Multistandard

Multistandard refers to hardware, software, or systems designed to operate under multiple standards, specifications, or formats. It enables interoperability across different regions, networks, or media.

In broadcast and media, multistandard devices can decode or encode more than one video or transmission standard—for example, receivers that support DVB-T2 and DVB-C, or video devices that handle MPEG-2, MPEG-4 (AVC), and HEVC. In mobile and wireless communications, multistandard platforms can implement multiple radio access technologies (GSM, UMTS, LTE, 5G NR) and multiple frequency bands within a single device.

Advantages include greater flexibility, longer device lifetimes, simpler roaming, and reduced need for separate equipment. They can simplify deployment in regions with variable standards and ease content delivery across networks.

Challenges include higher design complexity, greater power consumption, larger silicon area or memory, increased cost, and the need for ongoing software updates and license management to add or maintain support for standards. Performance for one standard may be constrained by shared resources.

Common applications are television receivers with multiple DVB standards, multistandard audio/video recorders, cameras that support different encoding formats, and software-defined radios that can switch among bands and protocols.