Fórum SBTVD selects ATSC 3.0 physical layer for Phase 3 field testing

Results Of Comparative Tests Move ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer Into Final Test Phase For Brazil’s Next-Gen TV System

WASHINGTON — The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) announced today that the Fórum Sistema Brasileiro TV Digital Terrestre (Fórum SBTVD/SBTVD Forum) has selected the ATSC 3.0 physical layer as one of two technologies to advance from Phase 3 lab testing to Phase 3 field testing, the final phase of evaluation scheduled to conclude in early 2024 that will inform a recommendation for the over-the-air transmission component of Brazil’s “TV 3.0” broadcast standard.

Other elements of the ATSC 3.0 suite of standards have already been selected for Brazil’s TV 3.0 system, including ROUTE/DASH transport, MPEG-H Audio, IMSC1 captioning and Advanced Emergency Messaging. As the anchor component of a broadcast/broadband transmission system, a high-performance over-the-air physical layer is a key requirement for Brazil’s TV 3.0 system.

ATSC has participated in the SBTVD Forum’s TV 3.0 testing program since its inception in 2020. ATSC has just learned that, in the recent physical layer testing conducted by the Fórum’s Lab, the ATSC 3.0 transmission system performed well in all relevant basic tests and in advanced configurations, such as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) transmission with channel bonding and Layered Division Multiplexing (LDM).

According to Brazil’s Phase 3 lab tests, ATSC 3.0 equipped with LDM and MIMO technologies achieves best-in-class spectral efficiency, enabling optimal coverage and capacity, targeting both fixed indoor and high-speed mobile outdoor reception.

The ATSC 3.0 next-generation television broadcast standard, with its state-of-the-art physical layer transmission technology, is considered the world’s leading IP-based broadcast platform, which encompasses broadband and broadcast television delivery and, as an IP-based system, is uniquely capable of supporting emerging datacasting services. It now reaches over 80 percent of South Korean homes and more than 100 million households in the United States. And, with nearly 10 million ATSC 3.0 televisions shipped in the U.S. alone, and services launching in Jamaica and in Trinidad and Tobago, ATSC 3.0 is poised to serve as a model for the future of broadcasting around the world.

“ATSC commends the SBTVD Fórum for its solid engineering and careful attention to detail throughout all phases of testing, including this latest round of physical layer lab tests. I am proud of the ATSC Brazil Implementation Team members who have worked hard to support the ATSC 3.0 proposal and to coordinate with the Forum. ATSC looks forward to continuing to work with the Fórum in the forthcoming Phase 3 physical layer field tests,” said ATSC President Madeleine Noland.