DTG Testing test centre tests its first HbbTV product

Digital TV industry’s UKAS accredited test centre tests its first HbbTV product; World’s first ISO17025* accredited digital TV laboratory, DTG Testing, introduces HbbTV testing

LONDON — Following registration as a HbbTV test centre, DTG Testing, the digital TV industry’s test centre operated by the Digital TV Group (DTG), has successfully tested its first HbbTV product. The introduction of HbbTV testing brings the independent test centre another step closer to supporting the UK aspect of a more harmonised, interoperable European Connected TV market.

DTG Testing is now conducting testing of devices against version 1.1.1 of the HbbTV specification using the licensed HbbTV test suite.

Richard Carlton, Associate Director of DTG Testing said: “DTG Testing realises the importance of international harmonisation within digital television technology and is delighted to announce we are the only independent, ISO 17025 accredited test centre to offer HbbTV testing.”

“With over a decade of experience serving industry, DTG Testing will now provide a one-stop shop for conformance testing of HbbTV, Freeview, Freeview HD and Freesat receivers.”

In alignment with key work streams for 2013/14 set by the DTG’s governing body, DTG Council, the DTG is committed to increasing harmonisation of UK and European standards. Earlier this year, the DTG released D-Book 7 Part B, the technical specification for UK connected TV products and services, into the public domain as part of its contribution to the development of the next version of the HbbTV specification (2.0). D-Book 7 Part B incorporates the ETSI TS 102 796 v 1.2.1 (HbbTV 1.5) specification and extends it to meet the requirements submitted by the UK digital television industry. These UK feature requirements have since been submitted to HbbTV as candidates for inclusion in the HbbTV 2.0 specification.

In addition to supporting HbbTV’s development and in recognition that industry is entering an increasingly turbulent post switchover era, DTG Council has agreed to consult on a next generation interoperability framework for digital television and set-out and analyse the current divergence between platform technical standards within the UK and between the UK and Europe, with a view to achieving greater harmonisation.

The DTG continues to support the Future of Innovation in Television Technology (FITT) Taskforce, launched recently by Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, Ed Vaizey, and will host the first meeting on 26 November. A list of Taskforce members will be announced shortly.

* ISO/IEC 17025 contains the requirements that testing and calibration laboratories have to meet if they wish to demonstrate that they operate to a quality system, are technically competent and are able to generate technically valid results. DTG Testing is the world’s first and only fully accredited test lab to offer both digital terrestrial (Freeview SD and Freeview HD), digital satellite (Freesat) conformance testing.