Digital Video Broadcasting
Introduction
Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) is a set of internationally open standards that define digital broadcasting using existing satellite, cable, and terrestrial infrastructures. It is maintained by the DVB Project, an international industry consortium with more than 270 members, and it is published by a Joint Technical Committee (JTC) of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC).
History
The DVB Project was founded in 1993 by a consortium of public and private organizations involved in the television industry. Its goal was to create a standard for digital television that could be used across Europe and beyond, replacing the existing analog systems. The first DVB standard, for satellite television (DVB-S), was published in 1995. This was followed by standards for cable (DVB-C) in 1996 and terrestrial television (DVB-T) in 1997.
Standards
The DVB standards are divided into three categories: satellite, cable, and terrestrial. Each category has its own set of specifications and standards, which are continually updated and revised by the DVB Project.
DVB-S
DVB-S is the original Digital Video Broadcasting forward error coding and modulation standard for satellite television and dates from 1995. It is used via satellites serving every continent of the world. DVB-S is used in both Multiple Channel Per Carrier (MCPC) and Single Channel Per Carrier modes for Broadcast network applications.
DVB-C
DVB-C stands for Digital Video Broadcasting - Cable and it is the DVB European consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital television over cable. This system transmits an MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 family digital audio/digital video stream, using a QAM modulation with channel coding.
DVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television. This system transmits compressed digital audio, digital video and other data in an MPEG transport stream, using coded orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (COFDM or OFDM) modulation.
Applications
DVB is used in various applications, including broadcasting, content delivery, and news gathering. It is also used in the transmission of data services, including digital radio, interactive television, and internet access.
Broadcasting
DVB is widely used in the broadcasting industry for the transmission of digital television and radio. This includes both public service broadcasters and commercial networks. The DVB standards provide high-quality digital audio and video, enabling broadcasters to offer a wide range of services, from high-definition television to multi-channel radio.
Content Delivery
DVB is also used in content delivery networks, where it is used to distribute digital content to end-users. This includes both live streaming of events and on-demand services, such as video on demand (VOD) and catch-up TV.
News Gathering
DVB technology is used in electronic news gathering (ENG) and outside broadcast (OB) applications. This includes the use of DVB-S for satellite news gathering (SNG) and DVB-T for terrestrial news gathering.
Future Developments
The DVB Project is continually working on new standards and updates to existing ones. This includes work on DVB-T2, the next generation of terrestrial broadcasting, and DVB-S2X, an extension of the DVB-S2 satellite standard. The consortium is also working on standards for 3D television and Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV).