The DVB Steering Board has approved the first specification updates to include the delivery of 8K UHD video services.
The updates extend the existing support for the HEVC codec and are the first step in a series of key additions planned for the DVB video coding specifications.
HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), also known as H.265, is a standard that offers from 25% to 50% better data compression at the same level of video quality compared to its predecessor MPEG-4/AVC. It is already used in several markets around the world.
Until this update, DVB specifications included HEVC conformance points only for up to 4K resolution.
Work is continuing on so-called Next Generation Video Coding, which is expected to lead to further additions to the DVB specifications in 2022.