ENENSYS technology deployed in Cleveland ATSC 3.0 test station

RENNES, France — ENENSYS, designers and manufacturers of digital TV transmission technologies, has announced that its ATSCheduler – ATSC3.0 Broadcast Gateway – has been deployed at the NAB- and Consumer Technology Association-sponsored test station in Cleveland, OH, for use in ongoing trials.

The real-world test station – owned by Tribune Broadcasting’s WJW-TV – has been set up as a “living laboratory” and operates under an experimental FCC broadcast license. It follows on from the ATSC 3.0 exhibit at NAB Show 2017, which included 4K Ultra HD over-the-air content from a local Las Vegas station. This also used ENENSYS’ ATSCheduler.

Lynn Claudy, Senior VP Technology, NAB, says, “This is designed as a neutral test facility for the industry. Manufacturers can test technologies on both the domestic receiver side and, of course, on the backend professional technology side to check interoperability, among other things. We do have some specific test programs planned but we want to get to the stage where the station is on-air full time, or as close to full time as possible, so that manufacturers and broadcasters can come in any time.”

ENENSYS’ ATSCheduler is central to ATSC 3.0 network operation. Running at a station or a central headend, the ATSCheduler encapsulates the IP streams stemming from the various HEVC encoders that deliver the compressed audiovisual content over ROUTE or MMTP protocols, and from the non-real-time server generating the signaling information and the interactive applications. It outputs the resulting ATSC-compliant multiplex using the STL (Studio to Transmitter Link) protocol through IP. The use of ATSCheduler allows the creation of an advanced on-air architecture, including MultiPLP and LDM (Layered Division Multiplexing) schemes, offering the ability to target different receivers and to provide varying levels of service – mobile, 4K Ultra HD fixed reception and so on.

The ATScheduler runs in ENENSYS’ HDc chassis that can embed up to 6x ATScheduler modules in 1U: the same chassis can output up to 6 STL streams over IP.

Richard Lhermitte, VP Sales and Marketing with ENENSYS, says, “We have been very closely involved with the development of ATSC 3.0 and the technologies deployed. We believe the standard is very important for the future of DTT in key markets and we have brought our knowledge and skills developed via our work with other standards to our ATSC 3.0 product development. We very pleased our ATSCheduler solution is being used in this important ongoing test.”