ATSC May Choose Single or Multiple Audio Codecs for ATSC 3.0, President Says

Though ATSC said in its Dec. 8 call for proposals (CFP) that it has no plans “to develop the ATSC 3.0 audio system out of independent components from multiple sources" (see 1412090019), that won’t preclude the possibility that ATSC will pick multiple audio codecs for the next-gen broadcast system, ATSC President Mark Richer emailed us Thursday. "ATSC may select a single audio system or multiple audio systems for ATSC 3.0." He was reacting to a statement from DTS, one of three contestants to submit ATSC 3.0 audio proposals in response to the CFP, in which it supported ATSC picking multiple audio codecs rather than deciding on a single mandatory audio standard for ATSC 3.0. At DTS, “we believe ATSC 3.0 audio should be a multi-codec choice and not a single mandatory solution,” spokesman Jordan Miller emailed us Wednesday. Though Miller didn't say so, the statement seemed an attempt to forestall ATSC choosing Dolby or another technology as a single mandatory audio codec for ATSC 3.0 as ATSC did in picking Dolby AC-3 as the mandatory audio codec for the existing DTV broadcast system. Dolby and the "MPEG-H Audio Alliance" of Fraunhofer, Qualcomm and Technicolor were the other contestants to submit proposals in response to the CFP. “Choice, innovation and competition are important to ATSC and broadcasters, and a framework for multiple audio codecs will be key to allowing broadcasters to choose the solution that best matches their needs," Miller of DTS said. "This will ensure that ATSC can remain at the forefront of technology in the face of competing systems, and ensure consumer-electronics manufacturers are not beholden to a single, mandatory technology provider.” Miller confirmed that DTS:X, “our next generation object based audio platform, is the core component of our ATSC 3.0 submission.” For Miller, it was a somewhat more sweeping claim of the role of DTS:X in the DTS ATSC 3.0 submission than he made a day earlier when he told us only that a “portion” of DTS:X would be “leveraged” in the DTS ATSC 3.0 audio proposal (see 1501210023).