The ATSC

Digital Television
Standard
Michael Isnardi

March 16, 1999

Reproduction in any form requires written permission from the Sarnoff Corporation.
1 Michael A. Isnardi
 DTV Around the World
• US
– Digital Satellite (DIRECTV/DVB)
– Digital Telco (MPEG-2/DVB)
– Digital Cable (MPEG-2/SCTE)
– Digital Terrestrial (ATSC)
• Europe
– Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) DIRECTV
• Japan, Latin & South America
– Digital Satellite (DIRECTV/DVB)
• Other countries evaluating Digital TV Systems

2 Michael A. Isnardi
 FCC - DTV Broadcast Milestones
...availability of content drives receiver penetration...
End NTSC
All Commercial
Top 4 Networks broadcasts?
stations
Top 30 Markets
(53% US HH)
All
Top 4 Networks Stations
Top 10 Markets
(14% US HH)

DTV
1st Commercial (30%)
DTV stations Receiver
Penetration
Experimental
stations on-air Source: CEMA

97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06
42 Stations
3 Michael A. Isnardi
 FCC vs. ATSC Standards

ATSC Standard
–Video Formats
FCC Standard

4 Michael A. Isnardi
 ATSC Standard
• Standards documents:
– A/52: AC-3 Audio Compression
– A/53: ATSC DTV Standard (contains video formats)
– A/54: Guide to use of the ATSC DTV Standard
– A/55: Program Guide (Optional)
– A/56: System Information (Optional)
replaced
– A/57: Program/Episode/Version Identification
by
– A/58: Harmonization with DVB SI (Rec. Practice)
– A/63: Standard for Coding 25/50 Hz Video
– A/65: Program and System Information Protocol...
• FCC approved everything but video formats
• For more info, see atsc.org

5 Michael A. Isnardi
 ATSC DTV System Layers
...layered system with header/descriptors provides flexibility...
L C R Multiple
MultiplePicture
Picture
Formats
Picture & 5.1
Formats
5.1Channel
Channel
Sound Layer LS LFE RS Sound
Sound

Compression MPEG-2 video

and Dolby AC-3
Layer Data
Headers
Motion Chroma and Luma compression
Vectors DCT Coefficients syntax
Variable Length Codes

Packet Headers Flexible

Flexibledelivery
deliveryofofdata
data
Transport and future extensability
and future extensability
Layer Video packet Audio packet Video packet Aux data
MPEG-2 packets

Transmission 19.4 Mbps 8-VSB

Layer
6 MHz
6 Michael A. Isnardi
 ATSC Transmission System
Single-Program Encoder
MPEG-2
Video MPEG-2 Bitstream
(one of SP
18 formats) Encoder Transport
AC-3
AC-3 Trans- Stream
Audio Bitstream DTV
(up to port
Encoder (3 - 18 Mb/s) Transmitter
5.1 channels) Mux
•• MP
Data • MP Transport
PMT SP
Trans- Stream
Channel
port
Transport (19.4 Mb/s) Coder
Stream Mux
PAT: Program &
PMT:
Association Table
Program Map Table 8-VSB
PAT
SP:
MP:
Single Program
Multi Program Program and Modulator
System Information
Protocol

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 ATSC Decoder (Generic)
Single-Program Decoder
MPEG-2
Bitstream MPEG-2 Display Video
DTV Physical Processing
Channel
Decoder
Tuner Select
AC-3 Audio
Demux Bitstream AC-3
port
Decoder
Trans- Time
8-VSB Transport Stamps
Clock Recovery
Demod- Stream
(19.4 Mb/s) and A/V
PCR’s
ulator Synchronization

Program Select
Program (from User)
Select
Program Guide
Database
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 Analog vs. Digital - Signals
Analog

“noise”
Digital

Digital “Cliff” Effect

Quality
Analog

Distance from Transmitter

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 Antenna Maps
(www.cemacity.org)

