WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Board of Directors of ATSC has named Dr. Paul Hearty of Samsung Electronics as chair of the ATSC technology group that oversees the ATSC 3.0 suite of standards.  Effective May 15, Hearty will succeed Sony’s Luke Fay, who has been ATSC Technology Group 3 Chair since 2019. 

ATSC Technology Group 3 (TG3) develops and maintains Standards and Recommended Practices for ATSC 3.0 and beyond. It works on advanced technologies for broadcast, the Internet and other transport systems. Technologies considered may be improvements to current systems or entirely new systems.

“ATSC is fortunate to have many brilliant minds contributing to the growth of our standards activities, and Paul’s vast experience and technical expertise will advance our collective efforts that make certain ATSC standards remain the world’s most flexible and adaptable to changing needs of broadcasters,” said Madeleine Noland, president of ATSC. “We are indebted to Sony and to Luke for driving TG3 forward for five years, leading standards updates and capably steering the group through the initial launch of ATSC 3.0. Building on Luke’s contributions, Paul’s leadership will help us keep pace with the changing technologies all around us.” 

“The next few years will be an interesting time for ATSC as we expand deployment, not just in terms of transmitters and markets, but also new features and service concepts, achieving the potential of NEXTGEN TV,” Hearty added. “As we explore new service offerings, we will discover new needs and opportunities, leading to the next generation of ATSC technologies.”

Involved in the development and standardization of advanced television systems since the early 1980s, Hearty has worked with the International Telecommunications Union, in the FCC Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service (ACATS), and with various standards development organizations including ATSC, CTA, SCTE and SMPTE.  Currently chief standards strategist in Samsung Research America’s Video Solutions division, Hearty leads the company’s standardization activities in ATSC and in other standards development organizations. 

He previously served as a vice president of technical standards at Sony, and began his professional career at the Communications Research Centre, Government of Canada.  Hearty founded the Advanced Television Evaluation Laboratory, which carried out tests on behalf of ACATS that led to the development of the ATSC 1.0 digital television standard. Later, as a vice president at General Instrument/Motorola, he led in the deployment of commercial and direct-to-home satellite broadcast technologies, as well as digital compression technology for satellite and cable.

Hearty holds a PhD from Queen’s University Canada, has received a Technical Emmy award, and has been recognized for his contributions to four additional Emmy awards.

Hearty is the fifth chair of TG3, following in the footsteps of James Kutzner (2011-15), who retired from PBS, Dr. Richard Chernock (2015-18), who retired from Triveni Digital, Madeleine Noland (2018-19), who was then with LG Electronics, and Luke Fay (2019-2024) of Sony Electronics.

The Advanced Television Systems Committee announced Feb. 20 that Madeleine Noland of LG Electronics is taking over as chair of TG3, the technical group responsible for development of the ATSC 3.0 Next-Gen TV standard, from Dr. Rich Chernock, chief science officer of Triveni Digital.

[Noland to Replace Chernock as ATSC Tech Group Lead]

Before closing the book on Chernock’s tenure as TG3 chairman, it seems appropriate to reflect on what has been accomplished and to offer a hat tip to the former TG3 chairman for his leadership in the quest to ensure a brighter future for broadcast television.

Chernock has successfully led the world’s brain trust of television technology through a standardization process in which those with various competing interests had to find compromise without compromising the standard.

One ATSC 3.0 member called Chernock’s demeanor “perfect for the time of going through the angst of birthing a new standard,” adding that he could “cut through the bull with the technical chops to back it all up and have the respect of everybody in the room.”

Mark Richer, president of ATSC, described Chernock as “a really good listener” and a “good reader” who digested “everything” in the detailed, technical correspondence of members of the various specialist groups that laid out the nuanced thoughts that needed to be considered and debated.

[What Tom Said: Recognition for the Past and Future]

“Nobody is an expert on every part of ATSC 3.0, but Rich was able to expand his knowledge and skills very quickly to lead the whole effort forward,” said Richer. Equipped with that constant, newly acquired stream on information, Chernock was able to “set direction based on a great deal of knowledge,” he added.

As a result, the TV industry has been given a remarkable gift—a standard that is equally adept at delivering 4K UHD TV over the air as it is at transmitting mobile TV. One that supports IP-based datacasting, interactivity, AWARN alerting, OTT, immersive audio and so much more. Perhaps most important, ATSC 3.0 is not frozen in time but can be updated as new, more powerful generations of technology come along.

The TV industry owes a debt of gratitude to the many people who volunteered so much of their time and so many of their talents to make the Next-Gen TV standard a reality, but none more than Dr. Rich Chernock.