A collaboration between Ocean Blue Software and the Service List Registry will bring together client software and platform infrastructure to support the international deployment of the DVB-I service discovery standard at scale. OBS has developed a high-performance DVB-I client that can be compiled directly into the firmware of television and video devices and displays. Connected to the SLR Unified Service Platform, it offers an end-to-end solution for service discovery.

Founded in 2005 and based in Bristol, with an international team of expert engineers, Ocean Blue Software develops smart television software used by device manufacturers and platform operators to accelerate product development, together with validation services that ensure compatibility with industry standards.

OBS has developed a high-performance DVB-I Client for integration in smart televisions and operator platforms. The same software also supports its online DVB-I Inspector, an analysis, validation, and continuous monitoring tool that ensures service information used by devices conforms to industry specifications.

SLR provides a structured, standards-based directory of television and video services, enabling devices and applications to discover and access services across multiple sources, countries, regions, and delivery networks.

The SLR Unified Service Platform implements DVB-I, an open standard that specifies how services can be described and discovered. It enables interoperability across broadcast and broadband environments while enabling innovation in user experience.

Connecting with the SLR platform, the OBS software solution supports reliable service discovery for television operating systems, simplifies integration and deployment, and ensures interoperability across the DVB-I value chain, from media providers to devices and displays. Together they advance the international deployment of the DVB-I service discovery specification at scale through a robust and reliable ecosystem based on open standards.

“Ocean Blue Software has a long track record of delivering smart television software for manufacturers and operators worldwide. We have now developed an efficient DVB-I Client for integration into their products,” said Paul Martin, CEO of Ocean Blue Software. “Working closely with SLR, we can connect these devices with service discovery, so that DVB-I can be deployed effectively across them in multiple markets.”

The initial focus will be on aligning OBS client software with the SLR platform, supporting consistent service discovery for television manufacturers and operating system providers worldwide that are planning to incorporate DVB-I in their next-generation products.

oceanbluesoftware.co.uk
slrdb.org

Television operating systems in Europe are fragmented across a number of brands. V, formerly known as VIDAA, the smart television operating system developed by Hisense, is forecast to overtake LG webOS in 2026. Chinese brands are taking share from Korean companies, much as they stole the lead from Japanese brands.

Research company Omdia says the rapid growth of V has been driven by the strong momentum of Hisense and its expanding footprint across Europe. It has significantly increased its market share in recent years, supported by competitive pricing, broader distribution, and high-profile global marketing campaigns.

Shipment of televisions powered by V are closing the gap with webOS from LG, with shipments expected to surpass it in 2026.

The dominant platform is Android, driven by another Chinese company, TCL and localised brands. Android has just over a 30% share of the market by annual shipments.

Android overtook Tizen from Samsung, which now accounts for less than a quarter of shipments in Europe, followed by LG webOS at about a fifth.

V is expected to rank third in 2026. The rise of V shows that Chinese manufacturers are gaining ground on their Korean counterparts in both shipments and platform influence.

“Samsung and LG have built large installed bases over the past decade, reaching tens of millions of households,” said David Tett, principal analyst at Omdia. “However, Chinese vendors are rapidly expanding their installed base, driven by strong shipment growth across Europe.”

Titan OS, a European smart television operating system developed by a company of that name based in Barcelona, is used to power some televisions from brands including Philips and JVC. It now has about 5% of shipments in Europe, putting it ahead of FireTV, TiVo OS, and Roku.

That only goes to demonstrate howe fragmented the television operating system is in Europe, and how much there is to play for.

omdia.tech.informa.com

Research suggests that the average person in the United Kingdom spends a total of more than one full day a year searching for something to watch. Some might be surprised it is only that long. The solution is apparently smarter searching and recommendations based on your mood.

The research was cited by EE, the consumer brand for BT, to support the new Smart Search feature on its EE TV product. Based on a survey of 2,000 respondents, it found that on average they reported spending a total of 28 hours a year searching for something to watch.

Nearly half said they would give up and rewatch the same old shows just to avoid the agony of deciding.

Over half believe they spend longer browsing than actually watching.

Two thirds admit to having nodded off before they have even chosen something.

28 hours sounds like a long time. It is 1680 minutes spread over a year. Let us assume they watch for 250 days a year, that is about 6.75 minutes a day spent deciding what to watch. That is a self-reported average.

Some research suggests that some people may spend even longer looking for something to watch.

The idea that people spend longer browsing than actually watching seems a bit of a stretch, but the perception shows the apparent problem.

The solution from EE is called Smart Search. Inevitably, it uses artificial intelligence to interpret natural language. Instead of needing an exact title, viewers can describe what they are after by mood, plot, theme, or even a half-remembered line from a show.

We have seen this before. The problem is that when people are browsing, they may not actually know what they want to watch. They may be looking for inspiration. If they see the same old things listed, they are no more inspired than the last time they saw them.

The example given is “show me good films with plot twists”. At least that might filter out bad films predictable plots, which to be fair covers a lot of cases, although no-one goes out to make such movies.

Mood Matcher is designed to address the problem of not knowing what you want to watch by offering recommendations based on questions on how you are feeling.

The idea is that you are asked what you are in the mood for, for example something dark, light, heartfelt, thought-provoking, or fast paced.

If only it were that simple. The psychology of viewing is probably a lot more complex than that, but it is a point of differentiation

Both features are available on the EE TV app on compatible devices, with plans to roll out to EE TV Pro and EE TV Box Edge customers.

Luciano Oliveira, who is responsible for home and television products at EE, said: “With the sheer amount of great movies, boxsets, and sport now available, we hear the nation’s frustration with spending more time searching than actually watching.

“Smart Search and Mood Matcher on EE TV are the perfect antidote — together, they take the effort out of choosing so you can get straight to the entertainment you love, with the hardest part of your evening now being choosing the right snacks, not the show.”

www.ee.co.uk