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 ATSC Video

ATSC Video = MPEG-2 Video

+ ATSC Constraints
+ ATSC Extensions

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 MPEG-2 Video Decoding Process
DCT
Coeffs Inv. Inv.
VLD IDCT Sat.
Scan Quant Decoded
Pixels
Zig-Zag Scan Mode
Combine
Quant Scale Factor & Quant Matrices Predictions
MPEG-2
Bitstream
Parsing Motion
Vectors Dual-Prime Scaling for Half-Pel Info Half-Pel
VLD Prediction
Arithmetic chroma
Filtering
Vector
Predictors

Field/Frame Prediction Selection Frame

Framestore
Stores
Addressing

NOTE: This is a simplified, high-level functional diagram that integrates

several separate diagrams in the MPEG-2 Video Spec (ISO/IEC 13818-2).

12 Michael A. Isnardi
 Sequence
(Display Order)

GOP
(Display Order, B B I B B P B B P B B P
N=12, M=3)

Cr MPEG
Picture Y Video
Cb
Slice
Layers

0 1 Note:

MacroBlock 4 5 Y = Luma

2 3 Cr = Red-Y
Cb = Blue-Y
Y Blocks Cr Block Cb Block
 MPEG Video Layers (cont’d)
• Coding structure consists of several well-defined layers with header
and data fields. Important syntax elements in each layer:

Sequence Picture Size, Frame Rate

Bit Rate, Buffering Size
Downloadable Quant Matrices

GOP* Random Access Unit

SMPTE Time-Code

Picture Buffer Fullness, Temporal Reference, Picture

Type (I, P, or B), Quant Matrices (in MPEG-2)

Slice Intra-frame addressing information

Coding re-initialization (error resilience)

Macroblock Basic coding structure; Basic unit of Motion

Compensation and Quantization

Block (8x8) DCT coefficients

*optional in MPEG-2
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 ATSC Video Constraints
• Sequence Layer
– Video Formats as per Table 3 in ATSC Doc.
A/53, Annex A
– Bit Rate £ 19.4 Mb/s
– VBV Buffer Size £ 7.99 Mbit
– Chroma Format 4:2:0
– Component Video Format
• Picture Layer
– VBV Delay £ 0.5 sec (limits channel change
delay)
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 ATSC Video Formats
HDTV SDTV

1920 x 1080 704 x 480 704 x 480

16:9 16:9 4:3

640 x 480 (VGA)

1280 x 720 4:3
16:9

24, 30 and 60 frames/sec allowed

18 formats all together
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 HDTV Broadcast Formats
... business models influence format decisions...

1080i 720p
CBS, NBC ABC

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 Dealing with Widescreen
HDTV will be
sent in widescreen
format

As displayed on “Letterbox” “Pan-and-Scan”

Widescreen (16:9) TV As displayed on Standard (4:3) TV
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 ATSC Video Extensions
• Picture Layer User Data
– 32-bit ATSC Identifier
– 9600 b/s Closed Captioning Channel
» See Standard EIA-708, “Advanced Television
Closed Captioning”, July 1997, for more
information
– Emergency Message (8 bits)
– Additional User or “Opportunistic” Data

19 Michael A. Isnardi
 Trends in Display Processing
...for HDTV Integrated Sets*...
Input Format Display Format

Any 1080i
480i/p 540p
720p/1080i 1080i
480i/p 480p
720p/1080i 1080i
480i 960i
480p 480p
720p/1080i 1080i
*Source: CEMA
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 Trends in Display Processing
...for Set-Top Boxes*...
Input Format Display Format
Any Native Format
Any 480i or 480p
Any 1080i
480i/p 960i
720p/1080i 1080i

*Source: CEMA
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 Interlaced vs. Progressive
Field 2

• Interlaced Field 1
– picture split into even and odd lines
(fields), with 1/60 second between fields
– relies on persistence of vision to fuse
fields
– early bandwidth-saving technique
– fine for general entertainment Frame 2
• Progressive
– all lines in picture from same time Frame 1
instant
– required for up-close work, e.g.
computer displays
• ATSC standard accommodates both

