Standards Update

Posted on November 4, 2014 in ATSC News

Out With (some of) The Old, In With The New

Most of the news this month with ever-evolving ATSC standards concerns “coming attractions,” based on activities that are underway.

Existing Standards

“ATSC policies suggest reviewing published standards every five years, and a number of documents relating to the original ATSC digital TV standard are either at – or have exceeded – the five year point.  So we’ve had discussions at the last couple of TG1 meetings about what documents should be revised, reaffirmed, or withdrawn,” explains ATSC Vice President of Standards Development Jerry Whitaker.

In early October, TG1 decided to reaffirm the oldest standard still on the books – A/49, the “Ghost Canceling Reference Signal for NTSC.”  Based on the recommendation of the Specialist Group on RF Transmission (TG1/S9), Whitaker will shortly be posting a reaffirmed version of the A/49 standard. The recommendation from S9 was to keep A/49 in force as long as NTSC remains in use.

TG1/S9 also recommended that the A/64-B Recommended Practice, “Transmission Measurement and Compliance for Digital Television” be reaffirmed.  That will happen shortly.

Recommended Practice A/54, on the other hand, is on a path toward withdrawal. A/54, the “Guide to Use of the ATSC Digital TV Standard,” was last updated in 2003.  “There is a good deal of guidance in this document that is no longer current and in error.  Plus, its usefulness to the industry has mostly passed. It’s a major project to update this document because it covers transports, RF, PSIP, Audio, and Video – and thus it would involve nearly all of TG1’s Specialist Groups.  The effort to bring it current and correct the errors would have diminishing value to the membership and the industry.  So, we have a ballot of TG1 forthcoming to withdraw A/54.  Assuming the TG1 ballot is approved, the question would then be put to the full ATSC membership,” Whitaker explains.

Candidate Standards

The next Candidate Standard to be considered by TG1 is A/104 Part 4, titled “Service Compatible 3-D Hybrid Delivery Using Broadband or ATSC Non-Real Time.”

The ballot for A/104 Part 4 is expected to be issued very soon.

Posted in ATSC News