In February 2022, the Sejm passed a law introducing subsidies for the purchase of a set-top box or a television for citizens in financial difficulties. The case was related to the change of the digital terrestrial television standard to DVB-T2/HEVC. The law provided for penalties for the sale of devices that do not comply with the regulations of the Minister of Digital Affairs. According to him, devices that can be connected to the Internet must support HbbTV.
– If the digital receiver can be connected to the Internet, it allows the use of HbbTV at least version 2.0.1 according to technical specification ETSI TS 102 796 [18]. HbbTV is enabled by default when you purchase your digital receiver. It is necessary for the user to be able to easily switch HbbTV on and off. An HbbTV-enabled digital receiver correctly receives and runs HbbTV-compatible software applications (within API) according to the technical specification ETSI TS 102 796 [18] – we read in the regulation of the Minister of Digitalization Marek Zagórski from 2020.
More Android TV tuners for sale?
In the draft regulation of August 7 this year, first reported by satkurier.pl, the name HbbTV or hybrid television does not appear. – For DVB-T2, the basic parameters of the television signal receiver defined in ETSI TS 101 154 [14] for HDTV level 4.1: 50 Hz HEVC 8-bit HDTV (resolutions 1920 x 1080 p50, 1280 x 720 p50) MPEG-2 Audio Layer 2 and E-AC3 audio. In the case of a television receiver capable of displaying UHD pictures, the DVB-T2 receiver also supports the format specified in ETSI TS 101 154 [14] in point 5.14 HEVC HDR UHDTV IRD using HLG10 and HEVC HDR UHDTV IRD using PQ10, Main 10 Profile, Main Tier for UHDTV with 3840 x 2160 resolution and AC-4 audio – you can read, among others, in the document.
Why is the Regulation being amended? – The proposed Regulation specifies the technical and operational requirements that must be met for the correct reception by television receivers of signals provided by terrestrial broadcasting based on the DVB-T and DVB-T2 systems. In addition, the proposed Regulation takes into account changes related to the adaptation of television receivers to the parameters required by the latest broadcasting standard: DVB-T2, the introduction of which follows from the provisions of the National Action Plan for the modification of the 700 MHz allocation in Poland, in connection with the need to free up the so-called 700 MHz band for mobile broadband systems and the introduction of DVB-T2 digital terrestrial television. The proposed regulation organises the current market for television receivers in Poland, many of whom already have a DVB-T and DVB-T2 receiver, but in different and inconsistent configurations. – we read in the justification.
If the regulation comes into force, more terrestrial set-top boxes with the Android TV/Google TV operating system may appear on the Polish market. It offers much greater possibilities than HbbTV. In the Google Play store you can find more than 10,000 applications to install on your device. Among them, of course, are YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Max, Player, Polsat Box Go, Canal+ online, CDA Premium, Viaplay, TVP VOD, Rakuten TV, Megogo, Sweet.TV and many others. For example, games, applications with radio stations or webcams. The most famous applications can also be found on TVs with Tizen (Samsung) or WebOS (LG) systems.
On HbbTV, Polish terrestrial receivers have access only to: TVP VOD, TVP GO, CDA Premium, Sklep.Kapitan.pl, Legia TV, services with television programs and radio stations from Emitel, EWTN GO, virtual channels TVP ABC 2, TVP Kultura 2, TVP Historia 2, Perszyj, Polsat Plus Group promotion on HbbTV, addressable advertising (DAI) and advertising applications. On many TVs, Smart TV applications work much more stably than HbbTV, and support for hybrid TV is rare in set-top boxes. In our country, the technology has not been implemented by cable or satellite operators, as it happened, for example, in Germany.
Canal+ had to remove the terrestrial tuner from the set-top box
The Canal+ Box 4K appeared on the market in 2020, when the Canal+ online service was launched. The equipment gained recognition among many users for not only being a set-top box with an Android TV operating system, but also having an integrated digital terrestrial TV tuner, compatible with the DVB-T2/HEVC standard. It could therefore serve as an “upgrade” for TVs without Smart TV, with outdated software or that do not support the new terrestrial standard.
The Canal+ Box 4K has never supported hybrid TV. Although the range of apps on Android TV is much wider, it had to be taken off sale in spring 2022. “We are working on a solution that will allow the set-top box to be put back on sale,” Canal+ spokesman Piotr Kaniowski told Wirtualnemedia.pl at the time. The set-top box can be purchased on auction platforms and in Canal+ showrooms. However, a subscription contract was required.
It returned to stores at the end of 2022, but without an important element. – In November, we relaunched a modified version of the Canal+ Box 4K. The decoder is available at an attractive price both in the largest retail chains (RTV/AGD) and in our Canal+ stores. The modification consisted of: removing the terrestrial TV tuner module; adapting the software to the above-mentioned changes. The modified set-top box has: a changed model name: HY4001/HY4001CD, a different hardware subtype in the WEB CGA system – IPB2/IPB4, a changed EAN number (used for service in external retail networks), a new CE certificate, a new user manual, warranty card, information obligations – Kaniowski said then.
