YouView names hardware partners, releases tech specs

YouView, the connected TV video-on-demand service backed by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, BT, TalkTalk and Arqiva, has announced four new hardware partners and unveiled its final core technical specifications.

The new hardware partners are set-top specialist Pace, Turkey-based TV manufacturer Vestel, technology consortium Manhattan and IPTV and telco equipment giant Huawei. These device partners join Cisco, Humax and Technicolor, who have already committed to developing YouView set-top boxes.

The YouView Core Technical Specification references the Digital Television Group’s D-Book 7 and provides a set of technologies to enable the delivery of broadcast and IP enabled content onto a television set via a broadband connected device. The final specs reveal that YouView boxes, which will run Linux, will need a hard disk size of at least 320GB, a minimum of two USB ports, an Ethernet port and integrated 803.11n WiFi support. The boxes will also need a minimum CPU requirement of 950 DMIPS+ and will need a half gig of RAM. The full specifications are available via the YouView website.

“We’re delighted to confirm the final launch specification for YouView to help any manufacturer develop a connected TV device. Through promoting common technical standards for connected TV, consumers will get the widest possible range of devices supporting high quality content,” said Richard Halton, CEO, YouView.