The non-profit group defining the over-the-air (OTA) digital TV tuner standard now mandatory for U.S. TVs has announced plans for a “mobile/handheld” standard. The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) hopes its ATSC-M/H (mobile/handheld) standard will help broadcasters deliver video and data content to handheld devices, laptop computers, and fast-moving vehicles.

The ATSC describes itself as an international non-profit group defining voluntary digital TV standards. However, in the U.S., compliance with ATSC's high-definition digital television standards was made mandatory for all TVs sold on March 1 of 2007 or later.

The ATSC spec uses the same channel frequencies as the analog NTSC standard it replaces. However, multiple signals can be packed into a single channel — up to six standard-definition stations, for instance.

Currently, ATSC's digital TV spec supports a variety of aspect ratios and resolutions, including 640×480, 704×480, 1280×720, and 1920×1080. Presumably, the M/H spec will add lower resolution options.

The ATSC said its new ATSC-M/H standard will enable broadcasters to use their existing DTV signals to deliver TV and data content to mobile and handheld devices, allocating a portion of their 19.39 Mbps/8-VSB signal to mobile and handheld devices, while continuing to transmit services such as HDTV.

ATSC expects its M/H standard to support both free, advertiser-supported content, as well as interactive services delivered in real-time, subscription-based TV, and non-real-time content download for later playback. Additionally, the standard could be useful for transmitting real-time navigation data to vehicles in motion, the standards body suggested.

According to Mark Richer, ATSC president, “The ATSC-M/H Standard will facilitate broadcasters' use of their DTV broadcast channels. ATSC-M/H will be backwards compatible, allowing operation of existing ATSC services in the same RF channel without an adverse impact on existing receiving equipment.”

Glenn Reitmeier, ATSC board chairman, noted that “Development of a standard for mobile and handheld services is a major priority of the ATSC's strategic plan. We encourage participation in our standards development process, and welcome technical proposals for consideration by our Technology and Standards Group (TSG).”

No timeframe was announced for availability of the ATSC-M/H standard.

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.