‘Nothing Yet To Announce’ on Winning ATSC 3.0 Audio Codec, ATSC Chief Says

Friday’s deadline passed for ATSC’s S34-2 ad hoc group to deliver a recommended ATSC 3.0 audio codec to its parent S34 subcommittee, but with no announcement on a winning system. A statement from ATSC President Mark Richer suggested an announcement on the winning codec might be a distance off. “ATSC will announce elements of ATSC 3.0 as they are approved for Candidate Standard status by ATSC’s Technology Group 3,” Richer emailed us Friday, in reference to the technology group chaired by Triveni Digital Chief Science Officer Rich Chernock that's overseeing all ATSC 3.0 standardization work. “In the case of audio,” Richer said, “the work of a subcommittee continues and there is nothing yet to announce.” Dolby AC-4 and the MPEG-H audio alliance of Fraunhofer, Qualcomm and Technicolor are the two proponents vying to be chosen as the ATSC 3.0 audio system (see 1508110027).