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  August 6, 2012
TV Tech Check

ATSC Issues "Call for Input" on Next-Gen DTV Standard

For the last two years, the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) has been considering the development of a standard defining the next generation of digital television broadcasting. The Committee has entitled this effort "ATSC 3.0," specifying that it need not maintain backward compatibility with the current DTV system ("ATSC 1.0"), nor the set of compatible extensions currently being standardized for that system ("ATSC 2.0"). ATSC created a top-level committee to drive this effort, entitled Technology Group 3 (TG-3).

Given the nature of such a new system, and its likely inherent requirement for a second "digital transition," the benefits provided by the system will need to be substantial enough to justify the upgrade.

To appropriately consider the components and context of such a system, ATSC has launched a process by which it will gather input from a wide range of stakeholders. One method of encouraging and collecting such input is the issuance of a Call for Input (CFI), which the ATSC began limited distribution of last week.

This CFI requests the contribution of "Use Cases," which present possible, real-world ways in which a future DTV system might be used by consumers. Ideally these use cases would involve functionality not possible in today's system. To help formulate such "out-of-the-box" thinking, ATSC's TG-3 has created a template for the submission of such use cases (shown below).


Prospective use-case contributors are encouraged to use the template (perhaps as simply a starting point) for their submissions, although alternate forms of contribution are also welcome.

TG-3 will use the contributions to formulate more holistic scenarios for the next-gen system, ultimately targeting development of a set of Requirements for ATSC 3.0 by year's end.

If you would like to provide input to this process, the CFI (which includes instructions and the template) is available for download here. Multiple submissions from a single entity are acceptable, using a separate template form for each use case contributed.

For purposes of illustration, an example of a completed template is shown below.

TG-3 requests submissions of all use cases by August 17, 2012. The CFI includes further details on how to complete and submit your use cases.

Register today for the 2012 ATSC/SBE Audio Loudness Management Seminar
Thursday, August 23, 2012
9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
PBS Chicago - WTTW

This informative program is a can't-miss day for station engineers, broadcast executives, the content creation community and other industry professionals. Leading industry experts will discuss critically important topics including:

  • In-depth tutorial on ATSC's Recommended Practice A/85
  • FCC rules regarding Commercial Audio Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act
  • Practical solutions for implementation including loudness measurement and processing technology

    Additional information and registration is available online.

    Call for Speakers and Proposals - Now Open

    We are currently in the process of developing our educational programs for the 2013 NAB Show. More than 90,000 media and entertainment professionals from 156 countries, including more than 1,600 industry press representatives, attended the 2012 NAB Show. We invite you to be part of the 2013 event.

    Visit the Call for Speakers area of the NAB Show website to learn more about our programming emphasis areas, requirements for submission and notification process.







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