The evolution of digital television.

Any device, any delivery, any content.

DVB-I offers a standards-based solution for delivering television – live, linear and on-demand – in the internet age.

(Access automated translations or turn off subtitles via the YouTube video settings.)

Get involved: join the DVB-I Forum, an online community, hosted on Discord, for anyone involved with or interested in DVB-I implementation.

DVB-I works with all delivery platforms.

Adopting DVB-I means viewers can seamlessly find and watch television content, whether delivered over terrestrial, satellite or cable broadcast, and any kind of broadband network including fibre, 5G and beyond.

Common service offering across any internet-connected device

DVB-I works on all device types.

Users want to watch their favourite content on whatever device is to hand: from smartphones, tablets and laptops to TV sets, set-top boxes and streaming sticks. DVB-I lets you target all of these devices with the same content offer.

A device can adapt the DVB-I metadata to its own user interface and style

DVB-I unifies live and on-demand.

From live and linear television to on-demand, box sets and even interactive apps, DVB-I enables a single, consistent user interface across whatever content types you throw at it.

DVB-I adapts to your market.

DVB-I service lists can be built according to the requirements of a given market or use case. Regulators and operators can determine what makes sense for consumers, broadcasters and content providers alike.

What can DVB-I do for you?

Faced with evolving viewing habits, competition from streaming services and spectrum constraints, with DVB-I you can leverage the strengths of both broadcast and broadband delivery within a single hybrid service offering targeting both fixed and mobile devices.

Looking ahead, DVB-I will make it possible for you to seamlessly migrate to make use of new broadband mechanisms such as 5G Media Streaming or even 5G Broadcast. DVB-I means broadcasters don’t need to gamble on which delivery technologies will emerge, but they can take advantage of those that do.

Use DVB-I to automatically provide a reliable broadband-based fallback service when bad weather interrupts reception or to provide regional services over broadband, at specific times of day, to complement national services delivered by satellite, and all within a single hybrid service offering.

DVB-I enables cable operators to easily deploy a hybrid service offering – it means you don’t need to gamble on which delivery technologies will emerge and can take advantage of those that do. It makes it possible to undertake seamless technology migrations, for example combining DVB-C with new cable broadband technologies like DOCSIS 4.0 for delivery, and also to extend your service to mobile devices via Wi-Fi and 5G.

OTT services typically require dedicated client apps, each with its own specific user experience. Rather than forcing users to learn and switch between different user experiences and apps to find and view content, DVB-I enables devices to integrate live and linear services, as well as on-demand content into a consistent device-native user experience.

DVB-I enables IPTV operators to easily integrate managed and OTT network service offerings and to aggregate channels from various providers. DVB-I metadata can be used to create bespoke service lists for subscribers containing any combinations of linear and OTT content as well as combining diverse service offerings into a coherent service list UI with rich features such as EPG and user customization.

The standard in a nutshell

Published as an open standard by ETSI, the specification Service Discovery and Programme Metadata for DVB-I provides an internet-centric mechanism to signal and discover television services, whether delivered over IP networks or traditional broadcast networks, and allows them to be presented in a unified manner. Any suitable receiver – from TV sets to personal consumer devices – can display service lists and electronic programme guides (EPGs) using information provided in XML format. Having a single data format that is compatible with all potential receiver types means reduced workflow costs and complexity.

Get hands-on with DVB-I

The DVB-I reference application is available on GitHub. It includes backend components where you can generate and edit service lists along with frontend clients for HbbTV and Android.

Take me to the reference app

Resource Centre

Specifications

DVB-I services are built on a suite of specifications developed by the DVB Project and partner organizations. Jump directly to the core DVB-I Service Discovery specification or click below to browse the fully library.

DVB Specification Library

Implementers’ Forum

The DVB-I Forum is a Discord server open to anyone involved with or interested in DVB-I implementation. It is a place to ask questions, share experiences and provide feedback on the specs.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Videos

Browse our video library to find webinars and presentations that will help you get to grips with DVB-I.

Video Library

Tools

From the official reference client and the reference Central Service List Registry to code validators and more, find a whole range of tools for DVB-I implementers.

DVB-I Implementers’ tools