Opera and Ocean Blue launch HbbTV solutions for TV and STBs

Opera Software, the leading browser companies and Ocean Blue Software, supplier of software solutions for world-class digital home, today announced the launch of modular, scalable and integrated hybrid TV Broadband Broadcast (HbbTV) solution to connect the TV and set – top boxes (STBs).

This solution combines the Opera Devices SDK for Linux, Opera fully meet HbbTV framework and Ocean Blue’s proved advanced DVB middleware, which include HbbTV extension. Resulting package provides full flexibility for OEMs, enabling them to provide premium TV-viewers and feature-rich experience with full support for the next generation portal and Broadcast services, such as ARD / ZDF Mediathek, Tagesschau and ARTE.

The HbbTV initiative was announced in August 2009, and aims to combine the wealth of interactive services broadcast on broadband content. HbbTV technologies available to connect the TV and STBs, and provides interactive services such as hybrid video-on-demand, catch-up TV, interactive advertising, personalization, digital text, games and social networks. Opera is a long-leaders in bringing the web as a multi-use platform for STBs and TV connected, and with this launch with a solution HbbTV Ocean Blue, Opera will make a significant impact in this market.

“At this moment there is a different broadcast / broadband initiatives in the European markets, including HbbTV in Germany and France, and the canvas in the UK, so there will be a different market scenarios. However, Opera Software and Ocean Blue plans to offer a common technology platform for all these developments, based on open Web standards, “said Christen Krogh, Chief Development Officer, Opera Software. “We have strategic technology and business partnership with Ocean Blue Software will help our customers provide the best of the over-the-top (OTT) content and services directly into the living room on the hybrid device.”

“We are very pleased to extend our partnership with Opera,” said Ken Helps, CEO of Ocean Blue Software. “TV and STB manufacturers to feature-rich, low risk solutions; collaboration between the Ocean Blue and Opera provide strong HbbTV solutions that reduce time to market and therefore the overall cost.”

The first public demonstration of the Opera and the Ocean Blue will be in HbbTV IPTV World Forum 2010. Opera will host this demo from the meeting room and display solutions that run on popular platforms STi7105 from STMicroelectronics, which has long second pair of Opera Software and Ocean Blue.

“ST is proactively supporting the key software vendors such as Blue Ocean and Opera which provides the key building blocks that will provide consumers with next-generation, rich entertainment experiences on television through broadcast and the Internet,” said Pascal Audiffren, director of consumer business lines, STMicroelectronics.

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