Let’s Get Physical – President’s Memo

Posted on October 1, 2015 in ATSC News

As we enter what promises to be a very busy fourth quarter for the ATSC, we hit the pause button to celebrate a major milestone for ATSC 3.0 – the Physical Layer transmission system is now an ATSC Candidate Standard! This is the result of literally thousands of person-hours by some of the world’s leading RF experts, designing a flexible transmission system that will be the foundation of next-generation broadcasting for decades to come.  Special thanks go to the S-32 specialist group and its chairman Luke Fay of Sony, whose tireless efforts made this a reality.

More important milestones are coming – consistent with our aggressive 3.0 development schedule. In the next month or so, you can expect to see TG3 Technology Group ballots for a number of important Candidate Standards in the Management and Protocols layer. For example, ballots are coming soon for the Service Announcement, Signaling, Delivery, Synchronization and Error Protection Candidate Standard, as well as other middle-layer standards for the Link Layer Protocol, video and audio watermarking, and so on.

The Need for Speed

We’re on target to move essentially the entire suite of ATSC 3.0 standards to Candidate Standard status by year-end. I want to emphasize the need for speed. We’re not just going fast for the sake of going fast. Broadcasters, manufacturers and other stakeholders in USA, South Korea and other countries are clamoring for the completion of ATSC 3.0.

Having a Candidate Standard will give them confidence for short- and mid-term business planning and investments, while providing a critical platform for evaluating the technology under real-world conditions. As the suite of 3.0 standards moves toward Proposed Standard status in 2016, the Candidate Standard phase provides an  opportunity for the industry to implement some or all of the documented aspects of the standard. That will help to assure that standard works as advertised, that professional and consumer electronics products will be interoperable and that there’s a good understanding of implementation issues.

An important piece of that process takes place this month in Shanghai when ATSC members from around the world are expected to participate in an ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer Candidate Standard “Plug Fest,” hosted by ATSC member China’s NERC-TV, itself a leading developer of enabling technologies for next-gen broadcasting. Equally promising are early experimental broadcasts and field tests of ATSC 3.0-related technologies by leading broadcasters and tech companies in the United States and Korea, as highlighted in this issue of THE STANDARD.

On the Shoulders of Giants

The new generation of technologists developing future broadcast television technologies stands on the shoulders of industry giants who laid the foundation for our work, and I wish to recognize two of them this month:

• Ren McMann just passed away at age 88. Since joining CBS Labs in 1955 (and ultimately becoming its President), Ren was a true television industry pioneer. Among his many contributions, he played a major role in the FCC advisory committee that led to the establishment of the original ATSC digital television standard. Ren’s 36 U.S. patents, multiple Emmy awards, Sarnoff medal and other accolades underscore his tremendous contributions to the industry he loved. He was a key player within the ATSC, a mentor and friend to many. And his good humor, unwavering integrity and visionary leadership will be missed by all.

• Wayne Bretl is alive and well but he announced his retirement after a 39-year career at Zenith. A former recipient of the ATSC’s highest technical honor, the Bernard J. Lechner Award, Wayne was there from the beginning as a key member of the team that developed the transmission system at the heart of the Grand Alliance System and ultimately what we now call ATSC 1.0. More recently, his quiet yet insightful participation in the ATSC 3.0 process has been extremely valuable to the ATSC and the industry as a whole. We’ll miss Wayne’s quirky poetic sense of humor, and we wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.

Growing Membership and Participation

Finally, I want to recognize the 22 percent growth in the ATSC’s membership ranks this year. This reflects the extremely high level of interest in ATSC 3.0 and the desire of industry participants from around the world to play a role in the development of next-gen TV standards, to participate in testing and evaluation of various aspects of the standard, and frankly to have early access to information about the future direction of the television industry.

I urge all members to take full advantage of ATSC participation. The TG3 Candidate Standard ballots coming in the months ahead represent an opportunity for members, large and small, to make their voice heard, to comment on the draft standards and to take pride in their role in defining the future of television.

Mark Richer
ATSC President

Posted in ATSC News