Chapter 1 - EBIF Overview

The CableLabs EBIF standard was developed as a solution for interactive television to work on the existing set-top boxes that are now in millions of subscribers’ homes, even the older and less-equipped models. Using a “thin-client” methodology, EBIF condenses interactive television apps to require minimal resources in the broadcast bandwidth stream and the set-top box. EBIF stands for Enhanced Binary Interchange Format, but is commonly referred to as ETV (for Enhanced TV). We will use the latter in this document.

Business Reasons for ETV:

Reach: Since ETV is capable of running on the lowest-common-denominator of set-tops, it allows broadcasters and advertisers to reach the widest possible audience with interactive television. As cable customers typically are less inclined to update their set-top hardware in the same way that a mobile subscriber would, the wider cable audience is likely to rely on legacy hardware for the near future. ETV will not only standardize applications across MSO’s, but across the variety of hardware in the field now.

Measurement:

The ecosystem of ETV requires a two-way communication channel between the set-top box and the outside world. An ETV application is able to post information through HTTP allowing for detailed measurement of how the audience is interacting with the application.

Advertising:

These capabilities make ETV a prime candidate for advertising to engage the cable audience in a way that the 30-second spot can’t accomplish. Customers can react to ads that are of particular interest without having to leave the couch. Content providers and advertising partners can now access precise statistics that are thought to be web-exclusive.

Subscriber Retention:

As the competition of video providers widens in each market, so will the services offered as a means of attracting new customers and keeping existing ones. Interactive applications that enhance the customer experience for subscribers are attractive to MSO’s as a way of differentiating themselves from other alternatives.

ETV User Experience:

The basic user experience of an ETV application involves overlay banners presented on top of programming content or spot advertisements that prompt the user to take a specific action using the basic buttons on the remote control. Other uses of ETV can involve a dedicated channel running 24/7 that invokes a specific and time-intensive application, such as microsites or games.

Examples of ETV Applications:

• Voting/Polling: In order to engage viewers more deeply with the programming, voting and polling applications are popular implementations of ETV. Subscribers can post their opinion about reality show contestants or politicians in a debate and see the results

• Request for Information (RFI): A user is prompted that there is more information available through mail or e-mail regarding a product or service advertised. The viewer clicks “OK” on the remote and materials such as brochures or coupons are delivered to the subscriber.

• Telescoping: Within an ETV application the viewer can opt to leave the current programming and jump to an on-demand video (or perhaps a microsite).

• Microsites: In order to aggregate content, a dedicated channel or VOD stream can include an enhanced “microsite” where a viewer can take time to browse through content, launch video on-demand or request information from an advertiser.

• T-Commerce: Broadcasters can present products for sale through ETV applications. By connecting with backend order-processing systems, a viewer can submit account login information through the remote and submit an order through the television interface.

Technical Overview: for non-technical people:

ETV in a nutshell:

Enhanced television applications are typically “bound” to particular pieces of content, packaged into the video itself while being broadcast to the set-top box. This content can be a 30-second ad or a dedicated channel running a video loop 24/7. Digital subscribers will see the overlay and be able to interact with their set-top remote control while the app is simply ignored when shown to an analog subscriber.

User Agent:

In order for the application to pop-up the subscriber’s set top box must contain a “user agent.” The user-agent is software downloaded to the subscriber’s set-top box that interprets applications when somebody tunes to a channel that has an ETV app bound into it. The MSO is responsible for pushing the user-agent software onto the set-top boxes.

Broadcasting system:

Enhanced content can be broadcast in different ways. A piece of video can be pre-produced, meaning that the ETV application has been bound into the video and saved separately to be later broadcast. This method might be used for enhanced spot ads, where interactive elements are added in and the ad is trafficked into commercial breaks. Other applications are streamed live, meaning that the ETV application is streamed (or “multiplexed”) into video at the moment it is broadcast. This would be used for applications that rely on live data updates, such as a poling application that shows results. The hardware and software required for broadcasting ETV will depend on the broadcast systems of each MSO.

Backend servers:

These may be used to both update data that is fed into an ETV application and to collect data being delivered from the set-top box. For updating data, this will typically require a separate application to be written that aggregates content and formats it into a format that can be delivered into the ETV broadcast. Conversely, in order to gather data from the set-top, a destination server will be required. MSO’s typically utilize a specific service to collect data retrieved from ETV.

 

Chapter 2 - How to get started with an ETV Application

If you have a concept for an interactive television application and decided that ETV is the way to go, there are several items to take into consideration as you begin. The final release of an interactive television application will require agreements between all parties involved, which include the development house, content owner, and MSO.

However, with the host of tools and developer programs available, it is now possible to tease out a prototype ETV application at a relatively low cost.

Essentially the first step in making ETV applications is taking the leap to develop for the standard in a way that meets your organization’s mission.

Defining requirements of your application:

Once the business and organizational goals have been defined for your application, the next step is defining what components of ETV you plan to utilize. This doesn’t necessarily require detailed specifications at first, but rather a fundamental understanding of how the application is going to behave and the resources that will be required to complete the end-to-end experience.

• Information flow: Outline the sources of information that will populate any data in your app. This might require back-end components to be developed alongside the on-screen interface.
• User experience: Design the user experience to ensure that it provides intuitive navigation. Also, the experience must be able to be understood and acted upon within the timeline defined by the video content.
• Backend systems: Identify areas where your application requires reporting information to a backend server and relies on broadcast data or 2-way responses
Keep a careful eye on the following:
• While ETV can be developed to broadcast updates to your application and use 2-way data, the capacity of the MSO network and set-top capabilities are critical in building a functional app
• Images: The ability of image files carried into ETV applications will vary depending on the set-top box platform (Moto, SA) and the box-specific resources.

Choosing your development tools:

The actual programming of the ETV application can utilize one of several EBIF-compliant tools that vary in functionality, price and user-agent (A list of tools can be found here). Toolkits that utilize ETV will allow your team to author and simulate applications on the PC before attempting to broadcast them to a set-top box.

ETV Authoring:

ETV apps can be created through authoring tools where developers create source code that compiles to EBIF-compliant data, or design tools that use a graphical interface to create app functionality. The programming languages used in authoring tools are typically XML-based and can vary between toolkits. The expertise level required is similar to that of HTML authoring and usually can be adapted by a competent developer.

ETV Simulation:

Toolkits will allow the developers of an application to simulate the ETV overlays and navigation on the PC. This way progress can be tested and demonstrated to interested parties. Other tools will allow for pre-production of ETV applciaitons, allowing them to be bound into MPEG video where they can be delivered to a set-top box, given the right broadcast equipment is available.

User Agents:

Each toolkit will employ specific ETV user-agents for compiling and simulating the applications. While ETV apps will essentially be understood by set-top boxes with a user-agent, there are some differences between user-agents that may affect the display of the application or its reliance on other set-top box software such as interactive programming guides and video-on demand middleware.

Chapter 3 - Testing your application

For a solid overview of the ins and outs of EBIF app testing,

please see Mike Ryan's excellent

Testing an EBIF Application 101 article, here on OEDN.net.

 

 

 

Chapter 4 - Deployment overview for ETV

UPDATE - January 2010  - 

The major cable MSOs have begun deploying EBIF in selected markets, with Comcast's Brian Roberts recently reporting that 13 million STB are now EBIF-enabled (via the TV Works User Agent).  Other MSOs are also enabling their STBs with EBIF and beginning field trials.

For 3rd party developers, it would appear that 2010 and beyond are the years which will see new types of Unbound (and Bound) EBIF applications emerging.

More on this as headlines and time permit.