The HbbTV Association has published version 2.0.5 of its core specification, marking a key step in the evolution of the HbbTV standard. The specification was approved at the latest meeting of the HbbTV Steering Group.

HbbTV 2.0.5 is an incremental update to HbbTV 2.0.4, published in 2024, and represents a significant technical advancement for hybrid and interactive television services. The most notable change is the formal integration of Digital Rights Management (DRM) into the core specification. While HbbTV devices have supported DRM for many years, this is the first time it has been explicitly defined, providing a harmonised, interoperable approach across the ecosystem. Support for at least one of the DRM systems listed in the HbbTV DRM specification published six months ago – Microsoft PlayReady or Google Widevine – is required. This formalisation is essential for enabling secure delivery of content and meeting the requirements of broadcasters, platform operators, rights holders, and content owners.

WebAssembly support, already present to some extent in HbbTV devices via browser engines such as Chrome or WebKit, is now formally included in the specification. This allows advanced features such as efficient decoding of auxiliary video streams, including sign language services demonstrated by Catalan public broadcaster 3Cat at trade shows IBC 2025 and HbbTV Symposium and Awards 2025. Additional web security measures have been incorporated, and support for the VVC and AV1 video codecs has been defined, although implementation of these codecs is optional. Several simplifications for implementers have also been introduced: unused features have been removed, others marked for deprecation, and some requirements relaxed to improve interoperability.

The integration between HbbTV and DVB-I introduced in HbbTV 2.0.4 is further improved in 2.0.5. The specification now clarifies how DVB-I applications associated with entire service lists can be supported, enabling platforms or service aggregators to obtain GDPR consent or agreement to terms and conditions. Implementation feedback, particularly regarding HbbTV and DVB-I integration, has resulted in numerous technical corrections being included.

The HbbTV Association plans to issue a Request for Proposals (RfP) in the coming weeks to extend its Conformance Test Suite to support HbbTV 2.0.5.

“HbbTV 2.0.5 represents an important step forward in the evolution of hybrid TV services,” said Vincent Grivet, Chair of the HbbTV Association. “With formalised DRM, support for next-generation codecs such as AV1 and VVC, enhanced DVB-I integration, and WebAssembly capabilities, the specification aligns to the most recent and impacting market trends, enabling more sophisticated, secure and feature-rich services. It demonstrates HbbTV’s continued commitment to advancing the connected TV ecosystem for broadcasters, platform operators, content owners and viewers alike.”

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Categories: Articles, CA/DRM, HbbTV, OTT, Standards

Tags: drm, google, hbbtv, Widevine