Panasonic makes first commercial deployment of HbbTV operator app
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Joseph O'Halloran
| 20 March 2019

The HbbTV Association is celebrating what it says is the world's first commercial deployment of its advanced interactive TV services standard by CE giant Panasonic.

The announcement will enable end users to access the full TV service bouquet, both live and on-demand, of the HD+ German TV platform on any 2019 Panasonic OLED Ultra HD smart TV sold in the country, without the need for any additional hardware or smartcard. In this case, consumers will navigate through the HD+ TV channels and interactive services through an HD+ branded user interface.

“We are very happy about this launch which is the perfect illustration of what the OpApp was supposed to do: enable an operator-specific user experience on a TV set without the need for additional hardware,” said Vincent Grivet, chair of the HbbTV Association. “The HbbTV OpApp offers platform operators a game-changing new way of reaching their customers. We are confident that many more broadcast platforms will realise how powerful this is and will soon also adopt this approach, leading more TV manufacturers to ship OpApp compliant TV sets.”

“As the leading company in the area of TV receiver technologies, Panasonic is convinced that the HbbTV OpApp will be an essential element of future devices,” added Kai Hillebrandt, managing director of Panasonic DACH and NL. “The direct implementation of HD+ in TV sets and the new HD+ comfort feature are quantum leaps forward in customer experience. Watching brilliant HD and UHD content gets more convenient and flexible than ever before. Hence, we are very happy to be the first manufacturer to bring the HbbTV OpApp into the homes of our customers in Germany.”

“The direct integration eliminates the entry barriers for the use of HD, UHD and non-linear offers like restart or 7-day-catch-up via TV in one go. We are playing in a whole new league now regarding convenience and simplicity,” remarked Alexander Sacher, VP product and solutions development media platform SES and CTO of HD+. “Our new offering is far more than just an additional option of receiving HD+. It might even stimulate the German TV market, high-definition television and the parallel use of linear and non-linear television.”