S&T And Humax Unveil First MHEG-Enabled Online Video Streaming To TV Solution At ANGA 2009

Strategy & Technology, the leading specialists in interactive TV playout systems and MHEG-5 middleware, has developed the first applications to be shown to bring streaming video from the internet to the TV under broadcaster control using the latest MHEG-5 middleware applications.
Working in collaboration with set-top box manufacturer Humax, S&T has enhanced its advanced Redkey 2 technology and MHEG applications to exploit the capabilities of the new new MHEG Interaction Channel as defined by the sixth edition of the Digital TV Group's D-Book, which is being published as an ETSI standard.
Humax, which first licensed S&T's RedKey 2 for a range of STBs including the ground-breaking Foxsat-HDR PVR to support the UK launch of Freesat+ in November 2008, plans to use the new technology in products designed for Freeview HD.
Unlike proprietary IPTV services, the MHEG interaction Channel specification gives broadcasters the option to retain full control over viewer access to online video content. Viewers are free to select online content with a full range of playback controls via their remote control.
Answering demands for more immersive, flexible and on-demand television, the MHEG Interaction Channel allows broadcasters to offer a host of value-added services including Catch-Up TV and User Generated Content (UGC) services launched from a broadcast portal.
Interactive Advertising applications include the delivery of on-demand teleshopping video clips, complete with internet-style usage and response statistics. Broadcasters will also have the capability to offer a comprehensive range of information services, plus secure interactive voting and quizzes. The specification also makes possible the addition of Instant Messenger and Social Networking applications.
The hybrid file system enables content from the broadcast channel to be merged seamlessly with content delivered over IP via the Interaction Channel and for maximum simplicity uses HTTP streaming, which will work on any network without the need to configure routers and firewalls.
A parental guidance mechanism is also available to prevent the viewing of inappropriate content - in line with playback of broadcast content recorded on hard disk - while the facility to test the connection speed built into RedKeyTM 2 ensures that content is streamed at a suitable bit rate.
Paul Daly, General Manager, S&T Client Systems, said: "We are delighted to have worked with Humax to extend the capabilities of television to include a range of on-demand video and other interactive services, all within a cost-effective package that maintains the trust and quality associated with broadcasting."
Bob Hannent, Chief Technologist at Humax, added: "Humax is proud of its contribution to Freeview in the UK and more recently its innovative contributions to the challenging Freesat HD product line. Working with S&T's RedKey 2 is enabling Humax to not only deliver the next generation of cost effective interactive digital services but also demonstrate much more complex features.
"These include IP connectivity, a feature for which there is huge consumer demand, and the ability to provide an effective return channel to MHEG with minimal impact to existing infrastructure. Alongside this Humax is delivering powerful catch-up/VoD services operating within a standards framework."
S&T will demonstrating applications using the IP-based MHEG Interaction Channel with streaming MPEG-4 H.264 video at ANGA on the Humax stand (Number H15).
(KMcA/BMcC)