TV Content Delivery to PC, Tablet, Smartphone: From the Accessibility Vision into Market Reality

摘要

The article addresses media accessibility for all citizens in the connected TV environment. HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV) is an European standard increasingly adopted by European broadcasters. One of the challenges in the coming years will be the delivery of multi-platform audiovisual content (anytime, anywhere, any device) and making this content accessible for all. The elderly and people with various disabilities rely on subtitles, audio description or sign language. Customizing accessibility services through options for personal preferences is only one example of future possibilities. This essay highlights accessibility issues in the connected TV and smart phone environment. It gives insights on the genesis and future modules of the European project Hbb4All (Hybrid Broadband Broadcasting for All), which started in December 2013 for a 3-years-period. It addresses a wide range of interactivity, interoperability and personalized accessibility features based on the HbbTV (hybrid broadcast-broadband) concept and will be user trial oriented. Given the recent start of the project, first results are expected after a one-year-running-time up from 2015.