM network; base: n = 5,797 (cases: 466); February 2014; in “Smart TV Effects 2014-I”

Several times daily several times once several times once lessa day a week a week a month a month frequently

10.98.8

15.3 14.212.5 11.6

7.2 6.29.5

13.917.0

14.8

27.630.5

Situation & Forecast

4.

45

Smart-TV owners in Germany who also makeactive use of their TV will, for the most part,use typical TV features, first and foremost theElectronic Program Guide (EPG) with 30 per-cent, followed by the broadcasters’ media li-braries (28%), Facebook (27%), and YouTube(23%). Of all smart-TV owners, 15 percentaccess charged video-on-demand (VoD) con-tent from online media libraries.

There are discrepancies by age and gender inthe usage of smart TVs: While older usersmake disproportionate use of media libraries,women are more likely than me to use serv-

ices like Skype or e-mail, in which commu-nication with others is the primary function.The study also points out that the enthusiasmfor and the usage of smart TVs depends heav-ily on the user’s age, as shown by the dis-crepancies in the connection rate: While twothirds of 16- to 39-year-old owners in Ger-many hook up their smart TV to the Internet,only half the owners over 60 do so.

The effect on their purchase decision is alsofar more pronounced among younger buyersthan among those over 60. And so the rela-tively modest enthusiasm for smart TV in

Smart TV: Usage Habits in Germany(smart TV owners)

Electronic Prog. Guide (EPG) 30%media libraries 28%Facebook 27%video-sharing Website (YouTube, etc.) 23%E-Mail 18%Skype 17%Video on Demand 15%

Source: based on a representative study on behalf of gfu – Gesellschaft für Unterhaltungs- und Kommunikationselektronik, conducted in April/May 2013 by Concerta Marketing Research.

3,63,31,91,5

7,35,85,03,2

8,66,14,34,1

15,013,99,76,2

15,914,47,53,4

42,942,342,639,3

+10,9%

+3,9%

63,763,761,357,4

27,323,411,810,3

20,920,210,59,2

Web-surfing via smart TV peaks at prime time“At which time of the day do you access the Internet on your smart TV?”Figures in %

on a working day 2013on a weekend day 2013on a working day 2014on a weekend day 2014

Source: On-site survey in the TFM network; base: n = 5.797 (cases: 466); February 2014 in „Smart TV Effects 2014-I”

0300–0600 0600–0900 0900–1200 1200–1400 1400–1700 1700–2000 2000–2300 2300–0100 0100–0300

46

Germany, compared to other European coun-tries, may also have a demographic explana-tion, since the German population has theoldest age average in Europe.

This should be taken as an incentive for tradeand industry to “pick up” the older genera-tion and introduce them to the benefits ofsmart TV. Currently, the previously men-tioned joined campaign of trade (BVT) andindustry (ZVEI), „Smarter Fernsehen,” is in-tended to support this effort by demonstrat-ing uses that appeal especially to the oldergeneration.

3. Tomorrow Focus Media StudyAccording to a February 2014 study by To-morrow Focus Media (“Smart TV Effects2014-I”), more than a quarter of those sur-veyed already own a smart TV, and nearlyone third of those who don’t are planning tobuy one in the coming year. For this study,5,797 persons were surveyed, and the focusof the study was the awareness and usage ofsmart TV. Results were compared to those ofthe first “Smart TV Effects” study, conductedin 2013.

While only 20.4 percent of those surveyedhad actively accessed online options on theirsmart TV in 2013, the percentage of activeInternet users via smart TV had grown to25.1 in early 2014. One out of two users sur-veyed accesses the Internet several times aweek via their smart TV and uses smart-TVapps. The most frequently used apps are news(60%) and weather (58.5%) apps.

However, many users found Internet accessvia smart TV inconvenient: 50 percent com-plained about the TV’s long load time, andnearly 80 percent found it cumbersome toaccess smart-TV functions via a TV remotecontrol. With regard to the average smart-TVuser, the study, in summary, comes to theconclusion that he is typically a male (70.2%)between the ages of 40 and 59 years (47.7%).He is also an early adopter, since he and his friends like to try out new technologies(70.4%). The typical smart-TV user is on lineseveral times a day and accesses the Internetmore than the population average from amobile device, such as his smartphone(66.1%) or tablet computer (44.8%).


