Hybrid television in a pioneering test by TV3

TV3 connects the television to the Internet in a pilot test through which, from the television, participants can access extra channels and content and watch the last week's programming or any 3alacarta video.

During this month of March, twenty families are experiencing television as it will be in a few years. The participants of the pilot, framed in a research project of the Catalan Corporation of Audiovisual Mitjans (CCMA), have had a DTT receiver installed that connects to the Internet and allows them to access an interactive service specially developed for the test. Through this service, which is activated when you access any Televisió de Catalunya channel (TV3, 33, 3/24 and Super3/300), you can watch extra channels and content, as well as the programming from the last week and any 3alacarta video (see video).

The project, a pioneer in Europe, studies the possibilities offered by what is known as “hybrid television”, which combines traditional television broadcasting with the distribution of content over the Internet, and evaluates the new forms of television consumption that result. The conclusions will be useful in the definitions of new CCMA content production and distribution strategies. The project, which began a year ago, is led by CREA, the Audiovisual Research Center of the CCMA, and has the participation of TV3, CCRTV Interactiva and Activa Multimèdia.

What can pilot users do?

One of the main revolutions caused by connecting television to the Internet is the way of consuming content, since the viewer can choose what they want to see and when they want to see it. Families participating in the pilot have access through the television screen to the entire 3alacarta archive, which includes more than 100,000 videos with content from Televisió de Catalunya (see video). The 3alacarta service is widely accepted. In February it recorded nearly 3,000,000 views and about 600,000 hours consumed.

In addition, they can watch in high quality the programs that have been broadcast on all CCMA television channels during the last week. This service is very popular on some Internet television payment platforms.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRHMWy2FDDI[/youtube]

The possibility of accessing exclusive Televisió de Catalunya channels is also offered. They are channels that are not received via DTT, but are distributed over the Internet for specific events. During the pilot, for example, it was possible to access the live broadcast of the complete “Català de l’any” ceremony.

The test also includes other services that expand the viewer's freedom and give them more information. Thus, for example, you can access extra content that complements the live broadcast, such as related videos of the program poland.

Participation linked to internet social networks has also been incorporated. Through an already integrated application, Facebook Connect, viewers can comment on live programs. In the case of the program WidebandFor example, pilot households can contribute their opinion on the topic of discussion simply by typing with the remote control.

Finally, we must highlight the control of the live broadcast. Viewers can stop the broadcast whenever they want, resume it and rewind.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9rcZ5QTmUA[/youtube]

Pioneer project

The pilot test is carried out with a heterogeneous sample of users made up of twenty families from the 22@ district of Barcelona, ​​to whom the DTT receiver that connects to the Internet and has personal recorder functionalities has been installed. The pilot developed is based on technological standards on a free decoder, not associated with any pay television platform, with the aim of testing the service in an open and universal environment. In evaluating the experience of using the service, we work in collaboration with experts from the Barcelona Media Foundation's technological research center.

The project is part of the CCMA's continuous commitment to innovation in the audiovisual field and is a pioneer at the European level. The BBC is carrying out a similar experience through the Canvas project, which is very much in line with the objectives of the project developed by the CCMA, but at the moment it has not carried out any pilot.