ATSC member companies and partners made several rollout announcements at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this month. But despite these developments, new ATSC products were few and far between – perhaps simply an indication of the nascent status of the new standard. Nonetheless, the recurring chicken-and-egg business scenario has the opportunity to get a kick-start by several prominent broadcast groups that will launch pilot programs this year. Read on for our CES coverage of ATSC developments.
Leaders Gather at CES to Mark Delivery of Completed ATSC 3.0 Standards
Mark Richer, president of the Advanced Television System Committee, was joined by Consumer Technology Association President and CEO, Gary Shapiro, and National Association of Broadcasters President and CEO, Gordon Smith in a 15-minute CES-opening-day commemoration marking the event.
Industry leaders (l-r) Gary Shapiro, Gordon Smith, Mark Richer (LG photo)
“ATSC is very pleased to announce a major milestone today,” Richer said. “We’re celebrating the release of the complete suite of the ATSC 3.0 standard. This would not have been possible without the work of hundreds of individuals who spent tens of thousands of hours of their time in this five-year effort.”
Borrowing a line from Winston Churchill, Richer went on to say that, “This is not the end, this is the end of the beginning,” and further added, “ATSC 3.0 would not have been possible without industry collaboration—especially the collaboration of the NAB and CTA. It’s fitting that they are here to help celebrate this moment.”
“We have many people to thank for this ‘end of the beginning,’” said NAB’s Smith. “Broadcasters now are the cornerstone partner in advancing this next chapter of broadcast television. And it is truly promising and remarkable, and there are so very many people to thank—certainly LG and Samsung and other television manufacturers who have stepped up to make this possible. We also want to thank the Pearl group, Sinclair, and so many others who have had this as a passion, and NAB enjoys this passion with them.”
Smith also saluted the FCC, which voted in November to allow broadcasters to begin deploying ATSC 3.0. “I want to thank the chairman and the other commissioners who [were] so central in providing this leadership so investment could occur and improvements could be offered for the future American viewer.”
It was rumored that FCC Chair Ajit Pai had also been invited to the ceremony, but although Pai was scheduled to speak on another CES panel, he skipped attending the show, after reports that he and his staff had received racist tweets and death threats. With Pai’s vote, the FCC in December scrapped “net neutrality” rules that had barred broadband providers from interfering with internet traffic.
CTA’s Shapiro added his thanks, and remarks, too. “We’re celebrating a milestone today,” he said. “That’s a really big thing. [ATSC] 3.0 has now made it to deployment. The release is very significant.”
LG 4K UHD TVs in Korea Now Include ATSC 3.0 Tuners, US Trials Imminent
LG Electronics (LG), co-developer of the ATSC 3.0 next-generation television broadcast standard, confirmed at CES that all LG 4K Ultra HD TVs now on the market in South Korea already incorporate ATSC 3.0 tuning circuitry. LG announced plans to support broadcast trials and early deployment testing in the United States during 2018.
National Association of Broadcasters President and CEO, Gordon Smith (left), congratulates LG Electronics USA Senior Vice President, John Taylor, for the company’s pioneering work behind the ATSC 3.0 standard. (LG photo.)
Korea adopted the Next Gen TV standard in 2017 and leading broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS launched ATSC 3.0 broadcasting in advance of 4K UHD transmission of next month’s 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang. Since last fall, all new LG 4K UHD TVs and most new LG smart TVs sold in Korea have included dual ATSC 3.0-ATSC 1.0 tuner chips.
To support initial U.S. Next Gen TV broadcast deployments, LG said it will leverage its marketplace experience from the launch of Next Gen TV in Korea and its technical expertise as co-developer of ATSC 3.0, which has been hailed as the world’s first Internet Protocol-based TV broadcast system.
“The flexible, extensible new ATSC 3.0 standard will unleash an innovation revolution, marrying broadband and broadcasting to deliver a range of new services for consumers in Korea, the U.S. and around the world,” said Dr. Jong G. Kim, Senior Vice President in the Office of the CTO, LG Electronics.
Technologies developed by LG, along with Zenith, its U.S. R&D subsidiary, are included in all three major layers of the ATSC 3.0 standard, explained Kim, who also serves as President of the Zenith R&D Lab. LG contributions are in the majority of the A/322 Physical Layer Standard adopted by the FCC, including the scrambler, forward error correction, bit interleaver, mapper, time interleaver, OFDM framer, frequency interleaver, pilots, reserved tones, and guard interval functions.