4.

The German TV Platform is committed toopen standards for digital television tech -nology. The networks, in particular, have re-peatedly pointed out the need for a standardin interactive television from the outset. Inthe German TV Platform’s dedicated workinggroup, the development of an HbbTV speci-fication was closely monitored from the be-ginning. After the international standardiza-tion of HbbTV (Hybrid broadcast broadbandTelevision) by the European Telecommuni-cations Standards Institute (ETSI) in June2010, the potential for market players becamemuch clearer. Even the most recent sales fig-ures surveyed by GfK indicate that the marketis headed in the direction of HbbTV. It shouldbe noted here that from the CE manufactur-ers’ point of view, HbbTV represents only oneof several features of smart TV, and that spe-cific device portals exist alongside HbbTVwithout any “cannibalism” taking place.

The following section will thus address theHbbTV standard in some more detail (cf. alsochapter 2.3). HbbTV has repeatedly been de-scribed as “improved, modern-day teletext”because it does much of what was impossiblewith the old version of teletext technology:

It is fast andthanks to the Internet connec-tiontelevision becomes interactive. Further-more, HbbTV offers a wide range of optionsfor content of all typesstarting from textthrough a variety of illustration options allthe way to high-resolution video. In additionto the added value of more content and newways of usage, HbbTV brings even more ben-efits for broadcasters and viewers:

• Many HbbTV-based services are free ofcharge, with the exception of the purchasecost of an HbbTV receiver.

• Because of its recognition by a Europeanstandardization organization, HbbTV is astandardized system with a high probabil-ity of international recognition, resultingin a mass market potential can be leveragedfor driving prices down.

• Using HbbTV, a number of value-addedservices can be developed with a high de-mand potential as well as modern usabilityand functionality.

• For the use of HbbTV-based services, con-nection to an IPTV network is not required.This however applies also to all services of-fered via hybrid user devices. The drawbackis that the quality of service (QoS) cannotbe guaranteed (signal stability, uninter-rupted real-time transmission etc.).

The bottom line: Smart TVs with HbbTV en-able users of traditional television distribu-tion systemssatellite, cable, and terrestrialbroadcast (DVB-T)to enjoy interactive tele -vision and offer them a variety of options.

47

4.3 HbbTV and Market Development

In order to acquaint viewers and customerswith the benefits of smart TV and HbbTV,two initiatives were launched in 2013, ac-tively supported by the German TV Platform.On the occasion of IFA 2013, the joint in-dustry initiative of ZVEI (Zentralverband derElektrotechnik und Elektronikindustrie e.V.)and BVT (Bundesverband der Technik desEinzelhandels e.V.), was launched under thetitle „Smarter Fernsehen.” This campaign wasbacked by twelve companies in the industryand four trade associations with their respec-tive subsidiaries. It was the goal of the cam-paign to familiarize consumers with the ex-perience of interactive television viewing,since many consumers were not yet familiarwith the options available on a smart TV.

The focal point of communication with con-sumers were practical scenarios for smart-TVusage: accessing the broadcasters’ media li-braries via the red button on the remote,video on demand, YouTube, social media,Skype, and watching images on a large TVscreen. These realistic scenarios were illus-trated by cartoon-style moving images andtexts that showed real-life applications in aneasy-to-understand form. TVs labeled withthe „Smarter Fernsehen” logo are guaranteedto provide Internet access, contain a browser,offer the option to connect to the Internetvia WiFi, and have TV apps for numerousbonus features and added content. Partici-pating retailers also adopted the „SmarterFernsehen” logo to advertise their expertisein letting customers experience smart TV inthe shop, giving them advice, and if re-quested delivering the TV to their home andconnecting it to the Internet.

This and further information can be foundon the campaign’s Website, www.smarter-fernsehen.info, which is also the campaign’scommunication hub.

