Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) encompasses both the DVB Project, an industry-led consortium, and the standards established by this project. These standards define a comprehensive system for the transmission of digital television content across various broadcasting media. The primary DVB standards include:
- DVB-C: This standard is designed for digital cable television transmission.
- DVB-S and DVB-S2: These standards are tailored for digital satellite television transmission. DVB-S2 represents an advanced version of DVB-S with improved efficiency.
- DVB-T: DVB-T is intended for digital terrestrial television broadcasting.
- DVB-H: DVB-H is optimized for digital terrestrial television delivery to handheld devices.
- DVB-SH: This standard targets digital satellite television transmission to handheld devices.
In addition to these primary standards, there are two complementary standards for digital multipoint video distribution systems:
- DVB-MS: Based on the DVB-S satellite delivery system.
- DVB-MC: Based on the DVB-C cable delivery system.
DVB standards are versatile and can support both Standard Definition TV (SDTV) and High Definition TV (HDTV), complete with multichannel digital audio and an enhanced teletext version. These standards rely on MPEG-2 for video and audio compression.
To watch DVB content on a conventional analog television, viewers typically use a set-top box. This device acts as a receiver that translates incoming digital signals into an analog format compatible with standard television sets. Over time, digital receivers have become integrated into modern televisions.
The transmission of digital video content across all media in DVB standards is based on the use of MPEG-2 data containers. These containers can carry a flexible combination of MPEG-2 compressed video, audio, and data. Within these containers, multiple programs and data services can coexist. The data from different programs are multiplexed together, and each container includes Service Information (SI) that provides details about the broadcasted programs.
Importantly, the DVB standard includes a conditional access system. This system allows content providers to restrict access to their programs to authorized or paying users, enhancing content security and enabling subscription-based services.