The DVB Project develops specifications for digital television systems, which in are turned into standards by international standards bodies such as ETSI or CENELEC. It does so through collaboration of its Members in numerous Working Groups. Once specifications have become standards, they are promoted for international adoption and utilisation.

How DVB standards are developed
Each DVB standard starts its life in the Commercial Module. Based on the needs of the market, the Commercial Module and its Working Groups draw up a set of user requirements that outline the market parameters such as user functions, timescales and price range. Once consensus on the user requirements is reached in the Commercial Module, it is put forward to the Technical Module.

A DVB specification is developed in the Technical Module and its Working Groups. Here the technological implications of the user requirements are examined and available technologies are explored. Once the Technical Module reaches consensus on the resulting specification, and the Commercial Module’s support for the it has been ensured, the specification is put forward to the Steering Board.

The Steering Board gives the final approval of the specification. It is then offered for standardisation to the relevant international standards body (i.e. ETSI or CENELEC) through the EBU/ETSI/CENELEC Joint Technical Committee or the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-R or ITU-T).

DVB’s Intellectual Property Rights Module provides the Members with a platform to seek out solutions to any intellectual property rights issues that may arise in relation to the DVB specifications and the Promotions & Communications Module coordinates the flow of information regarding DVB specifications to all parts of the world.