To promote the usage of HbbTV in particular,the „Auf ROT geht’s los” (“RED means Go”)information campaign was also launched atIFA 2013, a nationwide joint initiative ofboth public and commercial broadcasters.Under the title, „Auf ROT geht’s los! MeineTaste für smartes Fernsehen” (“RED meansGo: My key to smart TV”), it is intended tointroduce viewers over the next few years tothe benefits of HbbTV:

The focal point of the campaign is the redbutton on the remote control, since it leadsviewers straight to the HbbTV content asso-ciated with the German TV broadcasters’ tel-evision programs. It also allows users to re-trieve programs independent of schedulingin addition to the linear broadcast. Depend-ing on what a network decides to offer, thismight include access to media libraries, VoD,livestreams for special events, customizableteletext, interactive games, voting, shoppingoffers, etc.

With a variety of information schemesinclud-ing TV spots, information material, and service offers via teletext and Internet –, theparticipating networks are bringing the redbutton’s various options and benefits to theattention of their viewers.

48

4.4 Initiatives on Behalf of Smart TV and HbbTV

State-of-the-art remote controlswith a touchpad also include colorkeys. The red key provides access tothe broadcaster’s HbbTV services.


4.

Regarding smart TV, trend forecasts can onlybe made on the basis of market figures todate, as well as assessments from various mar-ket players that may be tinted by a subjectiveview. The following collection does not claimto be exhaustive:

In their report on IFA innovations, “Trendsin Consumer Electronics 2012,” gfu expressestheir belief that an enormous surge for smartTV is still in the offing. The fusion of televi-sion and Internet, which has been a growingmarket trend, was seen by the gfu as “notjust a technological trend, but also a para-digm shift in the business models for the CEindustry: The successful linkage of devicesequipped with content options as well as industry-wide cooperation between compa-nies from the hardware and content industry, will considerably impact on future business success.”

The Institute for Broadcast Technology (IRT)also saw excellent prospects for the HbbTVstandard as a liaison between linear viewingand individual forms of usage. The quick and

easy access to content, the intuitive use ofcollateral offers without switching media ordevices, the market penetration of smart flat-panel TVs, increasing broadband coverage,and consumer experience with personalizedmedia usage could all be contributing factorsto a long-term success on the mass market.Moreover, HbbTV offers new transaction op-tions to the advertising and Internet industryas well as portal solutions, e.g. for hotels.

All major CE brands support the current de-velopment, and nearly all manufacturers of-fer smart TVs, most of which support HbbTV.Gradually, all TV models will be turned intosmart TVs, including those will smaller dis-play sizes. Smart TV and thus HbbTV are wellon their way to becoming standard products,just like iDTV (TVs with built-in digital tunersand HDTV receivers have almost completelyreplaced “plain” flat-panel TVs). And thistrend is by no means limited to the Germanmarket: Since 2011, nine more countries havelaunched HbbTV services, and there is also agrowing interest in other parts of the worldto introduce HbbTV (cf. chapter 2.3).

Two further aspects that became apparentfrom a study carried out in 2011 by Facit Dig-ital have now been confirmed:

49

4.5 Trend Forecasts and Future Opportunities

The IRT in Munich even has an HbbTV test lab and is working on the continued development of thestandard, including handicapped-accessible offers.

Examples for interactive offers accessible via the red key: ARD forthe 2014 Winter Olympics

50

• The majority of tech-savvy respondents re-ported using television, Internet, andsmartphones simultaneously. The use ofother screens other than the TV display forvideo media (“second screens”) is alreadyno longer a rare exception. The GermanTV Platform dedicated this year’s sympo-sium in May 2012 to this phenomenon,along with all its corollary aspects, oppor-tunities, and challenges (cf. also chapter3.4)

• “In the industry, HbbTV is increasingly referred to as ‘smart TV’,” wrote Facit Dig-ital in 2011. In the meantime, the term“smart TV” has replaced the term “hybridTV” almost completely, and while “con-nected TV” is still used on occasion, theterm “smart TV,” which is catchy andmemorable for consumers, has gained cur-rency by now. The German TV Platformhas stated repeatedly that “smart TV” doesnot designate the same as “HbbTV,” yet itis a fact that an increasing number of smartTVs support the HbbTV standard (currentlymore than 90 percent of new TVs sold, cf.chapter 4.1).