Development of ATSC 3.0 technologies represents the latest digital television innovations by LG and Zenith, long-time supporters of U.S. terrestrial broadcasting, including the A/153 Mobile Digital TV Standard adopted by the industry in 2009. Zenith developed the core transmission system at the heart of today’s ATSC 1.0 A/53 Digital Television Standard, approved by the FCC two decades ago.
Pearl TV and Sony Show “First” ATSC 3.0 Application Environment for Model Market
Pearl TV announced at CES a collaborative project with Sony Electronics to develop an essential viewer navigation ingredient for next-generation television – a new type of on-screen television program guide that will be responsive to consumer commands. The new channel navigation tool, part of the larger interactive content environment for next-generation ATSC 3.0, is being developed for the Phoenix Market project that is supported by 10 TV stations in Phoenix, Arizona.
“Our finished product for the Phoenix Model Market will be the first Electronic Service Guide with program information from both broadcasters and multi-channel providers built with ATSC 3.0 technology. This innovative platform will bring a state-of-the-art experience to the viewer with interactivity, personalization and voice command support, both directly to the TV and indirectly through companion devices, such as tablets and mobile phones,” said Anne Schelle, Managing Director of Pearl TV.
Pearl is a business organization of U.S. broadcast companies with a shared interest in exploring forward-looking broadcasting opportunities, including innovative ways of promoting local broadcast TV content and developing digital media and wireless platforms for the broadcast industry. Its membership, comprising more than 300 network-affiliated TV stations, consists of eight of the largest broadcast companies in America.
Phoenix will serve as a “model market” for deployment of next-generation TV, using an environment designed to greatly enhance over-the-air services for viewers and provide new options through smart TVs and other Internet-connected devices.
“Sony appreciates the vision and leadership that Pearl and the Model Market participants have demonstrated in establishing the Phoenix open test bed. As a result, next-generation TV will greatly expand consumer choices as ATSC 3.0 can be used to deliver pristine Ultra HDTV with expansive audio and also bring together broadcast and broadband sources,” stated Mike Fasulo, President and COO of Sony Electronics Inc. “We believe this work will lead to better viewer experiences for consumers as well as provide a great resource for the industry at large.”
“This will be the first fully-compliant implementation of an ATSC 3.0 interactive environment. New applications developed for the ATSC 3.0 platform will control interactive advertising and offer consumers new capabilities, such as accessing digital coupons,” said Pearl’s Schelle. “The system will bring together broadcast over-the-air signals, cable and satellite retransmission, and streaming over-the-top channels for viewers of next-gen TV. Recognizing that broadcasting needed to evolve, Sony has played an integral role in the development of ATSC 3.0 since the beginning of its development more than seven years ago as a key contributor of technology and industry leadership”.
“ATSC 3.0 is essential to the future of the terrestrial broadcast industry. Sony believes strongly in the convergence of broadcast, broadband, and mobile viewing made possible by ATSC 3.0,” said Paul Hearty, Vice President of Technical Standards at Sony Electronics Inc.
As part of this partnership, Sony will be involved in Pearl’s Phoenix Model Market later in 2018. As a preview of that collaboration, Pearl demonstrated at CES Sony’s prototype implementation of the full, ATSC 3.0-compliant protocol stack to interested broadcasters.
Separately, Sony Semiconductor Solutions is in the advanced stages of development of a demodulator chip for ATSC 3.0 receivers, which has already been field-tested in North Carolina and Maryland. The company is also planning additional field tests at WJW, the experimental station in Ohio.
“ATSC 3.0 can operate in many transmission modes, ranging from high-capacity modes optimized for fixed reception to high-robustness modes optimized for mobile or deep-building reception,” added Hearty. “ATSC 3.0 also shares many elements of its technology stack with what is used in telco/mobile services, which promotes content and service interoperability.”
SK Telecom / Sinclair Agree to Build ATSC 3.0 Services
SK Telecom and Sinclair announced at CES that the companies signed an MOU to collaborate on development and implementation of a Next-Gen TV platform (NGTV) using the ATSC 3.0 standard.
SK Telecom signed an MoU with Sinclair and its ONE Media subsidiary, initiating a partnership that is expected to bring innovation to the US broadcasting industry. By the first half of this year, the three companies will build an ATSC 3.0 broadcast platform, which will provide the following: UHD content, a customized IP-based service for interactivity, personalized & location-based advertisement, fixed and mobile broadcast, and emergency alert service.
SBG, SKT executives ink the deal.
