S&T brings interactive content to Freeview HD with Humax

LONDON, UK — Strategy & Technology Limited (S&T), a specialist in MHEG middleware and interactive playout systems, has announced that its RedKey™ 2 MHEG engine is powering the text and interactive services in the new Humax Freeview HD set-top box.

The Humax HD-FOX T2 is the first DVB-T2 capable Freeview HD receiver to go on sale in the UK. Freeview HD is being rolled out across the country and will be available in 50% of homes by the World Cup in June and 60% by the end of the year and S&T’s MHEG engine will help broadcasters deliver the popular Red Button services and potentially new interactive content carried over broadband.

“For S&T, the high definition version of MHEG opens up a host of opportunities,” said Paul Daly, General Manager – MHEG Systems, S&T. “Our continued work with Humax demonstrates both an ability to be first to market and our commitment to developing innovative products.”

S&T and Humax have a long-standing relationship. The manufacturer already uses the industry leading RedKey 2 MHEG engine in its Freesat HD product and RedKey 2 is compatible with the UK MHEG-5 profile 1.06 and HD-MHEG profiles as defined by Version 6.1 of the D-Book, produced for the industry by the Digital TV Group (DTG). It offers broadcasters the opportunity to deliver high definition, 16-bit pixel colour, interactive services and offers a richer user interface, and PNG or JPEG bitmap image support along with IP connectivity for hybrid broadcast/broadband TV services.

Standard definition transmissions automatically benefit from better text and improved graphics rendering and by using the MHEG Interaction Channel broadcasters can deliver interactive content, either directly over the air or through an IP connection.