ATSC for Second Time Puts Off Decision on HDR for ATSC 3.0 for 2 Months

ATSC’s Technology Group 3 for the second time delayed picking a winning high-dynamic-range technology for ATSC 3.0 for two months by extending the candidate standard period on the A/341 ATSC 3.0 video document to Nov. 30, ATSC President Mark Richer confirmed in a Thursday email. “I am hopeful that TG3 will approve a ballot to elevate A/341 to Proposed Standard during its meeting on November 17th,” Richer told us. He gave no explanation for the latest delay in choosing an HDR system for ATSC 3.0, which was to have been completed July 31 before being delayed to Sept. 30 because ATSC 3.0's framers wanted to “get it done right,” they said in June (see 1606160052). The delays on HDR are reminiscent of the contentious debate within ATSC to choose a winning audio codec for ATSC 3.0, which resulted in a monthslong impasse before ATSC 3.0's framers, in a compromise, settled on Dolby AC-4 for North America, MPEG-H for South Korea (see 1604210053).