You may be familiar with the "red button" on your remote control from your SmartTV, which you can use to access the media libraries of the respective broadcaster. That is one of the functions of HbbTV. The abbreviation stands for Hybrid Broadcasting Broadband Television . You can think of the system as a kind of revised and interactive teletext.
What exactly is HbbTV?
This feature connects your television to an interactive online program. With HbbTV, for example, media libraries can be called up or further information on a product shown. This can also be news or trailer videos. The currently selected station shows when you can use interactive features. All you have to do is press the red button on your remote control.
How can I use HbbTV?
To use HbbTV, your television must be connected to the internet. To do this, you have to connect the device either via WLAN or via LAN cable. There are also special HbbTV receivers. So if your television is not a SmartTV, you can use the HbbTV functions via an appropriate receiver. The service is free of charge.
How exactly you get your television is irrelevant: whether via cable, DVB-T or satellite. However, some cable providers have blocked all or part of the functionality of HbbTV. These include Vodafone (formerly Kabel Deutschland) and Unity Media. If you still want to access media libraries, you can use a Fire TV Stick or Chromecast, for example.
You should also make sure that your internet is good enough. Your internet speed shouldn't be slower than 2 Mb / s. Broadband connections from around 10 Mb / s are best. If your internet is slower you may experience connection problems. You can find out your Internet speed from your provider or from your Internet contract..