Institut für Rundfunktechnik

The Institut für Rundfunktechnik GmbH (IRT) (Institute for Broadcasting Technology Ltd.) was a research centre of German broadcasters (ARD / ZDF / DLR), Austria's broadcaster (ORF) and the Swiss public broadcaster (SRG / SSR). It was responsible for research on broadcasting technology. It was founded in 1956 and was located in Munich, Germany.

They invented or were influential in the research, development and field-testing of important standards such as ARI, RDS, VPS, DSR, DAB and DVB-T.

Institut für Rundfunktechnik was a founding member of the Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) consortium of broadcasting and Internet industry companies that established an open European standard (called HbbTV) for hybrid set-top boxes for the reception of broadcast TV and broadband multimedia applications with a single user interface.

In 2020, ZDF and then other supporters indicated that they planned to withdraw from the organization, so the IRT was closed by the end of 2020.

Former members

 * Bayerischer Rundfunk
 * Deutsche Welle
 * Deutschlandradio
 * Hessischer Rundfunk
 * Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
 * Norddeutscher Rundfunk
 * Österreichischer Rundfunk
 * Radio Bremen
 * Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
 * Saarländischer Rundfunk
 * SRG SSR
 * Südwestrundfunk
 * Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln
 * ZDF