Television

TV playout for Bavarian local TV stations

Since 2018 bmt operates a TV playout centre for 14 Bavarian local TV stations. In its data centre the programme signals are feeded, transcoded, multiplexed and distributed to the transmission channels for satellite (Astra), cable (Vodafone) and IPTV (1&1, HD+ ToGo, Magenta TV, M-net, waipu.tv and Zattoo). Other services provided by bmt include the switching of local windows in the RTL programmes on Vodafone in SD and HD, programme and HbbTV signalling, recordings, monitoring and failure management.



TV playout features: 

  • Signal processing according to the distribution channels
  • Transcoding SD, HD
  • Logo insertion
  • Distribution of the signals to the distribution channels
  • Implementation of partitioning for split channels
  • Splitting of the signal for satellite and cable distribution
  • Recording
  • Provision of common live signals for all providers (e.g. for major events)
  • Playback of recordings in the case of network or provider interferences
  • Additional data multiplexing/encoding EPG/HbbTV
  • Monitoring and failure management

Local TV portal

The Lokal-TV-Portal is a multi-level interactive application that bundles over 70 local TV stations in one application as a central brand. The Local TV Portal was supported by the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Commercial Broadcasting (BLM) and developed by Bayerische Medien Technik GmbH (bmt) with the aim of improving the findability and permanent availability of local TV programmes.

It enables local broadcasters with live streams and media libraries to have permanent access to a large part of the television households in Germany, even if they do not have their own satellite or antenna distribution or only have it for a limited period of time.

In addition to a variant for HbbTV, the local TV portal is also available as an app for Samsung, LG, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Magenta TV.

Contact us if you want to be part of the portal as a programme provider or if you are a network operator interested in your own local TV portal solution.

More about the Lokal TV Portal

DVB-I EASY (Editor and Aggregator System)

bmt’s DVB-I EASY (Editor and Aggregator System) enables editing, aggregation and provision of DVB-I service lists to client devices. The software operates according to the DVB-I specification A177rx either as Cloud-service or on premises. For the fast implementation of DVB-I services the EASY-Editor allows the set-up of DVB-I service lists with all relevant metadata. In addition, the EASY-REST-API supports the aggregation of partial service lists from already existing service lists or from several service providers. The DVB-I EASY includes postal code and LCN databases for server-side regionalization by postcode query. During input and after aggregation the software supports automatic validation and versioning. The dashboard informs about the status of each service. On the output side the software supports service lists for productive and staging use. DVB-I EASY is currently being used in the German DVB-I Pilot.

HbbTV

HbbTV Rating Monitor – analysis tool for programme and media planning

The HbbTV Rating Monitor provides real-time data for broadcast audience measurements and therefore for programme planning and advertising marketing. The HbbTV Rating Monitor is particularly useful for TV stations whose ratings are not evaluated on a daily basis.


Immediate analysis option of HbbTV devices connected to the internet:

  • number of TV sets
  • dwell time of the users
  • overview of reception channels

The HbbTV Rating Monitor collects no personal data and is comlied with all data protection regulations.


More information in the fact sheet HbbTV Rating Monitor

The HbbTV Rating Monitor is a development by bmt, which was supported by the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Commercial Broadcasting (BLM). It is particularly useful for TV stations whose ratings are not evaluated on a daily basis. The analysis tool provides real-time insights into the number, dwell time and reception paths of the connected HbbTV devices connected to the Internet. In freely adjustable slots, e.g. in 60 second or 15 minute slots, as well as over a freely adjustable period of time, such as the past 24 hours, the previous day or a specific period in the past, the usage can be analysed on a provider-specific basis. The audience measurement complies with all data protection regulations and does not collect any personal data.

More information in both videos about the HbbTV Radting Monitor.


Presentation and practical report at the Medientage München 2020 (Horst Rettig, Managing Director, münchen.tv and Frank Strässle, Managing Director, bmt)

Catch-up TV application

Get your catch-up TV application in short time with our white label solution which is ideally suited for local TV stations.

Are you interested in your own catch-up TV application? Do you want to make your contributions and entire programmes available to a wide audience without any time restrictions?

Then bmt’s white label catch-up TV solution is just the right thing for you: Get your own catch-up TV created by us and according to your corporate design specification.

The content is automatically fed from your web CMS, for example by a JSON file via FTP. In this way, pure web Video-on-Demand portals can easily be expanded with HbbTV or Smart TV functionality.

Preroll advertising offers new revenue opportunities. bmt’s catch-up TV application can be used via cable, satellite and DVB-T2.