By 2014, there will be a total of 23 millionHbbTV-enabled flat-panel TVs in Germanhouseholds: This was the November 2010forecast by the Munich-based consultancy

firm, Mücke, Sturm & Company (MS&C), intheir study entitled “HbbTV.” The three fac-tors that MS&C had seen as a preconditionfor the breakthrough have now been largelyfulfilled:• an increasing market penetration of

devices with integrated HbbTV,• high-end quality content, and• a user-friendliness.

Because of the open standard, HbbTV has thebest chances to win against company-specificproprietary solutions, such as Google TV andApple TV. The study summarizes: “From de-vice manufacturers to broadcasters to onlineportal- and e-commerce providers, all of thembenefit from the free market approach ofHbbTV, an approach that promotes diversity.”This analysis is still valid.

All of the major commercial networks are also offering HbbTVservices with their programming.

Screenshots of ZDF’s HbbTV serviceduring the 2012 Summer Olympicsand the 2014 Winter Olympics


4.

51

Ad(vertisement) forwardingManual skipping of commericial breakswithin an audiovisual program by fast-for-warding within a recorded program

Ad(vertisement) skippingAutomated skipping of commercial breakswithin a recorded audiovisual program

AndroidGoogle operating system, used by Google TV

Appshort for application

ApplicationA defined interactive service via Internet forsmartphones, tablet computers, and alsosmart TVs, usually depicted as a ‘tile’

AuthenticationProcess of secure connection of a user to asystem

Bound applicationApplication that relates directly to the currenttelevision program

Broadband accessInternet connection with a data transfer rateof at least 1 Mbit/s

Catch-up TVCollective term for time-delayed TV that canbe viewed on demand, e.g. in media libraries:catch-up TV can also be used on TV screensthrough the HbbTV standard or via the appportals of smart TVs

Connect(ed) TVAn alternative term for hybrid or smart TV

Consumer electronics hypertext markuplanguage (CE-HTML)Version of the HTML Internet programminglanguage, adapted for use in consumer elec-tronics (CE)

Cross-media The usage of several media for a single pur-pose

Data rateThe amount of data that is transferred perunit of time via a cabled or wireless connec-tion, indicated in bits per second as kilobit(kB), megabit (MB), or gigabit (GB)

Electronic Program Guide (EPG)Electronic guide that provides users with de-tailed information about television programs,radio programs, and screen services available

Google Chrome Google browser, used for Google TV

Graphical User Interface (GUI)Graphical arrangement and function of user-operated elements in devices and systems

HbbTVHybrid broadcast broadband TeleVision: a European standard since mid-2010 that de-fines the technical specifications for the con-nection of TV and Internet in TV receptiondevices with an Internet connection: a centralfeature is the red teletext key on the TV re-mote control (“red button”)

Hybrid televisionA form of television that permits access tothe Internet in addition to viewing linearbroadcast content from TV broadcasters; in-terchangable with connected or smart TV

Glossary Key Terms and Abbreviations*

5.

* detailed explanations and fur-ther terms are available (only in German) at: www.tv-plattform.de/de/digi -tales-fernsehen/glossar.html

52

InsertFull or partial superimposition of one picturewith another

InteractivityBi-directional communication of the user ofa system with the aid of a return (feedback)channel.

Internet-capable TVTelevision device which is equipped withconnections for broadcast signals (terrestrial,cable, satellite) and Ethernet for Internet access via LAN or WiFi and capable of dis-playing each form of content in the correctformat

Internet TVsee: Web TV

InteroperabilityThe usability of devices in different networksand/or for different applications

Intuitive operabilitySelf-explanatory operation of devices and sys-tems, so that the user requires neither a man-ual nor training for their operation

IPTVInternet Protocol Television: transmission oftelevision signals via a DSL network, usingthe Internet protocol; unlike Web TV, IPTVhas a guaranteed signal quality so that pro-grams can be viewed on television in thesame way as via terrestrial, cable, and satellitetransmission; IPTV was established in 2006as a fourth broadcast transmission methodalongside these alternatives

LANLocal Area Network which permits data tobe exchanged via cable; in cases where theexchange is wireless, it is called Wireless LAN,or WLAN (often incorrectly used as a syn-onym for WiFi)

