THE AFD READY INITIATIVE

AFD Ready is an initiative created by television broadcasters to insure uniform and optimum program delivery of television broadcasts after the 2009 DTV Transition. Through this initiative, participants will work to increase awareness of AFD and promote its use throughout the television industry.

What is AFD?
AFD - Active Format Description - has been standardized by SMPTE, ATSC and CEA as a method of describing aspect ratio and picture characteristics of video signals. It has been used by broadcasters to dynamically control how down-conversion equipment formats widescreen 16:9 pictures for 4:3 displays.

Leading up to and after the 2009 DTV Transition, cable and satellite providers will down-convert HD broadcasts for distribution to their SD viewers. The primary goal of the AFD Ready Initiative is to drive the deployment of AFD technologies to ensure that the down-converted signals are displayed in the aspect ratio that content producers originally intended.

Principal Supporters
The following television broadcasters have come together to officially support the AFD Ready Initiative.

Cox Broadcasting
FOX Television
Hearst-Argyle Television
NBC-Universal
PBS
Tribune Broadcasting
Univision

These broadcasters support the use of AFD to control the aspect ratio of its programming for their analog (SD, 4:3) viewers.

AFD Ready Technology Partners
The following broadcast and cable equipment manufacturers have voiced support for the AFD Ready Initiative and will be supporting AFD throughout their products.

Blonder Tongue	R.L. Drake
DTV Exchange	Scientific Atlanta
Evertz	Scopus
EVS	Seachange
Harmonic	Sencore
Harris	Snell & Wilcox
K-Tech	TANDBERG Television
Leader Instruments	Tektronix
Miranda	Telestream
Motorola	Thompson/GVG
NVISION	Tiernan
Omneon	Norpak
Cobalt Digital, Inc.

Professional AFD Ready ATSC Receiver/Down-Converters
A main component of the AFD Ready Initiative is to drive the deployment of AFD Ready cable head-end receiver/down-converter devices. Throughout 2008 and 2009, thousands of these devices will be installed at cable, DBS and Telco receive sites to down-convert off-air ATSC HD signals from your local station for their analog viewers.
Click here to download a list of Professional AFD Ready ATSC receiver/down-converter devices.

AFD Ready Consumer DTV Converter Boxes
"AFD support is included in some consumer DTV Converters, offering the benefits of AFD to off-air home viewers. The following is an unofficial list of NTIA Certified DTV Converters that support AFD."