Mobile DTV Alliance Extends Work to Include ATSC M/H

RF Report has covered the efforts of the Mobile DTV Alliance (MDTVA) to promote open standards, notably DVB-H, for mobile TV.

Thursday (March 6) MDTVA announced it was extending work on its implementation guidelines to encompass the ATSC standard for mobile broadcasting, ATSC M/H, and was broadening its charter to include industry collaboration activities with North American broadcasters. The MDTVA recently released its North American Mobile TV Implementation Guidelines.

MDTVA president Walt Tamminen observed that his organization had much experience in the development of implementation guidelines and in unifying the mobile broadcast industry.

“Today we are excited to announce our refined focus on service interoperability, our expanded mission to collaborate with North American broadcasters, and the publication of our new mobile TV implementation guidelines, the common, interoperable service layer guidelines for multiple mobile TV technologies,” Tamminen said.

The guidelines are based on the global Mobile Broadcast Services Enabler (OMA BCAST 1.0) specification.

Tamminen said the new implementation guidelines cater to today’s DVB-H-based systems and will soon include ATSC-M/H-based broadcast systems.

MDTVA listed three key aspects of its implementation guidelines:

  • An interoperable technical foundation that builds on the efforts of the Open Mobile Alliance;
  • Support for multiple broadcast systems under a consistent service layer
  • Expanded content protection options with Microsoft PlayReady technology, which supports the application of a wide range of business models to many types of entertainment content

Mobile DTV Alliance sponsor members include Disney, Microsoft and Nokia.

Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.