ROLLING UP OUR SLEEVES AT THE ATSC

Posted on September 5, 2012 in ATSC News

The ATSC welcomes the fall season with eager anticipation.  The kids are back in school and fond memories of summer vacations are already fading. At the ATSC, after a busy summer, our momentum is accelerating this fall, kicking off with a busy September.  From our Technology Groups to Implementation Committees to the Board of Directors, we’re all rolling up our sleeves to move the ATSC’s  agenda forward in the coming months.

Many of our members will be participating IBC2012 in Amsterdam, where the ATSC will meet with our colleagues from around the globe as we pursue a long-range initiative called the “Future of Broadcast Television” of FoBTV.  Later in the month, ATSC Technology Group members will join us in Washington for a full day of hard, but some would say fun, work on our emerging standards.

The Sept. 19 TG1 meeting is a terrific opportunity to get involved as we put the finishing touches on ATSC 2.0, the nearly finalized suite of backwards-compatible enhancements to the core ATSC DTV broadcast standard.  Equally important, now is a great time to get involved in implementation planning for key elements of ATSC 2.0 such as non-real-time broadcasting, Internet-enhanced TV and 3D-TV transmission.

Similarly, the TG3 meeting that same day represents an opportunity for input on next-generation television – on the ground floor as we define the technical requirements of the futuristic ATSC 3.0 standard.

During this harvest season, I am happy to report that our standards work continues to bear fruit.  You may have seen the recent publicity blitz surrounding Dyle’s exciting national launch of mobile TV service, based on the strength of the ATSC A/153 Mobile Digital TV Standard.  This is an important milestone, building on the pioneering efforts of many ATSC members to make this new service a reality.

In a related development, the Mobile Emergency Alert System (M-EAS), which is currently being standardized as an A/153 enhancement, is gaining significant traction, as commercial stations prepare to launch M-EAS service and the public service community embraces this important new life-saving application for mobile DTV.

I’m biased, of course, but think this is a pretty exciting time to be in the television business. To members involved in our work, a big thank you. To members who are on the sidelines, I urge you to get involved.  For non-members, please join us as we chart the exciting future course of television.

Mark Richer, ATSC President

Posted in ATSC News