The ATSC data broadcast Standard

ABSTRACT

The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) is about to complete its data broadcast standard. This specification will enable multimedia content providers to deliver applications using the broadband channels of digital television. This specification will also enable the integration of data based information technologies and television audio-visual services. The purpose of the paper is to provide a description of the most important principles making up the specification. More specifically, four components are presented: A collection of unidirectional delivery protocols, an application signaling framework for service discovery, an MPEG-2 Transport buffer model and finally, a Profile and Level-based classification of data services. The functionality provided by each of these components is reviewed.

REFERENCES

• 1: ISO/IEC 13818-6, 1998, MPEG-2 Digital Storage Media command & Control.
• 2: Final Proposed Draft Amendment 1 version 2 to ISO/IEC 13818-6: Additions to support data broadcasting. Output document ISO/1EC JTC 1/SC29AVG 11/N2917, 50 th MPEG meeting, October 1999
• 3: Amendment 2:2000 to ISO/IEC 13818-6: Additions to support Synchronized Download Services, Opportunistic Data Services and Resource Announcement in Broadcast and Interactive Services. June 2000
• 4: ISO/IEC 13818-1 } ITU-T Rec. H.222.0:1996, Information Technology -- Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio -- Part 1: Systems
• 5: Amendment 7:2000 to ISO/IEC 13818-1: Transport of ISO/1EC 14496 data over ISO/IEC 13818-1. Jan 2000.
• 6: ATSC A/65 (1997), Program and System Information Protocol for Terrestrial Broadcast and Cable.
• 7: Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB): DVB specification for data broadcasting. ETSI EN 301 192 v.1.2.1 (1999- 06).
• 8: Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers, Digital Video Sub-committee, SCTE Proposed Standard Methods for isochronous data services transport, February 1998.
• 9: SMPTE 325M-1999 "Opportunistic Data Broadcast Flow Control".

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS

Additional Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS

  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)

  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.6 SIMULATION AND MODELING

  K. Computing Milieux
  K.1 THE COMPUTER INDUSTRY
      Subjects: Standards

General Terms:
Design, Management, Measurement, Performance, Standardization, Theory