DVB-S or DVB-T: these are the differences
The terms DVB-T or DVB-S are often used in connection with television. You can find out the difference between the two standards in this practical tip.
Digital antenna television: DVB-T2
DVB-T stands for "Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial" and is nothing more than the well-known antenna television.
- You can use this to receive around 20 to 30 different stations. Depending on which region you live in, in addition to ARD and ZDF, private broadcasters (e.g. RTL or ProSieben) broadcast their programs via DVB-T.
- We are currently in the transition phase from DVB-T1 to DVB-T2 standard. DVB-T2 enables a very efficient coding (H.265) of the video signal to accommodate very many channels in relatively little bandwidth.
- Around mid-2019, all broadcasts in DVB-T1 format will be switched off.
- In most cases, you do not need to install a new antenna. One of the core ideas of the new standard was that the old antennas had to be largely compatible.
- Your old DVB-T1 receiver is not compatible with DVB-T2, which is why you need a new set-top box or a television with an integrated decoder. This is already the case with almost all current TV models. Look for the DVB-T2 logo when purchasing.
What does DVB-S and DVB-S2 mean?
DVB-S is an ETSI standard that describes television reception via satellite. This standard, like antenna television, is already in the second generation DVB-S2:
- Here it is the case that the HD channels are mostly transmitted via DVB-S2 and the SD channels via DVB-S. DVB-S2 was developed with regard to HD content and offers better error protection and optimized video coding (H.264).
- However, exceptions confirm the rule. For example, WDR HD Aachen or WDR HD Wuppertal are still distributed via the old DVB-S standard.
- For you as an end customer, this means that you should have a receiver that supports both standards.
- Most modern TV sets have tuners for both standards, since it is still not certain how long there will be parallel broadcasts via DVB-S (1). Otherwise you need an external receiver.
DVB-T or DVB-S - these are the differences
The biggest difference between the two types of reception is the variety of transmitters:
- Depending on the provider, you can receive about 20 free public service programs and another 20 private paid programs via antenna television.
- For the new nationwide DVB-T2 there are no extra costs if you only want to watch public service channels. For all private channels you have to pay around 60 € a year. All programs are only broadcast in HD in this way, since an additional broadcast in SD would only waste bandwidth.
- Another new feature of the DVB-T2 standard is the improved mobile reception at high speeds, which of course cannot be achieved with a sensitive satellite antenna.
- In the case of satellite television, the number of channels is significantly higher. Several hundred channels are common here.
- Reception is theoretically free of charge after the investment costs for the satellite system. You only have to pay if you want to receive private channels in HD quality. The costs here are around € 60 a year.
- However, you can actually receive free public channels in HD as well as private channels in SD.
In the next post we will explain the difference between DVB-T and DVB-C.