The Advanced Television Systems Committee, Inc. (ATSC) is developing a Recommended Practice that will establish voluntary guidelines for broadcast digital television (DTV) receiver performance.
Although broadcasters have pressured the FCC to develop mandatory DTV receiver standards in the past, the commission so far has resisted. ATSC president Mark Richer says the guidelines are, in part, a response to the FCC's recent request for the industry to institute voluntary standards.
"Our decision to develop a Recommended Practice reflects our goal of providing the consumer electronics industry with important information while providing manufacturers with the necessary flexibility for product innovation," Richer said. "We also want to be responsive to a recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Notice of Inquiry (in ET Docket 03-65) which suggests that the industry develop voluntary DTV receiver performance guidelines."
Development of the new Recommended Practice is underway in the ATSC Specialist Group on Receivers (T3/S10). "Recommended Practices" are a widely accepted tool in the television industry that augment standards, and typically provide support and tutelage in the development of activities, operations, and equipment. In addition to its technical standards work, the ATSC has adopted a variety of such recommended practices for different industry segments in the DTV field.