Language recognitionThe control of operating processes by voiceinput

Linear televisionReal-time reception and viewing of broadcasttelevision programs

MediathekGerman video-on-demand service that pro-vides easy and convenient access to variousaudio and video files online (media libraries)

Media disruptionSwitching of devices in media use (e.g. watch-ing TV and picking up a telephone to call anumber displayed on screen)

Network / Home NetworkA connection of networkable home enter-tainment components (TVs, Blu-ray players,game consoles, computers, data storage de-vices, etc.) into a private network, eitherlinked by cable or wirelessly in several roomsor throughout the house

Non-linear televisionTime-delayed reception of television pro-grams via intermediate storage or video ondemand (VoD)

Glossary

5.

53

OTT (over the top) / OTT TV The online transfer of video and audio con-tent, regardless of available bandwidth; the material can be displayed on all Internet- capable devices, but if the device is a TV set,it will be referred to as OTT TV

OverlaySuperimposition of image content on thescreen by other content

Package (service)A structured information package deliveredvia Internet connection to hybrid televisiondevices

PersonalizationUser-specific settings for channels, services,and applications

Picture-in-Picture (PiP)Insertion of a second, smaller picture in asection of the main image; if the images arejuxtaposed in equal size, this is referred to asPnP or split screen

ProprietaryTechnology specific to one manufacturer orprovider and generally developed by or forthem

PVRPersonal Video Recorder: Recording device inthe form of hard drives, Blu-ray or DVDrecorders or as a receiver/set top box with anintegrated hard drive; some TVs have built-in hard drives for digital recording; allowstimeshift

“Red button” featureSpecial use of the red teletext key on a TV re-mote control to launch and terminate pro-gram-related applications while a televisionprogram is running

SDKSoftware Development Kit: a set of tools thatallows the development of applications forspecific smart-TV portals, enabling third-party providers to make their services com-patible with the portal at hand

Second ScreenA mobile display device (tablet computer,smartphone) that can interact with smart-TVs and also with the members of a social net -work, discussing TV programs (“social TV”).

Signal integrityThe consistency of the television signal re-ceived during playback

Signal protectionMeasures against manipulations of the broad-cast signal

Smart TVGeneric term for the new generation of TVsand related CE devices that allow viewers toaccess a variety of additional services andcontent from the Internet via an app galleryor via HbbTV out of a running program.

Smart TV AllianceManufacturer alliance founded by LG,Philips/TP-Vision, and Toshiba in early 2012for the purpose of standardizing the program-ming of apps for TV portals; numerous othermanufacturers have joined in the meantime

54

Split screenDivision of the screen for the concurrent dis-play of a television program and an applica-tion or the simultaneous display of two tele-vision programs

StreamingThe distribution of video content that canbe received over the Internet as a continuousdata stream without first having to be down-loaded

Time-delayed television / timeshiftingNon-linear viewing that permits flexiblepausing, repeating, and continuing of a TVprogram recorded before or being recordedwhile watching

Unbound applicationAn application which is not related to thecurrent television program (program-inde-pendent application)

UsabilityGeneral term for the extent to which a deviceor system can be operated easily by the aver-age user

User dataAll relevant personal information about theuser of a service or application

USBUniversal Serial Bus: computer interface forthe connection of external components; to-day, many TVs and connectable devices suchas Blu-ray players and game consoles haveUSB interfaces so that flash drives or externalhard discs can be connected

Video on Demand (VoD)Service that allows reception of specific videocontent at any time from “video library”;there is a distinction between on-demandstreaming (no download), near-on-demandstreaming (loop or carousel), download (op-tion to save content locally), and podcast(download with subscription).

Web TVRandom programs freely accessible on theInternet to be used anytime and anywhere;unlike with IPTV, TV-compatibility and signalquality are not guaranteed.

Widget Small programs that appear as icons on theTV screen (or computer desktop), allowingcertain Internet services to be used, also onsome smart TVs.G

lossary

5.

