President’s Memo: Where in the World is ATSC?

The last time I checked in was back in July just as summer got rolling and now, here we are, on the cusp of fall. During the last couple of months, ATSC has been around the world and back!

I went to South Korea for a Global Digital Terrestrial Transmission (DTT) Workshop in Busan in July. Bringing together leading Korean and International organizations focused on DTT, the workshop unpacked the status and future of global DTT, regulatory and policy frameworks, innovative use cases, sustainability, and much more. I was joined by many ATSC Members from Korea and around the world and would like to especially congratulate ETRI for spearheading the event and the Korea Maritime and Ocean University (KMOU), Cleverlogic, AGOS, LowaSIS, Sinclair/ONEMedia, Saankhya Labs, and IEEE BTS (Daejeon Chapter) for their support of the workshop. I had the opportunity to speak about the genesis of ATSC 3.0, the status of implementations around the world, and the ongoing work to improve and build upon the standard, such as Broadcast Core Network, VVC codec, Inter-tower Communication Network and other projects our members are busy developing. We were also treated to a wonderful sightseeing tour!

The first week of August, I headed to São Paulo, Brazil for SET Expo, the largest media and entertainment technology and business event in Latin America. I stopped by ATSC Member Mirakulo’s booth and visited with David Britto and Aguinaldo Boquimpani who were showcasing demos of TV 3.0 apps for Brazil, including integration with NextGen Audio features as well as the SmartTV app-based user interface that are planned for TV 3.0. As I have shared in prior editions of The STANDARD, the Fórum Sistema Brasileiro TV Digital Terrestre (SBTVD Forum) has recommended to the Brazilian government the selection of several technologies proposed by ATSC for Brazil’s next-generation terrestrial digital television standard. Testing and evaluation will continue in 2023-24 on the over-the-air Physical Layer and portions of the Application Coding (i.e., interactive) elements of the TV 3.0 system. ATSC’s proposals for ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer remain among those to be further evaluated.

In mid-August, ATSC Communications Director Amy Lodes and I had a “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” travel experience to the island nation of Antigua for the 54th Annual General Assembly of the Caribbean Broadcasters Union (CBU). The CBU is an association of public service and commercial broadcasters in the Caribbean, reaching over 4.8 million people and ATSC is a proud sponsor of the event. The CBU Annual General Assembly included members from Barbados, Jamaica, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks & Caicos, Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, and the United States. I was able to speak on the topic of NextGen TV and Opportunities in Developing Countries while Amy staffed our booth. It was a wonderful opportunity to network and enjoy some truly Caribbean cultural experiences. The White Party’s headliner was a famous popstar from Antigua, Claudette Peters, and it was an event I won’t soon forget!

Coming up this month, I will be traveling to Amsterdam for IBC. Many delegates from ATSC’s ranks will be there, including ATSC Board Chair Richard Friedel and several Board members. Some three dozen ATSC members are exhibiting at the show, and I look forward to visiting as many booths as I can. I have the honor of being able to speak at the IEEE BTS Sustainability Session about ATSC’s newest Planning Team, PT9-Sustainability. IBC offers a valuable forum for colleagues to share ideas and exchange solutions to common challenges. I always learn something new at IBC. For those making the trip, I’ll see you there!

ATSC continues to have opportunities to share our work on the global stage. It is because of our member organizations and their tireless efforts that the standard is world-class and is getting recognized (and deployed) around the world!

Please join me in congratulating Walt Husak of Dolby Laboratories as the new Chair of Planning Team on Future Broadcast Ecosystem Technologies (PT4). Following in the legacy of “Chairman Emeritus” Glenn Reitmeier, under Walt’s leadership the group will continue to investigate and discuss important new technologies and to be a valuable place for collaboration among stakeholders in the ATSC community. ATSC News