Harris to support new joint LG-Samsung proposal for mobile DTV standard

Harris has committed to introduce a mobile digital TV transmission platform in November that adheres to a new Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) solution proposed by LG Electronics and Samsung.

Reaching a mobile digital television standard is of keen interest to hundreds of broadcasters, represented by the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), looking to maximize the revenue potential of their digital spectrum. To date, Harris and LG Electronics have backed a jointly developed Mobile-Handheld-Portable (MPH) system, and Samsung and Rohde & Schwarz have backed the A-VSB system. A third competitive system, developed by Thomson and Micronas, has emerged, and all three have been undergoing evaluation in field trials conducted by the OMVC. No comment has yet been made by Thomson on the Harris announcement.

On May 14, the management of LG Electronics and Samsung signed an agreement in Seoul, South Korea, to jointly propose a mobile digital television standard for North America.

The proposed LG-Samsung mobile handheld solution is based upon elements of the Mobile-Pedestrian-Handheld (MPH) technology — developed by Harris, LG Electronics and Zenith — as well as the Samsung/Rohde & Schwarz Advanced Vestigial Sideband (A-VSB) system.

As of yet, no one from Rohde & Schwarz was available for comment. However, at NAB2008 during an interview with Broadcast Engineering, Eddy Vanderkerken, director of sales and marketing for Rohde & Schwarz broadcast products, was asked what the company would do if the standard adopted by the ATSC for mobile digital television was not A-VSB. “There is no way for Rohde & Schwarz, in that case, to just abandon the market. That is not the model we work with,” he said. “The model has been that we support and we supply for the world’s market. That means all standards…. Should the standard be decided to be another system than ours, we will absolutely adapt to that….”