• What is MHEG? •

Latest Developments

MHEG has an extremely bright future and is constantly being developed within its overall public standards framework. Already in place are clear paths leading to HD extensions as well as those for PVR and VOD.

IP return channel functionality has been successfully demonstrated by QVC and specification work is now in progress with prototype implementations leading to low cost return channel capability for MHEG-5 using IP communications.

Screenshots from the QVC IP Return Channel technology demo

It is also possible to include support for VOD control – one of the original purposes of MHEG – in return channel capable profiles, or Push-VOD for broadcast only profiles. From November 2006 to March 2007, the BBC conducted a closed public trial involving 200 households exploring “Push-VOD technology” – the objective being “to test the technologies around off-air capture and navigation in order to deliver broadcaster selected content onto a PVR, record, store and replay rich interactive applications and create a video rich navigation.”

Screenshots from the BBC PushVoD "CatchupTV Trial"