Humax and ANT have partnered to deliver the first Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV set-top boxes to market. Humax, one of the world’s largest set-top box manufacturers, selected the ANT Galio HbbTV Platform for its new iCord HD+ set-top box, which began shipping to German retail outlets in December 2009 to become the first HbbTV set-top box to be deployed. The iCord HD+ allows consumers to access hybrid services including ARD Mediathek, Tagesschau, ARTE, internet radio, Maxdome and Wikipedia via the set-top box.

The HbbTV initiative was announced in August 2009 as a new pan-European activity to combine the richness of broadcast and broadband content through connected TVs and set-top boxes. Led by a cross industry consortium including software providers, hardware manufacturers, broadcasters and satellite operators its aim is to enhance TV offerings with interactive hybrid services such as Video on demand, catch up TV, interactive advertising, personalisation, games and social networking. The availability of Humax’s iCord HD+ set-top box marks a significant step forward for the initiative.

ANT developed the ANT Galio HbbTV Platform, a complete go-to-market solution to provide full support for Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV services.