[opendtv] Re: You can't fool mother nature - ATSC Standard A/344
- From: Craig Birkmaier <brewmastercraig@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 03 Jan 2018 11:09:27 -0500
On Jan 2, 2018, at 7:11 PM, Manfredi, Albert E <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
A/344, dated December 18, 2017, is titled "ATSC 3.0 Interactive Content." So
it finally explains what has confused so many trade scribes for so long. The
long as the short of it is:
For interactivity (leaving aside interacting merely with content stored in a
TV set or STB), in addition to (or instead of) the ATSC 3.0 broadcast
channel, you need a two-way broadband channel.
DUH.
I really do not understand why Bert is so hung up on this issue. I delivered
several papers at SMPTE conferences, and other forums, about data broadcast
techniques TWO DECADES AGO.
The ability to push “Internet Content” to local storage as part of a broadcast,
or to simply broadcast a real URL that can be cited upon by a smart TV are well
established principles. The only problem was, and possibly still is, that
broadcasters were not interested; in fact, many resisted implementing these
capabilities, because they did not want to “distract” viewers from the real
purpose of the broadcast - watching the commercials that pay for the content.
Two decades later, it is commonplace for viewers to own Internet connected TVs,
and equally common for viewers to use a connected smartphone or tablet while
they are “watching” TV, as I am doing now.
Nothing new here other than the “hope” that broadcasters might actually use
A344.
I used this example years ago, and it continues to apply. The principle is
the same as what has been done for decades with call-in radio programs. If
you want to call in to a radio show, it takes more than a "backchannel." In
addition to the radio channel you are listening to, to call in, you need a
fully bidirectional, standard, telephone connection. In fact, the broadcast
radio channel is not even necessary, when making the phone call. Same applies
exactly to ATSC 3.0 interactivity. It requires a separate, two-way, broadband
connection.
DUH. What’s the problem Bert?
The above link is the A/344 standard. To point out what's involved, it says:
"Specifically, ATSC is working to coordinate television standards among
different communications media focusing on digital television, interactive
systems, and broadband multimedia communications."
So, "coordinate among different media" is the key concept.
Exactly. I think the whole point is that we now have a network of networks
called the Internet, and other networks that leverage the two way capabilities.
The only relevant questions today are why has it taken broadcasters so long to
implement such capabilities, and do they have any interest in doing so with
ATSC 3.0?
Sure, one has always been able to store broadcast material, and then later do
what appears to be an interactive session locally. As a trivial example, any
PVR can do that. No need for IP overhead. But we all know that's cheating,
when we talk about interactivity. The main focus of this new standard is to
allow use of broadband service, to the TV set or STB.
Earth to Bert. The U.K. had push broadcast interactivity for decades in the
form of Teletext - data transmitted in the vertical blanking interval...
If broadcasters WANT to take advantage of A344, there are many relevant
applications, and it will be far easier to implement, as connected TV devices
do have the ability to deal with IP and HTML5.
This is not to say that it can just be “turned on;” like other apps running on
connected TVs, broadcasters will need to work with TV manufacturers to
implement the key parts of the standard.
ATSC 3.0 adds a (functionally) minor wrinkle, in that it can broadcast to
local storage one or more of the potential interactive links, regardless of
user interest, and then fool the user into thinking that requesting the
stored link(s) is the same as requesting other Internet-based content. A bit
of a tour de force if you ask me, but okay. ‘
How else would you push content to a receiver?
So, they go to considerable lengths to allow for locally stored content to
appear to be like other Internet-based content, although for the true
Internet content, no clever tricks need to be played with URLs. And
naturally, numerous IETF standards have to be cited.
Yup. The obvious reason to push data to a receiver is that it may not have
internet access.
In practice, for uses such as VOD, it seems unlikely that stored content
would be used much of the time.
WHY?
The ability to push content to local storage allows broadcasters to compete
with ISPs. Not a big deal for fixed broadband, which typically has large data
caps, but potentially important for mobile devices, even if they do not have an
ATSC receiver. It is trivially easy to interconnect a broadcast receiver with
WiFi in a home and deliver bits to any device in the home.
Doing so would consume loads of broadcast channel capacity, for something
that very few people in a market will want, anytime soon.
You mean like all the capacity that exists between midnight and 6 AM?
The real issue is whether broadcasters WANT to do this.
Seems to me that ATSC 3.0 broadcasters are free to broadcast nothing at all,
for interactive service, and just allow TV receivers that support A/344 to
interact with real Web-based content. No one will be the wiser. A broadcaster
could even provide its own web site, for this purpose, and never use the URI
broadcast method. The KISS principle, in other words.
This is certainly an option.
The current crop of "connected TVs" don't have standard browsers, but rather
some proprietary scheme, typically Roku. A/344 needs something much more like
standard browsers. Will be interesting to see what will come of any of this.
The reason connected TVs and devices do not have browsers is that browsing
requires a more sophisticated user interface. That is why all of these
platforms have moved to APPs that can be run with simple remotes. And then
there is the new reality that we often have browsers sitting on our laps...
The ability for a mobile device to interoperate with a connected TV device is
commonplace today. We can use AirPlay with Apple TV or “cast” to a Google
Chromecast device. These devices also work the other direction. When I am
setting up an Apple TV, or an App running on it, and using my tablet, it
automatically brings up a window on the tablet allowing me to use either a real
or virtual keyboard to enter text and alpha numerics.
My educated guess is that we will not see much use of A344. And the jury is
still out on ATSC 3.0. The one remaining value of broadcasting is
retransmission consent. Eliminate that, and stations will start going dark in
droves.
More likely, the ownership caps will be increased, and the broadcast networks
will gobble up stations to get those retrans dollars.
The fact that Disney is buying up much of Twentieth Century Fox and will launch
two streaming subscriber services says volumes.
Regards
Craig
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