ATSC 3.0 report outlines gains in spectrum efficiency and sustainability

A new report released by One Media Technologies, a subsidiary of Sinclair, outlines how the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard delivers measurable gains in spectrum efficiency, energy performance and hybrid system integration.

The findings are detailed in “ATSC 3.0: Efficient, Scalable, Sustainable Wireless Capacity.”

“ATSC 3.0 is not just a better broadcast technology. It is a blueprint for how modern wireless systems can— and should—serve the public interest,” wrote Mark Aitken, SVP of Sinclair Broadcast Group and president of One Media Technologies, in the report introduction.

The study describes ATSC 3.0 as the first wireless broadcast standard designed for native Internet Protocol delivery, enabling it to scale with cloud-based workflows and mobile data infrastructure. Unlike unicast systems, which send data individually to each user, ATSC 3.0 uses a one-to-many model that transmits once and reaches multiple receivers simultaneously.

Initial U.S. deployments showed a fivefold video delivery efficiency gain over ATSC 1.0.

These results stem from physical-layer improvements and the transition from MPEG-2 to HEVC video compression. A newer codec, VVC, is expected to double that efficiency again to 10x. Brazil’s upcoming TV 3.0 system — which incorporates ATSC 3.0 with MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output) — is projected to deliver a 15x improvement over the country’s current ISDB-T standard.

“The MIMO ATSC 3.0 physical layer combined with the new codecs VVC+LCEVC will create a system 15x more efficient than the current Brazilian TV system. This will enable UHD HDR free-to-air services for indoor reception at the highest possible spectral and energy efficiency,” said Luiz Fausto, vice president of standards development at ATSC and former regulatory specialist at TV Globo.

The report emphasizes the importance of aligning signal characteristics to specific business goals.

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ATSC 3.0 provides 60 operating points across three functional zones: high-robustness mobile delivery, mid-range fixed TV delivery, and high-capacity fixed-point “fat pipe” services. This capability allows broadcasters to customize delivery speed and robustness based on use case, ranging from mobile devices to 8K content streams.

Two case studies in the report demonstrate the potential of hybrid systems combining broadcast and telecom networks.

In the United Kingdom, British Telecom developed a Multicast-Assisted Unicast Delivery (MAUD) system that integrates terrestrial broadcast and satellite spectrum into 5G networks. MAUD is designed to reduce peak network demand by up to 50 percent and mitigate the need for a projected £16.5 billion ($20.8 billion) telecom infrastructure upgrade.

In India, the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati is testing a Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) service using ATSC 3.0 chips and transmission systems. The government estimates that 25 to 30 percent of mobile video traffic could be offloaded from 5G networks using D2M. The initiative also aims to serve approximately 85 million “TV-dark” households lacking conventional television access.

“ATSC 3.0 was not built to just deliver broadcast television, but to provide a robust and adaptable wireless IP data delivery platform,” said Josh Gordon, strategic marketing advisor for ONE Media Technologies and author of the report.

In August, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a decree making TV 3.0 the official standard for future broadcasting in the country.