The Deutsche TV-Plattform group has published an implementation profile for the roll out of DVB-I for the German market. It is intended to specify the requirements for televisions so that they can ensure compatibility with the proposed platform in Germany. The DVB-I specification supports service discovery and programme metadata for online and hybrid television and video services.
DVB-I is an open specification developed by the DVB Project and is intended to complement existing DVB standards for the delivery of television and other audiovisual media services.
A pilot project to implement the DVB-I specification was begun in Germany in 2022. The aim is to launch a public service later in 2026.
A DVB-I Task Force, led by Frank Heineberg of RTL and Remo Vogel of rbb, in cooperation with the DVB-I Roundtable, has developed the implementation profile for the market launch of DVB-I in Germany.
Opening the DVB World conference in Amsterdam, Remo, who is the chair of the DVB Project, talked of “a managed transition from classic broadcast to IP-centric media distribution, retaining an open ecosystem for devices and services”. He described it as the digital “glue for a hybrid world” connecting broadcast and broadband while avoiding market fragmentation and safeguarding universal access.
The DVB-I Implementation Profile for DVB-I Receivers in Germany covers the specific elements of the DVB-I specification that need to be supported to meet the requirements of the German market, as determined by the Deutsche TV-Plattform.
The German profile, which is available from the Deutsche TV-Plattform web site, is intended as an appendix to the German DVB-I Book published by the German DVB-I Round Table. There is a separate document containing test cases that describe specific scenarios with the expected outcomes.