ATSC 2.0 will emerge as a new candidate broadcast standard early this year with a goal of deploying it in CE products by year-end, Richard Chernock, chairman of the ATSC technology and standards group, told us. The candidate standard designation is a precursor to formal implementation of ATSC 2.0, he said.
The new standard, under development for 18 months, is designed to blend broadcast TV with the Internet in providing a variety interactive capabilities such as pushing news alerts to Internet-capable TVs much as they are delivered to smartphones via wireless networks, industry officials said. The standard also would allow for in-home viewing of broadcast content on mobile devices like tablets, industry officials said.