HbbTV upgrades Operator Application specification

Interactive TV standards body, HbbTV Association, has introduced an updated version of its Operator Application specification, HbbTV OpApp. 

The company said the HbbTV OpApp acts like a virtual set-top box inside the smart TV set, enabling operators to provide a branded, uniform user interface across different manufacturers. When switching the TV set on, it appears in the operator’s ‘look and feel’, designed to elevate the user experience,

The new version improves support for operator applications to render IP-delivered linear channels, including enabling regular HbbTV interactive applications to appear alongside IP-delivered linear channels and operator-managed user interface elements, according to HbbTV

The updated specification also allows an operator application to manage the streaming and presentation of a collection of IP-delivered linear channels discovered from a DVB-I service list or equivalent. This is part of the company’s aims to provide consistent flexible streaming approaches and fast channel change times.

HbbTV added the in introduction of new features is driven by the upcoming launch of the new Freely hybrid TV platform in the UK in 2024.