President’s Memo: Light at the End of the Tunnel

Posted on September 8, 2016 in ATSC News

The one question that I’m asked most often (by the broadcasters and manufacturers, the FCC and the press, and especially my family) is: “When will the Next Gen TV standard be done?”

As we enter a particularly busy fall for the ATSC, I am pleased to report that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.  Early in the process, we targeted the end of 2016 for most elements to be completed and the first quarter of 2017 for the complete ATSC 3.0 standard.

We are in fact delivering on that timetable, with more than a dozen documents moving through the Candidate Standard and Proposed Standard process toward member ballots.  This doesn’t mean that any of this is easy.  It means that we’ve assembled the right group of dedicated people, connected with a common sense of pride and purpose, to standardize Next Gen TV.

There’s still a lot of work to do to assure that ATSC 3.0 delivers the best-of-the-best technology in each layer and in every enabling innovation. Thanks to the continued hard work of our members and volunteer leadership, we’re on track to finalize the complete ATSC 3.0 suite of standards over the next six months.

A major milestone in early September – member approval of the A/322 Physical Layer transmission standard – is another positive sign that the end is in sight.  Other membership ballots closing this month include the A/330 Link Layer Protocol standard and the A/334 Audio Watermark and A/335 Video Watermark standards. The A/324 Studio Link standard, and its critical specifications for single frequency networks, also is expected to go to membership ballot in September.

So, back to the question of when will ATSC 3.0 be “done.”  As we saw with ATSC 1.0, broadcasting standards are never totally done.  Great standards continue to evolve with enhancements, modifications and adjustments.  Standards development is an ongoing organic process that continues, and the ATSC board already is looking beyond ATSC 3.0.

But for now, we’re prepared for a busy fall ahead as together we define the future of television broadcasting for decades to come. 

Mark Richer, ATSC President

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I know many of our members and industry colleagues have gotten to know Lindsay Shelton-Gross over the years. A key member of the ATSC staff for 10-plus years, she’s moving on.  While her enthusiasm, creativity and good humor will be missed, we wish Lindsay all the best as she embarks on a new career path leading membership development and engagement activities for the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy. 

Posted in ATSC News