Farncombe and Digital TV Labs launch TNT 2.0 test suite for HbbTV connected TV devices

LONDON and PARIS – Farncombe, a leading provider of specialist technology consultancy, system design, software engineering and testing services to the global digital TV industry and Digital TV Labs, which provides independent, specialised receiver conformance products and services, today announced the launch of a TNT 2.0 test suite for manufacturers launching connected TV devices based on the latest version of the European Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV standard, HbbTV 1.5.

One of the foundations of TNT 2.0, France’s next-generation DTT platform, HbbTV is expected to form an integral part of future European integrated digital TV sets. HD Forum, the French industry body responsible for developing TNT 2.0, appointed farncombe in partnership with DTVL to design the test suite to support the specific features of the TNT 2.0 profile including DASH adaptive streaming (now specified in HbbTV 1.5).

As prime contractor, farncombe has focused on DRM testing, while Digital TV Labs designed the suite of tools to certify HTTP adaptive streaming based on the recently published MPEG-DASH specification. The TNT 2.0 test suites will also enable the validation of Marlin and Microsoft PlayReady DRMs.

Farncombe will offer the DRM test suite alongside its popular security audits, allowing connected TV manufacturers’ DRM implementations to be reviewed to ensure compliance with robustness obligations and an objective set of minimum security requirements.

Leading the project is Farncombe managing partner Jean Marc Racine, who commented: “One of our strengths as an organisation is our ability to work with both broadcasters and industry vendors – combining strategic vision with execution down to the smallest detail. This project exemplifies our ability to act as a bridge between broadcasters and device manufacturers to make connected TVs a reality. Furthermore, by combining the DRM test suite with our popular security audits, we now have a compelling proposition for manufacturers addressing the security concerns of content providers.”

Within HD FORUM, broadcasters, manufacturers and distributors contributed to the TNT 2.0 specification and the design of the test suites to ensure alignment with their services. Gilles Maugars, CTO at French channel TF1, commented, “Broadcasters such as ourselves are keen to start work on connected TVs using HbbTV and TNT 2.0. We believe these test suites will immediately facilitate broadcaster services development by improving device interoperability, a pre-requisite for faster integration of our services on compliant TV sets.”

Jean-Pierre Lacotte, president of the HD Forum, added, “Farncombe has worked with the HD Forum from the genesis of this project. Farncombe’s team of experts has shown itself to be an invaluable resource on the complex topic of DRM and secure streaming.”

Digital TV labs CEO, Keith Potter said, “The DASH adaptive streaming specified in HbbTV 1.5 is an important step in improving the perceived quality of video presentation on busy or slow internet connections. We are now able to license the full TNT 2.0 test suite, in conjunction with Ligada iSuite to provide full HbbTV 1.5 support to our clients.”