Starting with the U.S. TV industry, the SK Telecom will then expand its platform to India, where the country is also pursuing ATSC 3.0-based next-generation broadcasting. The technology will also help expand a global ecosystem for the next-generation broadcasting, by utilizing SK Telecom’s mobile IPTV and media technologies. The company roadmap includes both the “MMT (MPEG Media Transport)” technology, which is an ultra-low latency transmission technology for high-definition video, as well as MMT technology tailored to the mobile environment. SKT has developed a subscriber-based content-recommendation service and an IP-based optimized-network media service that utilizes AI technology.
“Working with Sinclair, SK Telecom’s media technology is now aiming to bring innovation to the global broadcast industry and create new growth engine,” Park Jung-ho, CEO and President of SK Telecom said. “The company will share its core infrastructure with global companies to come up with convergent business models that will create new business platforms.”
Sinclair Broadcast Group and Imagine Communications Collaborate on Next-Gen Monetization Solutions
Imagine Communications provides advanced IP, cloud-enabled, software-defined network and workflow solutions to the broadcast industry. The agreement allows SBG to play a critical role in the development of Imagine’s next-generation business process systems for traffic, ad sales and data analytics that allow for unit- and impression-based buys. SBG has committed to a rollout of beta testing for both ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 models, helping to ensure that solutions accommodate the overall broadcast industry. Both companies anticipate this collaboration will help to accelerate the adoption of ATSC 3.0 by giving broadcasters the advertising management tools that enable them to fully realize the sales opportunities afforded by a multiservice delivery model.
The service delivery enhancements of ATSC 3.0, which include an IP-based backchannel, accompanied by the monetization capabilities enabled through the Imagine-SBG collaboration, are expected to boost the competitive standing and creativity of local broadcast groups, while offering viewers a highly personalized and interactive content experience.
“ATSC 3.0 provides broadcasters with a rich palette of IP-based service offerings that enhance and complement our over-the-air capabilities,” said Del Parks, CTO of SBG. “Our development partnership with Imagine will ensure that we maximize the monetization opportunities these new capabilities that an IP delivery model offers by utilizing business systems that provide precise targeting and geographical positioning across all distribution and consumption models.”
“SBG is a major champion of broadcast innovation — across technology and business processes,” said Sarah Foss, Chief Product Officer of Advertising Management Solutions at Imagine Communications. “This agreement provides both Sinclair and Imagine with a unique opportunity to bring the capabilities of our ad management solutions, including zone-based targeting and dynamic ad insertion, that have gained market leadership among MVPDs to the broadcast realm. It’s a win-win for both companies — and, ultimately, the North American broadcast market.”
VR Video and WheresMyMedia Announce Joint ATSC 3.0 Project
NAB Pilot Innovation Challenge Award winners VR Video and WheresMyMedia have announced LiveWorks, a joint project to bring AR, VR and Live 360 Video to broadcast for release at the 2018 NAB Show this April in Las Vegas. The ATSC 3.0 standard will be used to provide next-generation television services within the LiveWorks broadcasting platform.
Leveraging the new abilities of ATSC 3.0, LiveWorks will provide a platform for the production of broadcast quality immersive content, as well as enable it to be seamlessly and simultaneously delivered over the air, over the top, to web and to mobile.
“There are countless uses for live-360 video and related immersive content to be delivered over the air, cable, satellite, and broadband content. ATSC 3.0 will allow those [users] both with and without an Internet connection to experience immersive and VR content,” said LiveWorks founder and CEO Edwin Rogers.
When asked about the possibilities of broadcasting immersive content such as 360 video over ATSC 3.0, Sam Matheny, EVP of Technology and CTO at NAB said, “Next Gen TV using ATSC 3.0 provides wonderful new opportunities for delivering interactive content, including VR and live 360 video. We’re excited to see new use cases being developed for testing.”
LiveWorks is said to be the first platform available for curating and delivering immersive content to next-generation enabled televisions and devices. Integrated into existing systems, LiveWorks will allow for immersive content to be distributed alongside traditional broadcast content. HD live feeds can be switched, mixed and overlaid onto the live VR feeds in real-time, along with 3D graphics and other interactive and immersive content.
“Imagine a world without TV ads as you know them, where advertising is more like artful product placement that is part of the story. The story can change based on your preferences, and so can the products contained within it. The ads are games or stories where you can earn rewards in addition to learning more about the product. Advertising should be a fun dynamic experience for the viewer,” explains William Steele, CEO of WheresMyMedia VR.
Supporting 4K video at up to 120 frames per second with potential future 8K support, ATSC 3.0 enables immersive content and Internet delivery mechanisms. The ATSC 3.0 standards support seamless switching of over-the-air and Internet streams, which allows for advanced viewer engagement, tracking interaction, and viewer preferences. This provides not only new ways for advertisers to monetize content, but also a whole new kind of content to monetize. — agc
