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Digital multimedia broadcasting

technology Maturity 7-9 Next article →

Digital Multimedia Broadcasting, or DMB, is a way to send TV and radio through the air. It allows people to watch shows on mobile phones, laptops, and even car navigation systems.

DMB Phone
DMB Phone

This technology is often called mobile TV. It is different from Digital Audio Broadcasting, which is used for radio. DMB was created in South Korea as a new way to replace FM radio. It helps send many types of media to small devices.

There are two main ways that DMB works to reach you. One way is called S-DMB, which uses satellites in space to send signals. The other way is T-DMB, which uses terrestrial signals sent from the ground.

Zonda ZMTF-TV20
Zonda ZMTF-TV20

T-DMB uses specific radio frequencies to carry video and audio. It uses a system called MPEG-4 to handle the pictures and sounds. To keep the signal strong, it uses a method called error correction. This helps the device fix small mistakes in the data stream. It even works well in cars traveling at 300 km/h.

Scientists and engineers worked hard to build the foundation for this technology. Prof. Dr. Gert Siegle and Dr. Hamed Amor at Bosch in Germany helped lay the groundwork. South Korea then led the way in making it a real service. The world's first official mobile TV service started there in May 2005. In May 2005, they launched S-DMB service. They launched T-DMB service on December 1, 2005. This helped make South Korea a leader in mobile media.

Many interesting facts show how much people use DMB. In South Korea, 14 million DMB receivers have been sold. By December 2006, the T-DMB service had 7 TV channels and 12 radio channels. There were also 8 data channels available.

In 2013, a better version called Smart DMB started in South Korea. It improved video quality from 240p to 480p. Later, in August 2016, HD DMB arrived with 720p quality. There are currently 6 HD DMB stations in Seoul.

You might recognize DMB from how we use gadgets today. Many people use it in their cars to watch shows while traveling. In South Korea, long-distance buses use T-DMB instead of satellite TV. It works well even if the video quality is lower than a satellite. While it is used mostly in South Korea, other places use it too. Mexico is one country where many cell phone plans include DMB. Other countries like Norway and Ghana have also used or tested these services.

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🖼️ Images & Media (3)
File:Live television on this iRiver DAB DMB device.jpg
Live television on this iRiver DAB DMB device.jpg
File:DMB Phone.jpg
DMB Phone.jpg
File:Zonda ZMTF-TV20.png
Zonda ZMTF-TV20.png
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