ALEXANDRIA, Va. Technology doesn't stand still; instead, it evolves at an ever-growing pace. This is especially true in the area of bringing media to viewers.
In the past, video entertainment in the home was relatively simple, consisting of sitting in front of the TV to watch broadcasts when they were scheduled. Today, people want the capability to watch nearly anything they want, on any device, wherever they are with content delivered over the air, over cable or satellite, via the Internet or locally stored. It is clear that the broadcast industry must evolve to accommodate this desire.
The current work on the ATSC 3.0 next-generation broadcast standard is meant to address this issue, using advanced transmission and video/audio coding techniques to bring new and creative services to viewers.
It has become clear that to adapt to consumers' changing habits and demands, a new system is needed by broadcasters to support new viewing behaviors. Such a system must include the capability to evolve with consumer demands, and thus provide extensibility that permits future adaptation.
Television is now viewed in a variety of ways, through a growing range of media sources and delivery platforms. Among these, the Internet has become a major source of television content for consumers. Developing a new DTV system that incorporates all these elements is now not only desirable, but has become essential.
Flexibility in service options is a keystone of the next-generation ATSC 3.0 DTV broadcast system, including the opportunity for terrestrial broadcasters to send hybrid content services to fixed and mobile receivers seamlessly combining both over-the-air transmission and broadband delivery. Options such as multiview and multiscreen are also important, as is the option of choosing among standard definition, HD and Ultra HD resolutions.
The ATSC 3.0 system also must adapt to future innovations. Scalable, interoperable and adaptable are some of the key words that describe the general principles behind ATSC 3.0.
Although work is already underway to enhance the existing ATSC TV system with Internet compatibility and caching capability for storing programs (a backwards-compatible suite of enhancements dubbed ATSC 2.0 ), the future needs of viewers and broadcasters is the focus of the ATSC 3.0 initiative. Technologies developed for ATSC 2.0 are expected to be supported in the new ATSC 3.0 system.
Because ATSC 3.0 is likely to be incompatible with current broadcast systems, it must provide improvements in performance, functionality, and efficiency significant enough to warrant implementation of a non-backwards-compatible system.
It is important to remember that the original A/53 DTV standard was launched in 1996. A number of significant developments have occurred since then, notably:
Spectrum is becoming increasingly scarce
Major improvements have been made in video coding efficiency
A strong desire exists for higher-resolution images
Audio has become more efficient and immersive
Interactivity has become expected on the part of consumers
Delivery paths other than broadcast have become commonplace
Mobile devices have proliferated
Tablets are in widespread use
These developments, taken collectively, have reshaped the television landscape, with the development of ATSC 3.0 as a response. The work on ATSC 3.0 has been broken up into a number of layers, as discussed below.
PHYSICAL LAYER
The physical layer is the core transmission system that is the basis for any over-the-air broadcast service. The physical layer is focused on modulation and coding, emission waveforms and other common system elements.
Multiple types of TV receivers, including fixed devices (such as traditional large-screen living room and bedroom TV sets), handheld devices, vehicular screens and portable receivers are being considered in the work on ATSC 3.0. A primary goal of the ATSC 3.0 physical layer is to provide TV service to both fixed and mobile devices.
Spectrum efficiency and robust service are some key focus areas. Increased data rates to support new services such as Ultra HD are a priority as well.
Furthermore, mechanisms for extensibility of the ATSC 3.0 system are being explored so that advancements and technologies that may be developed in the future can be accommodated without redefining the entire system. Determining mechanisms for graceful and agile evolution are an integral part of the ATSC 3.0 work.
In addition to traditional fixed services, ATSC 3.0 is intended to provide robust mobile services to devices that move, such as phones, tablets, laptops and personal televisions. Since these devices are likely to move across borders, it is highly desirable that the specification contains core technologies that will have broad international acceptance and enable global interoperability.
Figure 1: Physical layer skeleton architecture
The overall physical layer skeleton architecture is illustrated in Figure 1. Currently, the following baseline features are amongst those that have been tentatively agreed to:
OFDM-based modulation, with a wide range of guard intervals to mitigate multipath
LDPC based FEC, with a wide range of code rates in two code lengths (supporting mobile and fixed)
Wide range of constellation sizes
The ATSC 3.0 physical layer is expected to provide a large range of possible operating points for broadcasters, all of which are very close to the Shannon limit (the theoretical limit of how much information can be carried over a noisy channel) as illustrated in Figure 2, below. Basic operating tradeoffs include selecting a lower data capacity/more robust service and/or higher data capacity/less robust service, or points in-between.
Figure 2: Example capacity curve for ATSC 3.0 physical layer
Broadcasters have the opportunity to choose operating p
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
29/04/2024
29 04 2024 - Media release Screen Australia announces James J. Robinson's debut feature First Light
First Light
Principal Photography is underway on Firs...
29/04/2024
Capitol Broadcasting recently became the inaugural company honored with inductio...
28/04/2024
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...
27/04/2024
On April 26, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher E. Kubasik joined CNBC's Mor...
27/04/2024
PORTLAND, Oregon Audinate Group Limited, the developer of the Dante AV-over-IP solution, announced significant new additions to Dante Connect, its cloud-based D...
27/04/2024
TORONTO Bell Media has launched 10 English and French-language FAST channels featuring entertainment, factual, news, and sports programming. The new free stream...
27/04/2024
An extensive new analysis of the news segments in the broadcast evening news programs of ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS has found that broadcasters devoted most of their...
27/04/2024
GERMANTOWN, Md. EchoStar's Hughes Network Systems has opened a new manufacturing facility and private 5G incubation center in Germantown, Maryland....
