ATSC To Bring Media Trade Chiefs Together

The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) is uniting three experts on the TV industry on one “Super Panel” that will tackle the future of television, as the industry adapts to changing consumer tastes, new expectations and evolving technology.

At the 2015 ATSC Broadcast Television Conference on May 14, the three top industry executives — Gordon Smith, president-CEO of the NAB; Michael Powell, president-CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association; and Gary Shapiro, president-CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association — will come together.

The Future of Television Super Panel, bringing these three industry luminaries onstage together for the first time, will be moderated by Richard E. Wiley, chairman of WileyRein and former FCC chairman and former chairman of the FCC’s Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service,.

Registration for the May 14 conference is open now.

“Every pundit seems to have an opinion about where TV is going, with new technologies creating new business opportunities, with a new regulatory environment, and with Internet connectivity having a profound influence on broadcasters, pay-TV operators, and device manufacturers,” said ATSC President Mark Richer.  “At the 2015 ATSC Broadcast TV Conference, we are thrilled to bring together Gordon Smith, Michael Powell and Gary Shapiro to share their views on the future of television.  We’re asking these three remarkable industry leaders to share their predictions about the future, and while they may not always agree, I am certain that ATSC conference attendees will get a well-rounded view of how the television landscape is changing.”

The Super Panel will be a centerpiece of the day-long ATSC conference at the Reagan International Commerce Center in Washington. Under the banner “Tune In to the Future,” the 2015 ATSC Broadcast Television Conference also will feature a broadcast executive roundtable addressing strategic business issues surrounding the incentive auction and the future of broadcast television, as well as presentations on the status of ATSC 3.0, industry research reports and presentation of the Bernard J. Lechner Outstanding Contributor award .  The full agenda will be published in April.

For those who want a more comprehensive overview of the evolving ATSC 3.0 standard and its various layers of physical transmission, management protocols, and audio, the ATSC will host its “ATSC 3.0 Bootcamp” on the eve of the ATSC Broadcast TV Conference. Back by popular demand, this seminar and workshop, also at the Reagan Center, brings together the leaders in the development of the next-generation broadcast standard.

“The May 13 ATSC 3.0 Bootcamp will be an ideal place for a deep technical dive on the current status of the standardization effort, from the soon-to-arrive Candidate Standards that will face real-world trials to remaining elements that must be investigated and evaluated as the full ATSC 3.0 standard is finalized in the months ahead,” Richer explained.

Registration for the Wednesday, May 13 ATSC 3.0 Bootcamp is also open now.

The ATSC is in the process of developing the next-generation ATSC 3.0 terrestrial television broadcast standard with advanced performance and functionality made possible by new technologies and strategies. This next-generation standard must provide improvements in performance, functionality and efficiency that are significant enough to warrant the challenges of a transition to a new system.

“As a standards-setting organization, we have scores of experts working now to set the standard for ATSC 3.0, the broadcast TV standard that over-the-air broadcasters will use to deliver new content, reach more viewers on the go, and enhance the viewing and listening experience with 4K Ultra HD video and immersive audio,” Richer said.

“We fully expect ATSC 3.0 to be more flexible for broadcasters and more useful to a connected consumer,” he added. “The new standard will also be a superb pipe for delivering more channels of content and also instantaneously reaching millions of viewers at one moment — which is truly broadcasting’s biggest benefit and has proven to be a lifesaver in emergency situations,”