3. | Page 3
What is HbbTV?
It‘s a TV screen which is
overlaid by a web browser
controlled by your remote
control.
+
• Start URL is signaled via broadcast
• 1280x720px in XHTML!
• HTML contains specific <objects>
which expose the HbbTV API
• onKeyDown listens on special key
events of the remote control
4. | Page 4
Development
• Firefox with FireHbbTV
AddOn for development
• Buttons:
R = red, G = green,
Y = yellow, B = blue
• P = Play, S = Stop…
• FireBreathed VLC plugin
for video
• Don’t test with Firefox
because HbbTV usually
runs on WebKit or Opera
11 or 12 with Presto
engine
5. | Page 5
• Page size is always
1280x720
• Old TV sets and set top
boxes had large a
overscan
• Therefor all menus and
text must be placed in the
safe area
• But most modern TVs
show almost the the full
screen area
TV Screen, Overscan, Safe Area
6. | Page 6
Autostart Application
• Start URL is signaled in
the broadcast signal (AIT)
• The flash is hidden after
10 seconds
• The start page only listens
to the red button
• All other buttons are
handled by the TV
7. | Page 7
Typical App
• video/broadcast object
can be placed somewhere
on the page and it can be
scaled
• App can listen to all
buttons but the power
button, channel up/down
and manufacturer specific
buttons (Netflix, Samsung
SmartHub…)
• Use CSS3 navigation to
control curser navigation
8. | Page 8
Video
• Only one video/broadcast
object is allowed on the
page
• HbbTV 1.0 MP4
progressive download
(~60%)
• HbbTV 1.5 Adaptive
Streaming with MPEG
DASH but only ~40% of
the devices support 1.5
right now
• The video/broadcast
object is very tricky!
