DVB™

Introduction

Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB™) is a family of standardized technologies designed to facilitate broadcasting of images, sound and multimedia, and to permit a large degree of user interaction. The standards provide for delivery of the programme content by terrestrial, cable, satellite and mobile communication systems.

The standards also include the Multimedia Home Platform (MHP), the DVB™ open middleware system that enables user interactivity, and other related applications such as Electronic Programme Guides.

Our Role & Activities

The work of ETSI on Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB™) falls into two parts: system specifications and standards to assist equipment to be placed on the market in line with European legislation (Harmonized Standards).

DVB™system specifications

ETSI standards for DVB™ system specifications are developed in the ETSI/EBU/CENELEC Joint Technical Committee 'Broadcast', based on proposals from the Digital Video Broadcasting Project (DVB™) Project, an industry-led consortium. Services using DVB™ standards are available on every continent. Topics addressed by the DVB™ Systems Specifications include:

  • Transmission
  • Multiplexing
  • Source coding
  • Subtitling
  • Interactivity
  • Multimedia Home Platform (MHP)
  • Interfacing
  • DVB™ over Internet Protocol (IP) Networks
  • IP datacast over DVB-H (the version of DVB™ for handheld devices)
  • Conditional Access
  • Measurement

DVB™algorithms and MHP test suites

ETSI is the custodian of the DVB™ Common Scrambling Algorithm (CSA) and the MHP Test Suites. The CSA has been designed to prevent unauthorized access to programme content. The MHP test suites contain thousands of tests to be run on a candidate MHP implementation.

DVB™equipment specifications

ETSI is responsible for developing standards for DVB transmitters: standards for DVB™ receivers are available from CENELEC. DVB™ transmitters placed on the European market are required to comply with the R&TTE Directive, which sets requirements on safety, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and correct use of the radio spectrum to avoid harmful interference.

Standards related to safety are available from CENELEC, whilst ETSI's technical committee ERM is responsible for developing and maintaining the EMC standards. These include two Harmonized Standards which may be used to demonstrate compliance of terrestrial television broadcasting transmitters (including DVB™) with the R&TTE Directive:

  • EN 301 489-1 (General EMC requirements for radio equipment)
  • EN 301 489-14 (specific requirements for terrestrial television broadcast transmitters).

ERM also creates standards related to the use of the radio frequency spectrum, and of these EN 302 296 applies to terrestrial DVB™transmitters.



Standards

The following is a list of recently published and frequently downloaded standards. Please use the ETSI Work Programme to find further related standards.

Standard No. Standard title.
EN 302 307 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Second generation framing structure, channel coding and modulation systems for Broadcasting, Interactive Services, News Gathering and other broadband satellite applications (DVB-S2)
TS 101 154 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Specification for the use of Video and Audio Coding in Broadcasting Applications based on the MPEG-2 Transport Stream
TS 101 547-1 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Plano-stereoscopic 3DTV; Part 1: Overview of the multipart
TS 101 547-2 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Plano-stereoscopic 3DTV; Part 2: Frame Compatible Plano-stereoscopic 3DTV
TS 101 547-3 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Plano-stereoscopic 3DTV; Part 3: HDTV Service Compatible Plano-stereoscopic 3DTV
TS 102 831 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Implementation guidelines for a second generation digital terrestrial television broadcasting system (DVB-T2)
EN 300 468 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Specification for Service Information (SI) in DVB systems
TS 101 211 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Guidelines on implementation and usage of Service Information (SI)
TS 101 545-1 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Second Generation DVB Interactive Satellite System (DVB-RCS2); Part 1: Overview and System Level specification
TS 101 545-3 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Second Generation DVB Interactive Satellite System (DVB-RCS2); Part 3: Higher Layers Satellite Specification
TS 101 600 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); GEM Profile for Plano-Stereoscopic 3DTV
EN 302 755 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Frame structure channel coding and modulation for a second generation digital terrestrial television broadcasting system (DVB-T2)
TS 101 547 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Frame Compatible Plano-stereoscopic 3DTV
EN 301 545-2 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Second Generation DVB Interactive Satellite System (DVB-RCS2); Part 2: Lower Layers for Satellite standard
TS 101 162 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Allocation of identifiers and codes for Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) systems
TS 102 323 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Carriage and signalling of TV-Anytime information in DVB transport streams
TS 102 773 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Modulator Interface (T2-MI) for a second generation digital terrestrial television broadcasting system (DVB-T2)
TS 102 851 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI) for DVB Systems
EN 302 583 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Framing Structure, channel coding and modulation for Satellite Services to Handheld devices (SH) below 3 GHz
TS 102 584 Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); DVB-SH Implementation Guidelines