IEEE Spectrum December, 2012 - 55

is regulated by government agencies to ensure that it is used in
people's best interest. In the early days of radio telecommunications, for example, the U.S. government made a deal with broadcasters: We will let you use some of our spectrum for free, and in
return, you must meet certain "public service" obligations.
Among the traditional rules, which also include requirements such as censoring profanity and airing at least one program free of charge to all viewers, broadcasters must adhere to
a single technical transmission standard. By making all broadcast stations use the same agreed-upon protocols for sending and receiving signals, regulators can assure anyone who
buys a TV that it will work anywhere in the country, receive
all channels, and won't be obsolete anytime soon. The downside, of course, is that consensus takes time. Consequently, when
innovations-color pictures, digital video, and now mobile
and online services-grab consumers' attention, the broadcast
industry is slow to standardize and adopt them.
For example, the transition from an analog to digital broadcasting standard in the United States took 22 years. The chal-

Broadcast
TV's First
Century

2009 In
July, analog
broadcasting
ceases in the
United States.

1978 The Public Broadcasting
Service, in the United States,
begins delivering programming
to local stations by satellite.

2020

2010

2000

1990

1980

1970

1981 NHK (Japan
Broadcasting Corp.)
demonstrates
HDTV with 1125
scanning lines.
1984 The U.S. Federal
Communications Commission
adopts the stereo sound
transmission standard.

1960

1950

2008 The U.S. government
offers $40 coupons to help
consumers purchase digital
converter boxes, which allow
analog TV sets to receive
digital broadcasts.

1990 The U.S. Federal
Communications Commission lends
each broadcast station a second
TV channel to simulcast NTSC and
HDTV while making the transition to
all-digital television.

1927 AT&T Bell Telephone
Laboratories conducts the
first long-distance television
transmission in the United
States, from Washington, D.C.,
to New York City.

1940

1930

1953 The U.S. Federal
Communications
Commission adopts
the National Television
System Committee
color television
standard.

2011 The Advanced Television
Systems Committee forms a
technology working group to develop
"ATSC 3.0" broadcast standards.

spectrum.ieee.org

1996 The U.S. Federal
Communications
Commission adopts
the Advanced
Television Systems
Committee's DTV
standard, and the first
HDTV station goes on
the air.

1936 The British Broadcasting Corp.
provides the world's first regular
television service.

1953 The U.S. Federal
Communications
Commission approves
the broadcasting of
TV signals in the ultrahigh-frequency band.

2012 The Advanced
Television Systems
Committee aims to complete
"ATSC 2.0" broadcast
standards by the year's end.

lenge wasn't just selecting and perfecting a single standard
from among the more than 20 possible systems proposed in the
late 1980s. That took nine years. The longer delay came about
because old analog receivers weren't compatible with the new
digital transmissions. So for more than a decade, until 2009,
broadcasters transmitted both analog and digital signals on separate radio-frequency (RF) channels, waiting for "the last granny"
to replace her television set or buy a digital-to-analog converter.
The next evolution of broadcasting technology needs to
happen much more quickly, and indeed it is already under way.
Many standards groups around the world are developing new
technologies that build upon today's basic digital standards.
These additions will make digital broadcasting more versatile
without totally overhauling it. Old receivers and tuners will continue to read transmissions as they normally would. But broadcasters will also be able to add new features and services aimed
at such modern appliances as smartphones and smart TVs.
The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) in
the United States is heading one of the most ambitious initia-

1930

1940

1950

2003 All U.S. broadcasters are required
to transmit DTV.

1967 Europe sees
its first regular color
TV broadcasts.

1960

1941 The U.S. Federal
Communications
Commission adopts
the National Television
System Committee
black-and-white
television standard.

1970

1980

1990

2000

1969 The live television
broadcast of the first
astronauts to walk
on the moon draws
120 million viewers in
the United States alone.

2010

2007 All new
TV sets in the
U.S. are required
to include DTV
tuners.

2010 The U.S. Federal
Communications
Commission releases
its National Broadband
Plan, calling for an
additional reallocation
of broadcast spectrum.

DEcEmbEr 2012 * iEEE SpEctrum * NA

2020

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Spectrum December, 2012