SDTV and Multiple Service in a DTV Environment

William Y. Zou

With the adoption of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) Digital Television (DTV) standard and the 5th and 6th Report and Order by the FCC, a rapid implementation of digital television broadcasting is now under way in the U.S. The DTV standard allows broadcasters to offer multiple standard-definition television (SDTV) services as well as high-definition television (HDTV) service. Furthermore, the FCC gives broadcasters maximum flexibility in their use of a digital channel by not requiring them to deliver any HDTV programs. Regulatory flexibility in DTV implementation and system capability in the DTV standard will certainly open the door to a new age of multimedia services including multiple SDTV service. The concept of multiple SDTV service is based on the use of the same technologies and system architecture developed for HDTV by the Grand Alliance (GA). Multiple SDTV service could be provided to the public in addition or as a supplement to HDTV service. This includes such things as transmission of multiple 4 × 3 aspect ratio or widescreen programs with resolution equivalent to or better than the current analog NTSC system. This paper reviews the definition of SDTV and its provision in the ATSC DTV standard and then examines the key elements of the MPEG-2 transport system that provides the means for multiple service. To facilitate the implementation of multiple SDTV service, a discussion is given on how to configure multiple SDTV service as well as select user definable MPEG-2 parameters. Finally, issues and challenges regarding multiple SDTV service are addressed.

Print ISSN
Published
1998-10
Content type
Original Research
DOI
10.5594/J04393