The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) is an international, non-profit organization dedicated to developing voluntary standards for digital television. Initially established to create a system for terrestrial broadcasting of digital television in the United States, the ATSC standards have also been adopted by countries such as Argentina, Canada, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Key features of the ATSC system include:
- Combining a single widescreen digital High-Definition Television (HDTV) signal or up to six standard-definition TV programs within a 6 MHz “analog TV channel.”
- Support for Dolby surround sound (AC-3) audio technology.
- Capability for providing data broadcasting services alongside television content.
The ATSC standard is primarily designed for fixed television reception, making it less suitable for portable or mobile devices. However, it can also be used for broadcasting via satellite or cable systems.
Similar to the European DVB and Japanese ISDB-T systems, the ATSC system relies on the transmission of MPEG-2 compressed video data containers. These containers allow for the flexible transmission of compressed video, audio, and additional data services.
One notable distinction is that ATSC does not utilize Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) for transmission; instead, it employs 8VSB modulation (or 16VSB for cable). 8VSB is a form of amplitude modulation with eight different digital levels.