“HbbTV application conformance was the topic that dominated our discussions at this year’s ANGA,” reveals Digital TV Labs’ CEO Keith Potter, in the wake of the show, “The success of HbbTV in no small part depends upon the applications that run on it and conformance is key.”
At best if apps fail to work correctly it means a delayed launch and costly re-coding, at worst a consumer experience that leaves a bitter taste and an uphill struggle to win them back by the broadcaster. In a competitive environment this is a disaster. Potter adds, “It was a subject of common concern for broadcasters apprehensive about the consumer experience during demonstrations of our Ligada Validator HbbTV application tool.”
Ligada Validator, launched at ANGA, is a static, web-based analysis tool that ensures HbbTV applications are conformant to the HbbTV standard. It allows developers to check that their application is only using XHTML/JavaScript/CSS/Media that’s supported by the HbbTV specification. In addition to this, the tool also checks usage of HbbTV JavaScript APIs (e.g. the oipfObjectApplicationManager object) and checks accessibility of any files, including media objects referenced or contained in the application. Ligada Validator is provided as an easy to use web service, enabling developers to create high- quality, interoperable applications.
As well as testing apps against the standard, with each receiver behaving differently due to different browser integrations it’s clear that developers need to test their applications on the widest possible selection of current HbbTV receivers to ensure a high quality consumer experience.
Potter says: “Concerns about HbbTV application testing dovetailed with wider concerns about ensuring that true conformance is achieved across the board as HbbTV develops and is rolled out. We had this conversation with many, many people.”
Digital TV Labs is also able to further support HbbTV application developers with a complete range of products and services to ensure full interoperability with HbbTV-compliant devices including: HbbTV Application Lab; HbbTV Receiver 'Zoo'; Application Testing Service as well as Ligada HbbTV Validator.
Digital TV Labs leads the world in testing hybrid, OTT and HbbTV receivers and is active in a number of industry stakeholder groups, including chairing the UK Connected TV Testing Group, chairing the HbbTV Testing Group and participating in the DASH Promoters Group.
With offices in Asia and Europe and test services covering Europe, Australasia, ASEAN, Africa and now South America, Digital TV Labs’ international reach is unrivalled.
www.digitaltv-labs.com
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