ATSC approves Enhanced VSB transmission mode

The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) has approved an amendment to the A/53C DTV Standard adding a new optional mode of transmission called Enhanced VSB (E-VSB).

Services transmitted in the E-VSB mode have additional forward error correction coding layers that allow reception under weaker signal conditions.

E-VSB provides optional modes of operation that allow broadcasters to trade-off data rate for a lower carrier-to-noise threshold for some services.

Examples of potential applications for E-VSB include delivery of “fall back” audio, programming services targeted at small DTV receivers with indoor antennas, non-real time transmissions of file-based information to handheld and pedestrian receivers, and robust data broadcasting to devices such as desktop and laptop computers.

The ATSC has previously published a number of related Candidate Standards that support the E-VSB System. CS/T3-608 and CS/T3-609 provide transport specifications, and CS/T3-606 provides enhancements to the ATSC PSIP Standard (A/65). Enhancements to AC-3 audio (E-AC-3) are contained in documents CS/T3-613 and CS/T3-614.

For more information, please visit: www.atsc.ort/standards.html.

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