By Dave Wachob, Jerrold Applied Media Lab
Advanced Television (ATV) represents an enormous potential, not only for CATV, but also for the Television and Electronics industry as a whole. Presently, the FCC and others are analyzing the various proposed ATV systems, in an effort to determine the optimum system(s) for delivery. Accurate, thorough and impartial evaluation of the proposed ATV systems is an essential element in the selection process to ensure that the best system is selected. This paper will describe design considerations for establishing a test facility for evaluating the proposed ATV systems. While there are still many unresolved issues relating to source material, equipment availability and test procedure finalization, facility design and construction can be initiated. Specific areas of the facility design to be discussed include the overall testing strategy, facility layout, video and audio aspects, ventilation and powering requirements, and access and security concerns. The items highlighted will allow for both objective and subjective testing on a wide variety of media.