1- The 4 Pilots
The HBB4ALL project addresses the possibilities of media accessibility in the new TV broadband hybrid transmission (HbbTV) or Smart TV environment. To transform the accessibility vision into reality, Hbb4All targets all relevant stakeholders and all components of the value chain.
The project will test access services in various pilot implementations (from the definition to the operational phase) and gather implicit and explicit user feedback to assess the acceptance and the achievable quality of service in the various delivery scenarios (broadcasting, hybrid, full IP). Four interlinked sub-pilots will be implemented in HBB4ALL:
2- HBB4ALL and HBBTV 2.0
The HBB4ALL consortium strongly supports HbbTV as the main target platform for the HBB4ALL project beside PC based and mobile implementations for some of the targeted services. Within all pilots HbbTV 1.0 or 1.5 based versions of accessibility services are foreseen to be implemented in order to support the already existing and widespread standard.
The consortium will also support the upcoming HbbTV 2.0 standard, however at the moment the availability of HbbTV 2.0 devices cannot be guaranteed during the project’s lifetime. Therefore the partners will follow a dual strategy: first, HbbTV-based services and applications will be developed in such a way that they are supported by devices that currently are – or in the medium term will be – in the market. Second, to make sure that future accessibility services can make appropriate use of the additional value offered by HbbTV 2.0.
Therefore the HBB4ALL consortium decided together that the large scale pilot implementation will focus on the all over IP solution based on HbbTV 1.0 and HbbTV 1.5. Because of the potential of a true hybrid solution the project is highly interested in developing at least a proof of concept showcase based on the HbbTV 2.0 multi-stream synchronisation feature together with the industry.
3- The Pilots Deliverables
The HBB4ALL public deliverables are available to give a report on the project evolution during 2014.
The deliverables describe the progress of the different project axes, after one year of launch and collaborative work. Those various reports concern technical development, communication plan, coordination, events activity and the 4 pilots state of progress: Pilot A, Pilot B, Pilot C and Pilot D.