Multimedia Home Plattform / Christian Bauer Digital Video Broadcasting / SS07
Multimedia Home Plattform / overview Introduction Interactive Television MHP architecture transfer profiles content design examples availability Alternatives criticism
Multimedia Home Plattform / introduction What is MHP? stands for Multimedia Home Platform DVB standard for interactive services provided by broadcasters defines a middleware to be integrated in DVB receivers like a settop-box provides Java applications and HTML based content goal: standardization of interactive television
Multimedia Home Plattform / introduction interactive television since 1940s: mail, phone since 1970s: Teletext since 1990s: rise of digital television Broadcasters started to add proprietary software systems to their program Betanova (Germany, Premiere, C/Java) Mediahighway (France, Canal+, Java) MHEG (ISO, BBC) OpenTV (USA, C/Java/HTML, Adobe Flash) 1996: MHP developing started 2000: MHP 1.0 released 2001: first test broadcasts in Finland Teletext: ARD to date: development of newer MHP version with additional features (DVB-HTML)
Multimedia Home Plattform / architecture MHP defines middleware hardware specifications are categorist by types which demand minimal hardware requirements Java Virtual Machine provides MHP layer provides specific Java libraries and the MHP API itself MHP applications navigator provides core DVB functions
Multimedia Home Plattform / transfer application and data transfer MHP content is multiplexed into the DVB broadcast stream (MPEG-2 Transport Stream) and separated by the MHP client MHP content is provided via a carrousel from which the MHP client selects the required data
Multimedia Home Plattform / profiles MHP defines 3 profiles to enable different terminal classes Enhanced Broadcast core MHP functions Interactive Services provides an interactive channel Internet Access (only MHP 1.1) provides internet access via DVB-HTML, a standard containing besides XHTML CSS, DOM and JavaScript a MHP terminal is only required to offer the Enhanced Broadcast profile to access interactive services an interaction channel is needed (by telephone line or internet connection)
Multimedia Home Plattform / Content design core DVB elements provided by the navigator can be integrated in MHP applications MHP specifications offer the use of additional multimedia formats (PNG, GIF, ) MHP defines an easy to use display model to create user interfaces additional Java APIs like Java AWT and JMF are provided for more complex user interfaces authoring software for creating user interfaces and content is available
Multimedia Home Plattform / examples EPGs (Electronic Program Guides) personal favorites corporate identity
Multimedia Home Plattform / examples additional program information news
Multimedia Home Plattform / examples interactive content synchronized to TV content quiz voting home shopping
Multimedia Home Plattform / examples interactive content Games Education services, e-government, e-health, e-mail, (source: mhp.com)
Multimedia Home Plattform / availability MHP available Finland (since 2001) Germany (since 2004, only ARD & ZDF) Austria (since 2006, ORF & ATV) all aided by the European Union (Austria: 40 per receiver) GEM available GEM (Globally Executable MHP), a MHP subset reduced by DVB specifications for use in non DVB networks (USA)
Multimedia Home Plattform / alternatives Blucom / Betty TV provide additional information on the television program and interactive content (quiz, votes, ) via set-top-box and a mobile phone application (Bluecom) or a special remote control (Betty TV) both are favored by commercial broadcasters in Germany (RTL, Pro 7) Broadcaster specific middle-/software Premiere provides EPG and more MHEG, OpenTV established in many countries EPGs provided by set-top-box most receivers use the DVB-SI and EIT to provide EPGs IP based broadcasting systems Joost uses P2P technology to provide VoD interactive features (browsing, context information, chat, program rating) integration into set-top-boxes is in negotiation Zattoo (live stream), Babelgum video game consoles both PS3 and Xbox 360 provide VoD access and additional interactive content
Multimedia Home Plattform / criticism very low availability mostly public broadcasters with financial backing are providing MHP broadcasts supply of commercial MHP set- top- boxes is low and availably ones are costly other systems are already established broadcaster like Premiere or the BBC discarded MHP because of high migration costs