55

Prefacehttp://www.tv-plattform.de/de/arbeitsgruppen/smart-tv.html http://www.tv-plattform.de/images/stories/archiv/2013/ifa-pk_sewczyk.pdfhttp://www.smarterfernsehen.info/http://www.ard.de/home/intern/Start_der_Infokampagne__Auf_ROT_geht_s_los__/338762/in-dex.htmlhttp://www.zvei.org/verband/fachverbaende/consumerelectronics/Seiten/default.aspxhttp://www.gfkrt.com/de/ http://www.gfk.com/de/news-und-events/presse/pressemitteilungen/Seiten/Wachstum-f%C3%BCr-Unterhaltungselektronik-in-innovativen-Segmenten.aspxhttp://www.gfu.de/srv/easyedit/_ts_1373472398000/page:home/download/insightstrends/sl_1338454764893/args.link01/de_kamp.pdfhttp://www.gfu.de/srv/easyedit/_ts_1373473009000/page:home/download/insightstrends/sl_1264763666163/args.link01/de_wienands_schipper.pdfhttp://www.die-medienanstalten.de/fileadmin/Download/Publikationen/Digitalisierungs-bericht/2013/Digitalisierungsbericht_2013.pdf

Chapter 1 http://www.media-perspektiven.de/6658.html http://www.tv-plattform.de/de/dokumente/dokumente-internetatv.htmlhttp://www.tv-plattform.de/de/digitales-fernsehen/glossar.html

Chapter 2http://www.hbbtv.orghttp://www.irt.de/de/themengebiete/digitales-fernsehen/hbbtv.html http://www.irt.de/de/produkte-beratung/digitales-fernsehen/hbbtv.html http://www.etsi.orghttp://www.hbbtv.org/pages/about_hbbtv/specification.phphttp://www.smarttv-alliance.org/http://social-tv.muecke-sturm.de/?lang=dehttp://www.goldmedia.com/presse/newsroom/smart-tv.htmlhttp://www.teveo.de/produkte-und-services/http://www.ping247.de/ping-next/connept-einkaufen-mit-2-klicks/http://www.google.de/tv/http://www.apple.com/de/appletv/http://www.skype.com/intl/de/get-skype/on-your-tv/http://www.die-medienanstalten.de/fileadmin/Download/Publikationen/Positionen/DLM-Po-sitionspapier_Connected_TV_2013-02-19.pdf

Sources 6.

56

Chapter 3http://www.tv-plattform.de/de/hybrid-workshop.html http://www.tv-plattform.de/de/21-symposium-informationen.htmlhttp://www.tv-plattform.de/images/stories/pdf/hybrid-tv_white-book_2012.pdfhttp://www.cellular.de/http://www.tv-plattform.de/images/stories/pdf/styleguide_usability-hbbtv-redbut_ton_2011_auszug.pdfhttp://www.media-perspektiven.de/6278.html http://www.dlm-symposium.org/de/symposium.htmlhttp://www.tv-plattform.de/images/stories/archiv/2013/TVZ_Extra11_13.pdfhttp://www.die-medienanstalten.de/fileadmin/Download/Publikationen/Studie_Connect-edTV.pdfhttp://www.die-medienanstalten.de/service/veranstaltungen/veranstaltungsarchiv/pdz-tagun-gen/navigationstagung-2013.htmlhttp://www.die-medienanstalten.de/fileadmin/Download/Publikationen/Positionen/DLM-Po-sitionspapier_Connected_TV_2013-02-19.pdfhttp://www.die-medienanstalten.de/service/publikationen/digitalisierungsbericht.htmlhttp://www.tu-darmstadt.de/vorbeischauen/aktuell/einzelansicht_69632.de.jsphttp://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/netzpolitik/hbbtv-sicherheitsluecke-in-smart-tvs-entdeckt-a-904086.html

Chapter 4http://www.gfu.de/home/download/marktstudien.xhtmlhttp://www.zvei.org/Verband/Fachverbaende/ConsumerElectronics/Seiten/Smart-TVs-treffen-den-Nerv-der-Zeit.aspxhttp://www.zvei.org/Downloads/Auszug%20aus%20Studie.pdfhttp://www.die-medienanstalten.de/fileadmin/Download/Publikationen/Digitalisierungs-bericht/2013/Bericht_Digitalisierungsbericht_2013.pdfhttp://www.angacable.com/index.php?id=pressreleases&no_cache=1&L=1 http://www.irt.de/de/presse/presseinformationen.html http://www.gfu.de/home/download/praesentationen.xhtml http://www.facit-digital.com/studien/ http://www.muecke-sturm.de/de/publikationen http://www.tomorrow-focus.de/newsroom/dokumenten-datenbank/pressemitteilung/neue-smart-tv-effects-studie-apps-ueberzeugen-auch-auf-dem-fernseher_aid_1205.html

Sources

6.

