However, most ATSC tuners on the market today have no H.264 support. And that includes the digital converter boxes available now for users preparing for the digital transition next February. That means we’re unlikely to see H.264 used for broadcast ATSC in the US for many years, if ever. It would make the content unavailable to the installed base of receivers. H.264 is more likely to be used in other countries still considering ATSC as a possible standard (though DVB-T is really dominating the global markets, so I don’t really expect a lot of ATSC usage).

In the US ATSC with H.264 will most likely see usage in new services such as ATSC-M/H (mobile/handheld) and ATSC-NRT, which will utilize new receiver hardware anyway. ATSC-M/H is fairly obvious, the concept would have an ATSC tuner incorporated into phones, etc. This is like DVB-H deployed in some other countries. The broadcasts would be specially formatted for handhelds and would use dedicated sub-channels, so they don’t need to be compatible with existing receivers. ATSC-NRT is for Non-Real-Time content delivery. Basically a ‘trickle-cast’ of content which can be carried on a sub-channel for use later. This is similar to how DirecTV or DISH Network will deliver ‘OnDemand’ content to their DVRs ahead of time. New devices with ATSC-NRT support could receive content in advance for OnDemand movies, special content, etc. It could be used to download interactive content for ACAP, advanced advertising (similar to TiVo’s capabilities today), or other data content. Since these would be new devices anyway they could use H.264 to take better advantage of the available bandwidth.

It is possible that we might see H.264 used for secondary sub-channels for additional broadcast content. That way customers with existing content would not lose anything, they just wouldn’t gain the new stuff. This is similar to satellite companies adding new content using H.264, leaving customers with existing MPEG-2 receivers to keep existing content only. Or cable companies using SDV for new content, so existing customers only have their pre-existing channels. The H.264 subchannels could be used for things like alternate angles on sporting events, re-airing popular shows (air the new episode on NBC1 on Monday, re-air it on H.264 NBC2 on Wednesday – get more total viewers), or even special content – movie on main channel, movie with commentary on subchannel. Of course it is a chicken-and-egg issue – channels won’t do this until receivers handle H.264, and the only H.264-enabled ATSC receiver I can think of off hand is TiVo. Wait, and the newer satellite DVRs that have ATSC tuners as well.

I don’t expect to see it used on primary channels for a long, long time, if ever. Not until nearly all receivers in use in the field support H.264. No one wants another major transition any time soon, we haven’t even completed the first one yet. And ATSC is 25 years old already. (Yes, work started in 1983, believe it or not.)

Of course, the committee is working on ATSC 2.0: “ATSC-2.0 will define a complete suite of ‘Next Generation’ services for the conventional fixed DTV receiver viewing environment.” But I suspect ATSC 2.0 will be a super-set of ‘ATSC 1.0′, adding interactivity, etc, to the content through ACAP (think OCAP for ATSC).

From NAB by way of EngadgetHD.

Today the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the creation of an experimental test market – the Wilmington, N.C. designated market area (DMA) – for the full-power television station transition to all-digital broadcasting. In the FCC experiment, full-power stations in the Wilmington market will shut off their analog signals on September 8, 2008 – a full five months before the national transition to digital television (DTV) occurs on February 17, 2009.

NAB’s Vice President of the Digital Television Transition Jonathan Collegio issued the following statement:

“The FCC-initiated experiment in Wilmington can shed light on a number of issues surrounding the national DTV transition in February 2009. The results must be objectively reviewed to determine how or whether the findings can be applied nationwide. NAB will be fully supportive of our local television broadcasters in this effort.

NAB hopes that this experiment will answer important questions that will help all parties ensure the success of the DTV transition, including:

* What is the coordination plan between the federal, state and local governments to distribute information about the September 8 experimental analog shut-off?
* How will the government ensure retailer coordination so that enough coupon-certified converter boxes will be available given the increased demand of the early shut-off date?
* In particular, what specific actions will the government take to ensure that retailers have “analog pass-through” converter boxes available, given the low-power television stations in the Wilmington market, including one major network affiliate?
* How will the government prioritize converter box coupon application requests originating from the Wilmington DMA, given the current national backlog of coupon requests?
* What action will the government take to ensure that national messaging or messaging from bordering markets about the February 17, 2009 transition date does not result in confusion in the Wilmington DMA?
* How will the government ensure that satellite operators accelerate their coordination schedule?
* How will the government ensure that cable operators serving the Wilmington market are prepared to coordinate an early analog shut-off and have they made plans to ensure viewability to analog television subscribers?

We look forward to working closely with our Wilmington stations, the FCC, the National Telecommunications & Information Administration and other parties as they move forward with this initiative.

Broadcasters nationwide have led the private-public partnership to ensure a successful DTV transition, committing more than $1 billion towards a multiplatform campaign to educate Americans.”

About DTVAnswers.com

DTVAnswers.com is the official Web site of the National Association of Broadcasters’ digital television (DTV) transition campaign. Launched in January 2007, the DTV campaign’s mission is to ensure that no consumer is left unprepared, due to lack of information, for the February 17, 2009 federally-mandated transition from analog to digital broadcasting.

About NAB

The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America’s broadcasters. As the voice of more than 8,300 radio and television stations, NAB advances their interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.

The complete release is below:

Consumer Awareness of Digital Television (DTV) Transition Reaches 79 Percent

Awareness has More than Doubled in the Past Year

Washington, D.C.—Consumer awareness of the federally-mandated transition to digital television (DTV) has grown substantially over the past year, reaching 79 percent according to a survey commissioned by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB).

The survey, which was conducted in January 2008, includes a national sample of television households including those that rely solely on over-the-air television signals. Seventy-nine percent of respondents reported that they have “seen, read or heard something about the February 17, 2009 transition to digital television.”

Awareness was even greater among exclusively over-the-air households, where 83 percent of respondents reported they are aware of the transition. Overall, consumer awareness has more than doubled since January 2007 when an NAB survey asking the same question found that only 38 percent of consumers were aware of the transition.

“This is a big step toward our goal of reaching every American with information about the DTV transition,” said David K. Rehr, president and CEO of NAB. “The first phase of our consumer education campaign has been highly successful, and our next phase will focus on helping consumers learn more about the steps they need to take to receive a digital signal before February 17, 2009.”

More than 34 million households that rely on over-the-air television signals will be affected by the transition to digital television, which will be completed on February 17, 2009 when all full-power television stations must turn off their analog signals and begin broadcasting exclusively in the digital format.

Broadcast networks and nearly 1,500 television stations nationwide are participating in the comprehensive consumer education campaign, which includes a rich variety of on-air, online and grassroots initiatives. “This survey demonstrates that broadcasters’ consumer education campaign is effective,” said Seth Geiger, president of Smith Geiger, the research firm that conducted the survey.

During the next phase of the consumer education campaign, broadcasters will focus on helping consumers learn more about the converter box coupon program and other options they have to upgrade to digital through on-air advertisements, a 30-minute educational television program about DTV, and several other multifaceted, multiplatform initiatives.

About DTVanswers.com

DTVAnswers.com is the official Web site of the National Association of Broadcasters’ digital television (DTV) transition campaign. Launched in January 2007, the DTV campaign’s mission is to ensure that no consumer is left unprepared, due to lack of information, for the February 17, 2009 federally-mandated transition from analog to digital broadcasting.

About NAB

The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association that advocates on behalf of more than 8,300 free, local radio and television stations and also broadcast networks before Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and the Courts. Information about NAB can be found at www.nab.org.