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 ATSC AC-3 Audio (Dolby Digital):
5.1 Channel Surround Sound
Display
L C R

Surround LS RS Channels
LFE
Low Frequency Effects
(Thunder, Rumble, Quake)

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 Audio Compression
Sound Pressure Level
70 (dB)
1 kHz Masking Tone
60

50
Masking

40
Threshold
Threshold Threshold
inQuiet
of Quiet
30

Spectrally-
20
Shaped
Quantization
10 Noise

0.02 0.05 0.1 0.2 0.5 1 2 5 10 20 kHz

Frequency

• Split each audio channel into many narrow subbands

• Quantize signal in each subband so that quantization noise
is just below audible threshold.
24 Michael A. Isnardi
 AC-3 Receiver Options
Analog Out
(Full 5.1 channels)

AC-3 Digital Out

110001011001011 Decoder
110001011001011

(Toslink or S/PDIF)
AC-3 5.1-channel with
Bitstream
downmix Dolby ProLogic
(4 channels on 2 wires)
options
Stereo
Mono

Dialog Normalization and Dynamic Range Adjustment

are user-controllable design options
25 Michael A. Isnardi
 Consumer Confidence in DTV
• To alleviate potential consumer confusion, the
ATSC has launched a Logo/Certification Process

• This logo identifies sets capable of decoding all

ATSC formats
• Ensures displays don’t go dark
• Should have positive impact on DTV receiver
sales
26 Michael A. Isnardi
 DTV Services

20 Mbps WXYZ

video TEXT video audio 1 video video audio 2 video video PGM GD video

More Programs New Services

...Multicast... Better Pictures ...Data...
...HDTV...
Sports
Golf
Tennis
Base...
Swim...

27 Michael A. Isnardi
 Emerging ATSC Standards
• Transport (T3/S8)
– Program Guide and System Information Protocol
– Conditional Access Standard out for Ballot
• Data Broadcasting (T3/S13)
– Draft Standard in Progress
• Interactive Services (T3/S16)
– Draft Standard in Progress
• DTV Application S/W Environment (T3/S17)
– Draft Standard in Progress
– Java Virtual Machine approved for DASE Application
Execution Engine
28 Michael A. Isnardi
 Program Guide Example
Phy
Chn ID Name 6:00 pm 6:30 pm 7:00 pm 7:30 pm 8:00 pm 8:30 pm

Movie:
12 12-0 NBZ City Life Travel
Lost World

12-1 NBZ City Life Travel

12-2 NBZ Soccer Golf Movie:

Lost World
12-3 NBZ Secret Agent (HDTV)
39
12-4 NBZ Headlines

12-5 ARP Airport News

Local Family Car Home

12-6 LCL Off Air
Gov’t Issues Sales Sales

Adapted from ATSC Doc. A/65

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 Enhanced Advertising Potential
...new sources of revenue for broadcasters...

30 Michael A. Isnardi
 A Data Broadcast Picture
...adapted from “ATSC S13 Overview” document
• Television Programs
– A/V
– PSIP/System Info
• Associated Data, e.g.
– HTML-based
– MHEG-based
– New media/graphics
• Stand-Alone Data Services ATSC
– Subscription Services
Broadcast
» Magazines Multiplex Bitstream
» Music
» Targeted Info Services
– Streaming Data
» DSM-CC
» IP
There are some of the services
• Opportunistic Data Services
– Business data services
expected to be supported by
– IP Router in the Sky ATSC T3/S13’s data protocols.
– Targeted Info Services
31 Michael A. Isnardi
 For more information on DTV
• Trade Journals
– Broadcasting & Cable
– Television Broadcast
– Television Technology
– Television Digest
• Web Sites
– www.broadcastingcable.com
– www.digitaltelevision.com
– www.tvbroadcast.com
– www.cemacity.org
– www.atsc.org
Snapshots from the PBS/Intel
– www.pbs.org/digitaltv Enhanced TV Special on
Frank Lloyd Wright

32 Michael A. Isnardi