By Ralph Bachofen, Triveni Digital
ATSC 3.0 is near completion in the broadcast television industry, and is on its way to full-scale deployment in 2020 and beyond. What are the implications for cable operators? This paper will provide a general overview of the next-generation broadcast television standard, including new features and service enhancements made possible with the technology. It will cover what is involved with receiving ATSC 1.0/ATSC 3.0 within cable headends. While in the beginning since broadcasters will simulcast ATSC 1.0 and 3.0, there may be no needed change to cable headends, over time increasingly broadcasters and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) can collaboratively provide enhanced services for cable customers.
Several different setups for receiving ATSC 3.0 programming from broadcasters will be examined for cable headends, including near- and long-term. In particular, the paper will discuss headend requirements for HEVC IP transport stream delivery, and system architectures for combination of off-air ATSC 3.0 service reception with enhancements delivered from the broadcaster over alternative connections.