Bristol - May 1, 2007

Ocean Blue Software, the specialist digital TV software developer, is completing development of new software to allow set top boxes to connect to broadband, opening new opportunities for interactive "red button" services. The company is part of the DTG standards design group finalising broadband support for MHEG-5, the system behind red button services on digital TV.

The new MHEG return channel will provide, for example: interactive voting, shopping and video-on-demand, even web browsing on the TV. The standard is likely to be ratified by the DTG this year which will pave the way for manufacturers to produce set top boxes with support broadband and PSTN dial-up.

"Availability of full interactive services on digital TV, particularly Freeview, has been limited due to the lack of a return channel," said Ken Helps, Founder and CEO of Ocean Blue Software. "Over 80 per cent of homes will have broadband by 2010. It makes sense to tap into that bandwidth to provide additional services to digital TV viewers."

"The failure of the Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) to gain traction in the market means the ISO version of the MHEG-5 software standard is now a viable solution for digital terrestrial broadcasters," added Helps. "This has allowed us to start the development of the first fully interactive middleware, incorporating the forthcoming standards for a return channel."

The market for DVB-T broadcasts continues to grow, particularly in Europe. The advancement in the MHEG-5 software standard will now attract the attention of emerging broadcasters, in countries such as France, Russia and Poland. The EuroMHEG standard creates numerous business opportunities and revenue streams for broadcasters and content developers. The majority of European countries are still considering software technology for their set top boxes.