Is NextGen TV Ready For Primetime?
The Excitement Over ATSC 3.0
The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) has prepared a set of 20 standards that will provide convergence of traditional OTA (Over The Air) broadcast television with OTT (Over The Top) video services and more IP network delivery for ATSC 3.0. This will also allow broadcasters to reach into more households and gather information about their viewers. Although that may not sit right with some people, if you are already seeing ads on the Internet while you surf websites, then it should not be that much of an issue.
ATSC 3.0 is an update to the current standards that define HD broadcasting. The latest features will combine broadcast to deliver services using OTA signals with broadband IP data for messaging and information services. This brings two otherwise competing systems together which allows the basic television to have access to the Internet. It merges the features of OTA with OTT content. These current standards are needed to support what is called “Next Generation Television” or NextGen TV. The aim of NextGen TV is to provide content from anywhere at anytime from a variety of devices, not just the television set. That will provide support for the following features:
- HEVC H.265 for video channels of up to 2160p 4K resolution at 120 fps and forward compatible to support higher resolutions
- High Dynamic Range (HDR) support
- High Frame Rate (HFR) support
- Wide Color Gamut (WCG) distribution for smoother gradients and vibrant images
- Dolby AC-4 (Dolby Atmos, DTS:X) and MPEG-H 3D Audio
- Datacasting capabilities e.g. supplemental information to TV shows and alerts
- Robust mobile television support for smartphone, tablet and vehicular screen devices
Here are the basic architecture components of ATSC 3.0:
Bootstrap — Defines the discovery and identification of signals transmitted on the network.
Physical Layer — This is focused on modulation and coding, emission waveforms and other common system elements that provide the support for upper layer protocols. These are the core transmission systems that are a part of the network infrastructure and design. The design specification calls for OFDM as the modulation technique
to provide a large range of possible operating points for broadcasters. Broadcasters and operators can use multiple Physical Layer Pipes (PLPs) which makes it possible to use different operating points simultaneously e.g. bandwidth can be divided between UHD and mobile services.
Protocol Layer — This deals with the management of signals for the services they are used for. This deals with service delivery and synchronization, service announcement and personalization, and interactive and companion-screen services. At the heart of this design is the use of the TCP/IP protocol suite, the very same data communications protocols used on the Internet. IP allows a more seamless integration with other systems that use this protocol, like streaming services. Since ATSC was meant to be a hybrid delivery system, it can use OTA to broadcast video and audio, with another option for users to change the audio to a different language using broadband signals.
Presentation — This involves the video and audio coding and the run-time environment. The service model for ATSC 3.0 allows for more complex services for broadcasters. This provides initial coding in UHD 4K and enhanced HD with SD support. That will bring higher video resolution to viewer’s screens who have the devices that support it. Most homes do not have UHD TV yet, but ATSC 3.0 is compatible to even standard definition TV and current sets that are 720p HD and 1080p Full HD. Besides resolution, the aspect ratio and frame rate is covered here as well. One other thing this aims to deliver is immersive audio which uses advanced signals for digital surround sound environments. This allows home viewers with advanced 5.1 to 7.1 SRS to fully enjoy TV shows that provide those audio signals. With the likes of MPEG-H 3D Audio, it can support up to 64 loudspeaker channels and 128 codec core channels. Digital watermarking is also supported in ATSC 3.0, which will allow content creators to copyright their audio and video signals.
Application — The runtime environment or application will be based on HbbTV 2.0 software, with modifications as needed due to changing requirements that keep pace with technology. This is a hybrid digital TV standard that already makes use of broadcast with broadband systems. This then allows the content to be displayed on the device screen, whether it is a UHD TV, standard TV, smartphone, tablet and other viewing devices that can support ATSC 3.0. Another feature the application will have is called embedded rich media. This can also allow users to interact and engage content. One example is Advanced Emergency Alerting, which uses geotargeting to provide emergency alerts. A user can than get more information from links provided from the alert.
What would be the requirements for ATSC 3.0 signaling?