Application Features

  • Modern design (more pictures, less text information)
  • Additional selection criteria (editorial start page, contributions, programmes, days, …)
  • Modular system with individual customisation options
  • Seamless integration into workflows
  • Revenue opportunities with preroll advertising
  • Dynamic service information
  • combinable with HbbTV Rating Monitor
  • Platforms: HbbTV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, WebOS (LG) and Tizen (Samsung)

White label solution as modular system


Explaining HbbTV catch-up TV application (in German)

Factsheet HbbTV catch-up application

Accessibility application

The project “Television for ALL – fully inclusive with HbbTV” was jointly developed and implemented by the Association for Disability and Media (abm), Bayerische Medien Technik GmbH (bmt) and the Institute for Broadcasting Technology (IRT).

The project, which was funded by the Bayerische Landeszentrale für neue Medien (Bavarian regulatory authority for new media, BLM), aims to provide barrier-free access to media content for people with visual or hearing impairments and at the same time enable an inclusive viewing experience together with other family members. Furthermore, on devices that support HbbTV 2.0, a connection of so-called companion devices such as smartphones or augmented reality glasses is achieved, which are synchronised with the TV set.

In this way, a sign language interpreter no longer has to be shown in the television picture, but is displayed next to the television picture by means of AR glasses, and audio description can be heard via a smartphone with headphones. In both cases, inclusion is supported by the fact that the additional aids can only be perceived by those who need them and other viewers are not distracted by them.

In November 2019, the project “Television for ALL – fully inclusive with HbbTV” received two (of seven) international awards at the 8th HbbTV Symposium in Athens. The joint project of bmt, abm and IRT was awarded in the categories “Best Multiscreen HbbTV Experience” and the prize “Best technology innovation in an HbbTV product or service”, which was awarded by the jury across all categories.

As the first local TV station in Bavaria, münchen.tv offers for visually and hearing impaired viewers, in the live programme and in catch-up TV, programme items produced by abm in versions with sign language interpreter.

The Association for Disability and Media (abm), in cooperation with the broadcasters SAT.1 GOLD and KABEL EINS of ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE, has now reached a milestone in the development of “TV for ALL” nationwide. From now, the monthly channel series Challenge – as the first TV format ever in Germany – is available fully inclusive.

In June 2020, the bmt’s HbbTV joint project won a CONNECT! THE SMART TV AWARD as winner in the category “Feels like Magic – Best Technological Innovation.

This is already the third award for the project “Television for ALL – fully inclusive with HbbTV”!

Dynamic Service Information

With DynSI, the bmt offers a central system for local TV stations to distribute dynamic service information for DVB and IPTV. In this way, programme information, about the current programme, the next programme or entire EPG programme guides are created. The programme data is taken over from the local TV stations via a defined text interface, converted into various formats, such as DVB, TV-Anytime, Gracnote and Media Press, and distributed for satellite, cable and IPTV transmission as well as to other programme data service providers. 

Traffic Telematics

One of bmt’s core competencies is the convergence of broadcast technologies and traffic information systems. A variety of communication and information technologies interact here. In this business field, bmt supports and operates existing systems and services, develops innovative products and provides consultancy services.

What is traffic telematics?

Traffic telematics and digital broadcasting – synergies

Before anybody talked about traffic telematics, mobile phones and navigation systems, radio provided the relevant information to the drivers in form of spoken traffic messages.

The objective of traffic telematics applications is an permanent exchange of information between information sources and users. Individual traffic flow information from drivers to the information centers and vice versa traffic data from the centers to the drivers. Todays digital broadcasting technologies offers a broad, permanent and cost-effective data channel to the vehicles.

Beside pure traffic information multimodal information with parking information, weather forecast and public transport schedules becomes more and more important. As an open international standard TPEG (Transport Protocol Experts Group) offers a toolbox for many intellegent transport service applications for broadcast and broadband delivery.

The first TPEG services via broadcast (DAB+) were introduced in Germany at the beginning of 2014. In most of European broadcast telematic projects bmt is the leading supplier of TPEG system components.

Products

For years, bmt has been active in the standardisation and implementation of TPEG services. Beside consulting services, bmt offers the following TPEG products:

TPEG ON AIR

The TPEG ON AIR playout system provides TPEG messages and makes them available e.g. via DAB/Internet.

www.WEcanTPEG.com

TPEG Editor

The TPEG editor is used to create and modify TPEG messages. The graphical interface allows messages to be easily viewed and modified on a map.

www.WEcanTPEG.com

TPEG Analyser

The TPEG Analyser evaluates several data streams in realtime and displays the decoded data graphically. The recording and analysis of data streams (files) is possible as well.

www.WEcanTPEG.com

Consulting and Workshops

bmt advises end device manufacturers, content providers, network operators and the automotive industry in the TPEG standard. In our TPEG Lab we offer analyses, studies and extensive opportunities to technically represent and test the entire value chain.

For a quick introduction to TPEG, we offer a 1-day workshop, which includes technical basics, applications, hands-on exercises with bmt’s products and comprehensive training documents.

The workshop is offered in German and English language and is available at bmt or in-house at your company.

More information on bmt’s products and services under WEcanTPEG.com