PublisherDeutsche TV-Plattform e.V.http://www.tv-plattform.de

ContactDeutsche TV-PlattformLyoner Str. 9, c/o ZVEI60528 FrankfurtGermany

[email protected]: +49 69 6302-311fax: +49 69 6302-361

Editorial Staff“Smart TV” Working Group of the German TV-Platform

Authors:Rike Brecht (Ilmenau University of Technology)Gernot Busch (Busch Consult)Carine Chardon (ZVEI / German TV Platform)Alexa Christ (ZVEI)Volker Blume (TP Vision / Philips) Ulrich Freyer (Agentur für Medientechnik)Anja Hornbostel (TU Braunschweig)Andreas Karanas (teveo interactive)Klaus Merkel (IRT)Jürgen Sewczyk (JS Consult / Eutelsat)Holger Wenk (konzeptW, German TV Platform)

Translation:Dorothea Eßer (Technik-Sprachendienst GmbH)Martin Hafner (Bayerischer Rundfunk)Thomas J. Kinne (Übersetzungsbüro Dr. Kinne)Peter Yves Ruland (ruwido austria GmbH)

IllustrationsARD, DTVP, LG, Loewe, Panafoto/A. Franke, Philips, Samsung, Technisat, ZDF. From Fotolia Agency: Pink Shot (cover [M]), Alexey Popov,Dkimages, Kumer, Real Photo Italy, Spectral Design.

Layout / Print:Layout and Graphics: Petra Dreßler, BerlinPrinted by Das Druckteam, Berlin

We are especially grateful to GfK Retail and Technology GmbH for providing marketdata, to gfuGesellschaft für Unterhaltungs- und Kommu-nikationselektronik for their European smart-TV study, andto TOMORROW FOCUS Media for their “Smart-TV Effects”study.

DisclaimerThe information in this report was accurately and thoroughlyresearched and consolidated to the best of the knowledgeand under neutral approach of our Working Group. Any in-formation reflect the current status at the time of the edi-torial deadline for each chapter. However, the members ofthe Working Group and the German TV Platform cannotguarantee that the compiled information is current, correct,and complete, and therefore cannot accept any liability formaterial or immaterial loss or damage arising as a resultof inaccuracies or omissions or the reliance on or applica-tion of false or incomplete information.

The “Smart TV Market Analysis” (May 2014) is a revised version of the eponymous brochure publishedin October 2013, based on the professional publications,“White Book Hybrid TV” (2011) and “White Book Hybrid TV /Smart TV” (2012) of the German TV Platform.

In addition, the German TV Platform has published con-sumer information in German on the subject of smart TV:Interaktives Fernsehen (flyer, 2012)Wegweiser Smartes Fernsehen (flyer, 2013)Hybrid-TV (brochures, 2010 and 2011)Einkaufsberater Vernetzte Geräte (brochure, 2012)Einkaufsberater Smart-TV (brochure, 2013)

Appendix

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About the German TV Platform

The German TV Platform is an association of commercial and public-service broadcasters, de-vice manufacturers, network operators, service and technology providers, research institutesand universities, state and federal authorities, and other companies, associations, and insti-tutions concerned with digital media. For more than two decades, it has been the goal of thisnon-profit organization to establish digital technologies in television broadcasting, based onopen standards. In our Working and Project Groups, representatives from nearly every fieldin the consumer-electronics and media industry are committed to set the course on keyissues of digital broadcasting.

Contact

Herausgeber: Deutsche TV-Plattform e.V. c/o ZVEI, Lyoner Str. 960528 Frankfurt am Main

[email protected] Tel.: +49 69 6302-311 Fax: +49 69 6302-361

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