ATSC Mobile-Handheld Work Draws CE, Auto Industry Interest
ATSC work on a standard for in-band broadcasting to mobile and handheld devices interests consumer electronics and auto industry players, which are weighing joining the group, Pres. Mark Richer said, without identifying the firms. “We have companies from the automotive industry. Companies that make handsets for mobile telephones are interested,” he said: “A wide array of companies are interested.”
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
That interest was sparked by a push to develop a mobile- handheld standard for U.S. TV broadcasters that could be deployed by the time stations end analog broadcasts in Feb. 2009, Richer said. In joining ATSC, these companies stand to influence the work and get advance knowledge of the standard and recommended practices, Richer said. At this week’s ATSC annual meeting, its technical standards group approved a request for proposals on the mobile-handheld standard. The standards-setting body heard presentations from 3 companies with technologies that could fit the standard, Richer said. Micronas, a German-based technology company, is the latest to surface with an in-band mobile broadcast solution.
It’s unclear which if any players will respond to the RFP, Richer said. Harris, LG and Zenith, which debuted a mobile-handheld solution this year at NAB, have said they hope to create a de facto standard and won’t wait for ATSC approval (CD April 17 p8). But the companies will be lobbied hard by a group of broadcasters to submit to ATSC for standardization. The Open Mobile Video Coalition -- which includes several key ATSC officials and major broadcasters -- is pushing for open standards. “If you've got a [standards- setting process] going on at the same time you've got a propriety approach under development, you could well end up much like the HD DVD/Blu-ray situation,” said Mark Aitken, Sinclair dir.-advanced technology, a member of the Coalition and chmn. of ATSC’s specialist group overseeing the mobile- handheld standard. “To not have an open standard would severely limit the ability to move quickly to develop a market,” he said: “So what you will hear is sort of a drum beat from the Coalition on the need for an open standard.” Pressure will come to bear on groups like the Harris-LG- Zenith consortium to bring their technology through ATSC, an industry source said. “People will want to see two or more competing systems going through the standards process,” the source said: “To get the best technical solution that’s what you want to see.”
The Coalition also will push ATSC to complete its work in time for broadcasters to start service by Feb. 2009. In a letter sent last week to ATSC’s board, the group outlined a commercial timetable for mobile and handheld broadcasts and pledging support from its industry members. The schedule is “aggressive, but definitely something we can accomplish,” Richer said.
One hurdle for the standard is inclusion of a non- realtime broadcast technology, which is being debated. “I don’t think it will [be included], but if it does, there’s ways for us to manage to work so that mobile and handheld could go forward,” Richer said. That might mean the first version of ATSC’s mobile-handheld standard rolls out lacking a download feature, though subsequent versions would include it, he said: “That’s up to our technology group to figure out.”
Ultimately, the industry probably will adopt an open standard, Grass Valley Product Mgr. Brett Jenkins said: “I would find it really hard to believe that any proprietary system would fly.” With consumer adoption key to mobile video’s success, it’s imperative to standardize, he said: “Accessibility to consumers is going to be absolutely key… you want lots of chipsets out there. You want to aggregate eyeballs.”