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A DVB-MHP web browser to pursue convergence between Digital Terrestrial Television and Internet

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Abstract

In the last decade with the growth of Interactive Digital Television (IDTV) we have seen the end of passive television. An example of this trend is Internet access through television by means of the last generation Set Top Boxes (STBs). The chance to enjoy web contents through digital television Set Top Boxes, delivering a satisfying browsing experience across this platform, could provide the opportunity to promote social inclusion and bridging the “digital divide”. In this paper we present WebClimb, a web browser that would pursue an effective integration of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and Internet in the DVB-MHP platform. WebClimb is a Java-based web browser that enables users to browse the web by interacting with an easy to use Graphical User Interface (GUI), driven by a common TV remote control without asking for reformatting such a content on the server side. In addition to this, the main requirement has been to design and develop an MHP browser application to be broadcast through a TV channel and not embedded in a specific device, though it could be too. Experimental results and a comparison with other possible solutions are provided.

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Notes

  1. Digital Video Broadcasting: http://www.dvb.org

  2. Oregan networks: http://www.oregan.com/index.php

  3. MSN TV: http://www.msntv.com

  4. Nionex GmbH Pontegra Browser: http://www.nionex.com

  5. ORTIKON Interactive Ace Browser: http://www.ortikon.com

  6. Yambo: http://www.cineca.tv/labs/mhplab/yambo.html

  7. WebToDVB: http://video.talete.org

  8. Sofia Digital: http://www.sofiadigital.com

  9. Nordcom Interactive Goonie Browser: http://www.tv2nord-digital.dk

  10. Espial Escape Evo Browser: http://www.espial.com

  11. Elsag Datamat: http://www.elsagdatamat.com/EN/Home.htm

  12. Access NetFront: http://www.access-netfront.com

  13. XSmiles project: http://www.xsmiles.org

  14. The Lobo Project: http://html.xamjwg.org/java-browser.jsp

  15. Jakarta Commons Http Client: http://hc.apache.org/httpclient-3.x

  16. JTidy Project: http://jtidy.sourceforge.net

  17. W3C SAC: http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/SAC

  18. ProGuard: http://proguard.sourceforge.net

  19. Institut fur Rundfunktechnik: http://www.irt.de

  20. http://www.bbc.co.uk/;http://news.bbc.co.uk/text_only.stm;http://www.google.com/xhtml; http://www.agritursansevero.it/;http://www.repubblica.it/mobile/

  21. http://mobile.nytimes.com

  22. Advanced Digital Broadcast: http://www.adbglobal.com; Elsag Datamat: http://www.elsagdatamat.com/EN/Home.htm; TELE System Electronic: http://www.telesystem.it; Humax: http://www. humaxdigital.com/global/

  23. http://www.ad.ntust.edu.tw/course/ad5601701/jmdl/docs/java/index.html

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Tuscany Region (Italy) for supporting the DTT Competence Center which has carried out such a research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Media Integration and Communication Center, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    Irene Amerini, Rudy Becarelli, Roberto Caldelli & Francesco Filippini

  2. CSP, Turin, Italy

    Giovanni Ballocca & Roberto Borri

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  1. Irene Amerini
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Correspondence to Irene Amerini.

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Amerini, I., Ballocca, G., Becarelli, R. et al. A DVB-MHP web browser to pursue convergence between Digital Terrestrial Television and Internet. Multimed Tools Appl 50, 381–414 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-009-0415-4

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