ATSC: Beyond Standards and a Look at the Future

As a standards development organization, the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) has been focused, for the last several years, on completing the ATSC 3.0 suite of standards. While amendments, corrigenda, and other document extensions and maintenance are evergreen, ongoing activities in the realm of standards, the ATSC mission also encompasses “looking around the corner” for the next big thing in the evolution of broadcast media. To this end, the ATSC has formed planning teams and other groups that are examining advanced broadcast technologies, automotive applications, global recognition of ATSC 3.0, developing a near-term service roadmap for ATSC 3.0 services and features, convergence with international data transmission systems such as the internet and 4G/5G, the potential for a broadcast core network, and other topics. This tutorial provides a historical perspective on the development of ATSC 3.0, details the ATSC 3.0 standard’s toolset to evolve in the future, the organizational capabilities of ATSC supporting the investigation of new technologies, and a summary of the recent report from the ATSC planning team on Future Broadcast Ecosystem Technologies. Together, these comprise the steps being taken by ATSC toward developing a robust vision of the future of broadcasting
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