When OTA first went full digital DTV in June 12, 2009, analog TV that did not support the digital signals required a special tuner for DAC, called a converter box. ATSC 3.0 is not backward compatible with ATSC 1.0, which means that if your TV doesn’t include an ATSC 3.0 tuner, you’ll need an external converter to get the signals. Fortunately only one converter box is needed no matter how many devices you’re watching on. When TV broadcast signals first went digital, it required a tuner for each analog device.
This will not only allow signals to better match the latest products that offer UHD resolution TV and beyond, but also hi-fidelity audio. This will allow support for more robust sound systems that have a 7.1 configuration on Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. This means a more immersive, spatially aware and multi-dimensional surround sound experience. Being able to decode these signals from a TV broadcast brings more value for consumers who have invested in the equipment. For consumers this will be a better delivery of service and that improves the user experience.
ATSC Deployment
There was an actual standard called ATSC 2.0 that was never implemented because it got obsolete, which is why we now have ATSC 3.0. The rate the technology is moving can make what seems relevant today, irrelevant tomorrow. With ATSC 1.0, the switch from analog to digital was a big step forward and required some major changes in hardware and other services. The transition to ATSC 3.0 will still require converters for TV sets that don’t support them. The good thing about this is that it won’t require a separate converter for multiple devices, only one. You can have as many devices connected but it only requires 1 converter installed to get reception on a wide range of devices.
ATSC 3.0 is not backward compatible with the transmitter and receiver of previous versions. It opted for a switch to more bitrate-efficient OFDM modulation combined with variable-rate LDPC (low-density parity-check code) FEC (forward-error correction). ATSC 3.0 also embraces more modern codecs: H.265 aka HEVC for video, along with Dolby AC-4 and MPEG-H 3D as options for audio. This will provide video channels capable of 2160p 4K UHD resolution at 120 frames per second along with support for a wider color gamut.
Are We Ready For It?
Consumers are usually ready for the best of anything, and if this is going to be the future of broadcasting, then the answer would have to be yes. The question is more whether the broadcasters, OEM and service providers are ready to provide it to consumers. As we have seen with ATSC 2.0, standards can quickly become obsolete due to the rapid pace in technological changes. What may seem like sound network services being offered today will no longer matter in the future. In the case of ATSC 3.0, if newer technologies emerge as standards before it can be fully adopted, then it may never actually become ready for primetime broadcasting. An example here is when ATSC 2.0 was ready for rollout, there were sudden technological changes. This was around the time 4K tv sets started production. ATSC 2.0 doesn’t support 4K resolution, so it would really be obsolete and there would be less demand for the service if that were the case. ATSC 3.0 does have competition and consumers can instead opt for existing IP-based services that provide streaming content. There is always the reality to face what the consumers and the overall market want, otherwise broadcasters will be implementing a standard that really doesn’t help push innovation forward while not generating revenue at the same time.
An issue that will bring a red flag to some consumers is that these features in ATSC 3.0 will allow broadcasters to use targeted advertising, but this is much like how commercials work with current TV broadcasting. With broadband integration, this does give broadcasters similar ways to track information like how the Internet has allowed social media giants for quite some time now. This is of course a big revenue stream potential for reaching out to new markets and getting insights from what users at home are watching with more accuracy. That allows TV networks to get a better idea of how shows are doing and for advertisers it provides them new ways for ad spend to target their market audience based on popular time slots or potential viewership ratings. Will this also mean broadcasters can do the same thing tech giants like Facebook and Google can do with gathering user information? They most probably can and now it depends on whether they are going to disclose it in a more ethical manner regarding how they collect data rather than doing it without regard to public knowledge.
At this point transition is more voluntary than mandatory, as stipulated by the FCC during the November 2017 approval process. Since that is the case, it won’t force everyone to make a switch to ATSC 3.0 the same way it did for the transition from analog to digital back in 2009. It may be a slow and gradual process for ATSC 3.0 to hit the mainstream and therefore primetime TV. What could also happen is something new and better will come along that would lead to the development of ATSC 4.0. These standards are very much subject to change so it is like a work in progress. Despite being offered for free, consumers have preferences when it comes to viewing content. Broadcasters will want to time this right otherwise consumers will stick to the Internet or cable TV.
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Note: As the ATSC standards are continuously evolving, some information is subject to change. Updates can always be found at the following link:
