In April 2021, one of the leading companies promoting and implementing the ATSC 3.0 standard Sinclair Broadcasting with its subsidiary ONE Media 3.0 incorporated as well as the DRM Consortium and Fraunhofer IIS, an audio company based in Germany responsible for the MPEG and AAC audio codecs used worldwide for a variety of digital audio media services, will be working together to bring Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) to the ATSC 3.0 television standard. However, ATSC 3.0 and DRM use different codecs for audio. ATSC 3.0 in North America will use Dolby Digital’s AC-4 audio codec (NOTE: South Korea was the first country in the world to use ATSC 3.0 in 2017 but that country uses a different audio codec than North America for TV broadcasting, which is Fraunhofer’s MPEG-H system.) whereas DRM will use Fraunhofer’s xHE-AAC audio, which is the mandatory audio codec for DRM. Despite the fact these two systems use different audio codecs from two competing audio compression technology companies, the IP-based ATSC 3.0 will be able to decode DRMs xHE-AAC audio channels through a separate broadcast app designed specifically for the DRM audio stream. Due to the IP nature of ATSC 3.0, the DRM signal will be able to stream together seamlessly via the ATSC 3.0 broadcast stream even though it uses a different audio codec than ATSC 3.0. With the addition of DRM to an ATSC 3.0 broadcast stream, it will bring audio services to ATSC 3.0-capable TVs or any kind of ATSC 3.0-capable mobile devices.
Because ATSC 3.0 is an IP-based television standard, it can use its broadcast signal to stream hundreds of audio channels or radio stations via its signal along with TV channels and other data-based services on a 6 MHz TV channel. All of this is possible because ATSC 3.0 uses much better video compression technologies such as HEVC, SHVC, and VVC, the latest video compression technology approved in 2020 that is basically an improvement of HEVC and SHVC. As a result, you can use the ATSC 3.0 standard to create a radio broadcasting service that could be similar to the paid subscription-based SiriusXM Satellite Radio, which provides a wide variety of 150 audio channels. Unlike SiriusXM, the radio programming will be free to listeners just like old-fashioned analog AM and FM radio and HD Digital radio. Because it is free like current AM and FM radio, it will be ad-supported, unlike the mostly commercial-free SiriusXM.
Another difference between this service and the current music streaming platforms available today is that it uses OTA TV signals to transmit rather than 3G, 4G, and 5G cellular networks consuming data, which could be costly to the consumer unless they have an unlimited data plan with their cell phone provider. Since cell phones primarily use a unicast, or one-to-one broadcast delivery system, times of high usage can overload the amount of available bandwidth at a cell phone tower especially if there are many users streaming TV programs or listening to music streaming services simultaneously. This could lead to signal issues, buffering, and slow download speeds causing poor service for all users. In contrast, the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard is designed to be multicast, or one to many, TV broadcast service like the current ATSC 1.0 standard. As a result, it can handle an infinite number of users at the same time, which is necessary for a successful radio broadcasting system. If this partnership between ATSC 3.0 and Digital Radio Mondiale is successful, it could become a game-changer for the radio broadcast industry and ensure its relevance well into the future.
Because ATSC 3.0 is an IP-based television standard, it can use its broadcast signal to stream hundreds of audio channels or radio stations via its signal along with TV channels and other data-based services on a 6 MHz TV channel. All of this is possible because ATSC 3.0 uses much better video compression technologies such as HEVC, SHVC, and VVC, the latest video compression technology approved in 2020 that is basically an improvement of HEVC and SHVC. As a result, you can use the ATSC 3.0 standard to create a radio broadcasting service that could be similar to the paid subscription-based SiriusXM Satellite Radio, which provides a wide variety of 150 audio channels. Unlike SiriusXM, the radio programming will be free to listeners just like old-fashioned analog AM and FM radio and HD Digital radio. Because it is free like current AM and FM radio, it will be ad-supported, unlike the mostly commercial-free SiriusXM.
Another difference between this service and the current music streaming platforms available today is that it uses OTA TV signals to transmit rather than 3G, 4G, and 5G cellular networks consuming data, which could be costly to the consumer unless they have an unlimited data plan with their cell phone provider. Since cell phones primarily use a unicast, or one-to-one broadcast delivery system, times of high usage can overload the amount of available bandwidth at a cell phone tower especially if there are many users streaming TV programs or listening to music streaming services simultaneously. This could lead to signal issues, buffering, and slow download speeds causing poor service for all users. In contrast, the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard is designed to be multicast, or one to many, TV broadcast service like the current ATSC 1.0 standard. As a result, it can handle an infinite number of users at the same time, which is necessary for a successful radio broadcasting system. If this partnership between ATSC 3.0 and Digital Radio Mondiale is successful, it could become a game-changer for the radio broadcast industry and ensure its relevance well into the future.