Partnerships among companies that submitted mobile broadcast technology to ATSC must occur sooner rather than later to have a mobile/handheld standard for U.S. broadcasters in place by the February 2009 analog TV cutoff, industry sources said. Some of those companies are open to and exploring alliances, we were told. Though deals were predicted, none materialized before detailed proposals went to the committee earlier this month (CD July 5 p4).
An FCC proposal to require cable operators to distribute must-carry TV stations’ digital signals in standard definition digital, analog and HD when available would violate operators’ rights under the Constitution, cable operators and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association said in comments filed this week. An April rulemaking sought comments on a plan to let cable operators choose between distributing multiple formats of a must-carry station’s signal or converting their systems to all-digital before analog broadcast shutoff in 2009. The National Association of Broadcasters and the Association of Maximum Service TV praised the FCC plan in joint comments. Qwest called the proposal “reasonable.”
Among 10 groups that sent ATSC initial mobile broadcast technology proposals last month (CD June 25 p7), some probably are looking at combining parts of their proposals to boost chances their technologies will be picked for the standard, said Mark Aitken, Sinclair director of advanced technologies and head of the committee overseeing the mobile/handheld standards work at ATSC. A committee request for proposals initially drew offerings by Nokia, Mobile DTV Alliance and Qualcomm, each pushing modulation schemes not compatible with ATSC’s. Those filers “may be working with technology players directly tied to the ATSC modulation standard and engaged in discussions about joint offerings,” Aitken said.
Nine companies and an industry consortium sent ATSC mobile DTV pitches of varying detail, as it begins work on a standard U.S. broadcasters will use to transmit their digital signals to handheld and mobile devices. Submissions came from a wide range of players. Known candidates like Samsung with Rohde & Schwarz, LG with Harris, and Micronas all sent drafts. So did Nokia, Qualcomm, Thomson, DTS Inc., Coherent Logix, Coding Technologies and the Mobile DTV Alliance.
Technology companies working on mobile broadcasting systems should submit their work to ATSC by Thursday, a group of broadcasters urged in an open letter. The Open Mobile Video Coalition, whose members include Fox, NBC, Tribune, Sinclair, Ion and others, is hoping to avoid another “AM Stereo debacle,” it said in the letter. “One of the major threats to the successful and timely introduction and adoption of new mobile video products and services is a marketplace ‘format war’ among incompatible approaches,” the group said. Timing is critical and the industry can’t afford to wait any longer to develop mobile video, it said: “Technologies that miss the deadlines of the ATSC process are unlikely to be looked upon favorably by Coalition members.” Initial responses to ATSC’s request for proposals (RFP) on developing a standard for mobile and handheld broadcasting within stations’ digital spectrum are due Thursday. Detailed proposals are due July 6.
Latin America is at “the forefront of global WiMAX deployment,” with networks in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Venezuela, market research firm Research & Markets said in a new report. It said 80% of Latin American broadband subscribers are in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Chile. The most prevalent broadband technology is ADSL, the report said. Mexico was the first to offer HDTV in 2005, on the ATSC standard. Brazil uses ISDB; Honduras, ATSC. Mobile phones have overtaken fixed lines in every Latin American country but Cuba, the report said. Paraguay leads the trend, with 10 mobile phones for every fixed line. GSM has about 69% market share in Latin America, R&M said, while CDMA is growing “sluggishly;” TDMA is “on its way out.” -- www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c58021
Hundreds of broadcasters got new DTV deadlines from the FCC, which gave several dozen 21 months to finish building antennas and install other gear to transmit digitally throughout their service areas. Most of the 325 stations getting more time to comply with FCC rules (CD May 21 p14) won 6-month reprieves from the commissioners. Many broadcasters already had received 2 extensions from the Media Bureau. A DTV notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), released Fri. like the waivers, proposes to make it harder to get further delays But the waivers appear to set a precedent for licensees facing several types of difficulties to petition for postponements. The DTV orders and NPRM were approved 5-0 at last month’s agenda meeting (CD April 26 Special Bulletin p2).
Samsung and Rohde & Schwarz will submit their mobile broadcasting technology to ATSC for standards work, said Samsung Vp-Govt. Affairs John Godfrey. On Mon., as expected, ATSC invited proposals for an in-band mobile broadcasting technology (CD May 21 p8). The Samsung-Rohde & Schwarz system is based on the companies’ A-VSB technology, already submitted for standardization at ATSC for transmission to fixed receivers. At broadcasters’ urging, ATSC set an ambitious standardization timetable. Proposal overviews are due June 21, detailed proposal descriptions July 6. Broadcasters want a solution before Feb. 2009, when their analog transmissions end, freeing spectrum in the 700 MHz band that could be used to offer mobile video services, Godfrey said: “Mobile TV is a pretty logical use for that spectrum. If the broadcasters don’t already have their own service up and running, then their window of opportunity will start closing quickly.” ATSC’s request for proposals (RFP) calls for a technology that handles realtime broadcast, non- realtime transmission, video resolution up to 480p for in-car screens and up to 352x288 at variable frame rate for handheld devices. It also calls for stereo audio, advanced encoding, messaging and use of on-channel repeaters and distributed transmission. Above all, it must be backward compatible with existing receivers, meaning it can’t break them or interfere with HD or SD ATSC broadcasts. Ideally, the technology would incorporate datacasting, use of conditional access and digital rights management, and interactive features through the Advanced Common Application Platform or the Open Cable Application Platform. Samsung engineers will work all month to weave some of those features into A-VSB technology, Godfrey said: “We really like our chances. We like our head start… We think that’s what makes the project possible to complete on this timeline.”
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.”
In a Mon. request for proposals, ATSC will invite nominations of technologies on which to base a standard for an in-band mobile broadcasting system, said Bill Miller, ABC gen. mgr.-digital TV planning & standards and chmn. of ATSC’s technology & standards group (TSG). Along with approving the RFP Wed., TSG created a specialist group led by Sinclair’s Mark Aitkin and Ion’s David Glenn to oversee work on the mobile handheld standard. Two technologies have surfaced as likely candidates. Harris and LG introduced a system at NAB this year but have said they won’t wait for ATSC action before they pitch it to stations (CD April 17 p8). The other likely unit is Samsung and Rohde & Schwartz’s A-VSB system, also displayed at NAB. ATSC seeks 3 main features in the standard. Most obviously, the mobile-handheld technology has to work with legacy ATSC receivers. ATSC also wants to ensure that the bandwidth required for mobile service gives broadcasters good value. And the system needs good coverage indoors and on highways, with limited multipath interference. Mobile video downloads that aren’t real-time await board action, Miller said: “It’s still in the pipeline.” The ATSC board meets Fri.