Advanced Television

DVB approves hybrid and OTT GEM 1.3

March 4, 2011

 At the 67th Meeting of the Steering Board, the DVB approved the latest version of its specification for interactivity – Globally Executable MHP (GEM). This new version of GEM v1.3 prepared by the ad-hoc group TM-MUG, chaired by Michael Lagally (Oracle), now provides support for Over-The-Top (OTT) television and Hybrid Broadcast/Broadband (HBB).

This new version of the Java based GEM specification defines an OTT device category (target), which addresses media distribution over broadband networks without guaranteed bandwidth such as the Internet. The OTT target complements the existing GEM targets for Broadcast, Packaged Media and IPTV.

The OTT target offers new APIs to address particular OTT scenarios for content streaming and download and can be used for adaptive streaming deployments. For hybrid broadcast/broadband deployments GEM 1.3 offers API enhancements to synchronise media content over different networks. This feature can be used to offer, for example, additional subtitle languages or audio tracks for broadcast content.

The specification is used by entities writing receiver specifications and/or standards based on GEM, and for developers of applications that use the GEM functionality and APIs. The GEM specification aims to ensure interoperability between GEM applications and different implementations of platforms supporting GEM applications. This includes interoperability across different middleware specifications, i.e., MHP, Blu-ray, OCAP, ACAP, ARIB, and the Open IPTV Forum’s Procedural Application Gateway.

GEM v1.3 addresses current business models for delivery of DVB and other Multimedia services via broadband IP networks. It offers a field proven robust and secure execution environment based on Java that can run multiple concurrent applications under different privilege levels.

“This extension to the standard offers great potential to create advanced hybrid broadcast/broadband and over-the-top services,” commented Peter Siebert, Executive Director

Categories: Articles, Regulation, Standards