The UK's Project Canvas is cooperating with the Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) initiative to get an "aligned position", according to Richard Halton, Programme Director for IPTV at the BBC, speaking at the MIPCOM conference currently taking place in Cannes.

Mr. Halton stated that the recently-unveiled HbbTV initiative is "an ingredient in what we're developing for Canvas.  There are some interesting technical questions that we have to resolve."  He added that "HbbTV comes out of a technical landscape that is very familiar in Central Europe, less familiar in the UK.  Essentially, there's a lot of commonality.  The teams are working together to get an aligned position.  HbbTV is working directly with two or three of the major manufacturers; we're working with [UK digital TV standards body] DTG."

The HbbTV initiative was unveiled last August by founding partners which include the European broadcasters Canal+, France Televisions and TF1, German research institute Institut für Rundfunktechnik, satellite operator SES ASTRA, and software and media solutions providers ANT and OpenTV.  The initiative reportedly aims to harmonise the broadcast and broadband delivery of news, information and entertainment to the end consumer through TVs and set-top boxes with an optional Internet connection.

The UK's Project Canvas initiative does not appear to be dissimilar, being led by local broadcasters the BBC, ITV and Channel Five, and incumbent telco BT, as a way of delivering broadcast content, plus video-on-demand and interactive services, to an Internet-connected set-top box.  The potentially competitive position of the two initiatives has been observed previously, and this is the first time that it has been suggested that they may be able to work together.