Technical Documents

An ATSC Standard is a document that states basic specifications or criteria that are necessary for effective implementation and interoperability of Advanced Television Systems.

An ATSC Candidate Standard has received significant review within a Specialist Group. Advancement of a document to Candidate Standard is an explicit call to those outside of the related Specialist Group for implementation and technical feedback. This is the phase at which the Specialist Group is responsible for formally acquiring that experience or at least defining the expectations of implementation.

An ATSC Recommended Practice is a document that states specifications or criteria within Advanced Television Systems that are not strictly necessary for effective implementation and interoperability, but that are thought to be advisable and may improve the efficiency of implementation or reduce the probability of implementation errors. An ATSC Recommended Practice may specify preferred methodology for implementation and operation and may recommend a choice from among alternatives.

An ATSC Technology Group Report is a document that incorporates consensus on information regarding ATSC Standards and related industry activities.

Additional available documents include Planning Team Reports and Implementation Team Guides.