President’s Memo

Posted on June 2, 2014 in ATSC News

Thank you to the scores of members and guests who attended our 2014 ATSC Broadcast Television Conference and ATSC 3.0 “Boot Camp” last month in Washington.  These substantive and informative events served to further validate the ATSC’s work defining the future of television. I believe our conference keynote speaker, NAB President & CEO Gordon Smith, said it best:

“Broadcasters’ future lies in innovating and spurring technology that will deliver our highly-valued content to any platform for generations to come. Emerging technology presents a great opportunity for broadcasters to provide viewers with their favorite content anywhere, on any device, anytime they want it – and with high reliability…. We support the ATSC’s efforts to develop technical standards that are accepted by all the different stakeholders, which will support the expansion of broadcast technologies.”

The aptly named “Today, Tomorrow & Beyond” conference was a fusion of the business and technology of television, bringing together broadcasting executives and technologists (and even a few lawyers, journalists, analysts and lobbyists) for an open dialog about the opportunities and challenges ahead.  This issue of The Standard includes conference highlights like Sen. Smith’s keynote remarks and insights on the “next” digital TV transition from Capitol Broadcasting’s Sam Mathney.

Equally enlightening for many members (and not-yet members) was the ATSC 3.0 Boot Camp. The standing-room-only crowd took a deep dive into the ATSC standards process and the work of various Specialist Groups involved with the ATSC 3.0 standard for next-generation TV broadcasting. We helped newcomers decode the acronyms and understand what features and capabilities are being planned for broadcast television’s next big thing – the ATSC 3.0 standard.

Whether or not you were able to attend, we sincerely hope you will join us on this journey by becoming a member of ATSC.  We’ve welcomed many new members since work began on ATSC 2.0 and ATSC 3.0, and the efforts of those committed to television’s future will soon expand the reach and amplify the value of TV broadcasting for the next generation.

Mark Richer, ATSC President

Posted in ATSC News