27/04/2024
Harry Pappas, one of three brothers who founded Pappas Telecasting Companies in 1971, died April 24. He was 78 years old....
27/04/2024
ATLANTA and LONDON Mexican telecommunications and broadcast company Televisa has selected Synamedia for an overhaul of its broadcast distribution....
27/04/2024
Participate in the Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry
Pascal Wagner April 26, 2024
0 Comments
By participating in this surve...
27/04/2024
SDVI Rally Access Workstation Earns Two Top Awards at 2024 NAB Show
Brie Clayton April 26, 2024
0 Comments
SDVI, the leading platform provider for clo...
27/04/2024
Berklee's Music and Health Institute Launches Community Health Musician Cert...
27/04/2024
Charter Communications reported higher first-quarter profits despite continued cord-cutting and competition for broadband customers....
27/04/2024
Two environmentally-focused groups are partnering to engage the unscripted TV world in finding better ways to address climate change. Reality of Change is an ec...
27/04/2024
Sarah Garcia has been promoted to weekend anchor at KTLM McAllen, Texas, known as Telemundo 40. Starting April 27, she will anchor Noticias Telemundo 40 weekend...
27/04/2024
CBS Sports said it launched a new 24-hour free, ad supported streaming television (FAST) channel devoted to the UEFA Champions League....
27/04/2024
Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts received $35.4 million in compensation in 2023, up 11% from the previous year, according to a proxy statement filed by th...
27/04/2024
Art Happens Here With John Lithgow, which sees the actor study dance, ceramics, silk-screen printing and vocal jazz with students in Los Angeles, debuts on PBS ...
27/04/2024
Remember Leave It to Beaver? Bewitched? Dragnet? When cable ratings were rising?...
27/04/2024
Next up for the weekend binge at Catchy Comedy is Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Every weekend, Catchy Comedy features The Catchy Binge, a marathon of a classic sitcom....
26/04/2024
Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 kicks-off today with screenings in 5 theaters in Mexico City and the opening-night film, FRIDA, directed by Carla Guti rrez...
26/04/2024
[Editor's Note: This interview is part of a larger feature about the women d...
26/04/2024
Once again this year, SGL Carbon opened its doors to interested children and young people. On the occasion of the German Girls and Boys Day, which took place on...
26/04/2024
Orders1 of $5.5 billion; book-to-bill of 1.06x
Revenue of $5.2 billion, up 17%,...
26/04/2024
Five Considerations For Communications Modernization In The 21st Century
In the digital-enabled battlespace, the Joint Force needs to shoot, move and communica...
26/04/2024
CBS Sports has launched Champions League as a new, 24-hour streaming channel that will serve as the year-round destination for nonstop highlights of the UEFA ...
26/04/2024
Despite tough competition in the streaming space, Roku reported solid results in Q1 2024, beating revenue expectations, with total net revenue up 19% YoY to $88...
26/04/2024
LONDON AND TORONTO Pinewood Toronto Studios has appointed Sarah Farrell as general manager of the Studios in downtown Toronto....
26/04/2024
Quantum to Offer Advanced Filesharing Technology and Performance in StorNext and...
26/04/2024
FilmLight Colour Awards welcomes 2024 entries and introduces new Emerging Talen...
26/04/2024
Picture Shop Announces Chris Evans as Head of Unscripted
Brie Clayton April 26, 2024
0 Comments
Picture Shop announced Chris Evans will lead Unscripte...
26/04/2024
Participate in a Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry
Pascal Wagner April 26, 2024
0 Comments
By participating in this survey,...
26/04/2024
Toy maker Mattel said it is working with Samsung to launch its first free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels later this year....
26/04/2024
Trusted Media Brands (TMB) said it named Marty Moe as president....
26/04/2024
Ron Howard is the director on Jim Henson Idea Man, a documentary that premieres on Disney Plus May 31. Henson of course created Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big...
26/04/2024
The ice continues to melt under the regional sports network business as the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League have made a long-term deal to broadcast...
26/04/2024
Heading into the upfronts, Warner Bros. Discovery said it launched Olli, a first-party data platform advertiser can use for converged, targeted advertising camp...
26/04/2024
CBS has renewed the drama The Equalizer, which will see season five on in 2024-2025. Queen Latifah stars....
26/04/2024
The CW has entered into an exclusive multiyear broadcast partnership for the Miss USA Pageant and the Miss Teen USA Pageant. The 73rd Miss USA Pageant will air ...
26/04/2024
Fuse Media isn't mincing words in a campaign urging its young viewers to register and participate in the 2024 elections....
26/04/2024
Dead Boy Detectives, a series from Neil Gaiman about a detective agency staffed by ghosts, debuts on Netflix April 25. George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri are in t...
26/04/2024
The Story Collective has gradually repurposed the former Mortlake Brewery to include production offices, workshops and sound stages
By Matthew Corrigan
Publi...
26/04/2024
Perkett joins the company following a 25 year career in product management, product marketing, engineering and user experience (UX) across multiple industries
...
26/04/2024
Teradek, the industry leader in wireless video transmitters and receivers, announced today the launch of new Bolt 6 LT 750 and Bolt 6 Monitor Module 750 RX with...
26/04/2024
NEW YORK Amagi has appointed Richard Perkett chief product officer (CPO)....
26/04/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced the results of the 2024 NAB Radio and Television Board of Directors elections. The...
ALEXANDRIA, Va. Technology doesn't stand still; instead, it evolves at an ever-growing pace. This is especially true in the area of bringing media to viewers.
