Jerry Whitaker

The amount of progress made over the last couple of months on the ATSC 3.0 suite of standards is quite impressive.

I am pleased to report that we are making excellent progress toward completion of ATSC 3.0—the next generation digital television system.

The work to develop a comprehensive standard for mobile and handheld services—known as "ATSC Mobile DTV"—has reached a milestone with publication of the A/153 Candidate Standard document set.

The ATSC has developed a comprehensive plan for future work of the organization, reflecting the evolution of technology over the next two to five years.

The ATSC is organizing a half-day seminar on the Advanced Common Application Platform for interactive television.

Nearly two years after the FCC mandated the use of PSIP, reports can still be heard of stations struggling to get it right.

ATSC works to provide for automated ENG transmitter control, more efficient use of BAS

The ATSC has begun work on defining the basic parameters for digital electronic newsgathering (D-ENG) communications systems.

ATSC has launched an ambitious project to demonstrate the capabilities of the Advanced Common Application Platform for interactive television.

Designated ATSC-M/H, the standard will be backward-compatible, allowing existing DTV services to operate in the same RF channel, without adverse impact on existing receiving equipment.

The ATSC has published two new Candidate Standards documenting enhancements to the AC-3 digital audio compression standard and specifying its use in digital television.

With this issue we begin a bimonthly column that highlights current activities within the Advanced Television Systems Committee, Inc. (ATSC).

Approval of a standard in ATSC requires at least two levels of balloting: first, the Technology and Standards Group (TSG) and second, the ATSC membership itself.