Adam Lenhardt
Senior HTF Member
- News article: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...etter-pictures-but-less-privacy-idUSKBN1DG2XF
- FCC press release: http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db1116/DOC-347803A1.pdf
- ATSC 3.0 standard: https://www.atsc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/A300-2017-ATSC-3-System-Standard-1.pdf
The ATSC 3.0 revision would utilize H.265 compression with High Dynamic Range (HDR) capability at with video resolutions up to Ultra High Definition 3840 × 2160 at 60 fps.
It includes a "wake up" function that would allow ATSC 3.0-compatible devices to come out of sleep or standby mode when an emergency alert signal is transmitted. Hopefully this won't be triggered by 2 AM tests of the emergency broadcast system.
It would not be backward compatible with the ATSC 1.0 standard currently used for OTA broadcasts. The FCC is requiring a five year transition period where channels would simultaneously broadcast content using both ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 5.0 on different channels.
There is also mention of demographic collection that would allow targeted advertising on a street by street basis, similar to what we see with internet advertising. But I've yet to find a clear explanation of how this would work, since current broadcasts send a single out via a powerful transmitter to all within range, and then homes and businesses use an antenna to receive the signal and a tuner to translate the signal into a transport stream with video, audio and system data.