ATSC Gives Nod to Transport Stream Recommended Practice

The Advanced Television Systems Committee has given its approval to a set of guidelines to be used for determining transport stream conformance.

The "ATSC Recommended Practice: Transport Stream Verification" (A/78) is designed to help broadcasters and equipment manufacturers ensure conformity with stream parameters and elements set forth in the ATSC Standards documents A/53, "ATSC Digital Television Standards" and in A/65 "Program and System Information Protocol for Terrestrial Broadcast and Cable."

"Our new recommended practice was designed to meet the real-world operational requirements of broadcasters," said Mark Richer, ATSC president. "It is likely to become the basis for DTV transport stream monitoring strategies."

"The broadcasters' focus has shifted from getting DTV on the air to keeping it working correctly," said Dr. Richard Chernock, leader of the TSG-1 group that developed the A/78 Recommended Practice. "A/78 provides important guidance, allowing attention to be prioritized from the most important impairments to those that have minimal consequences. The work that led to A/78 represents contributions from all segments of the industry."

The A/78 document may be downloaded from the ATSC Web site.