On Monday 10 October, the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) issued a Request for Information (RFI). The request is related to the development of Conformance Test Suite Development and Conformity Assessment programs to support the implementation of the ATSC 3.0 next-generation television broadcast standard.

U.S. TV stations will begin testing in 2017 with U.S. market deployments in the first half of 2018. To achieve the highest quality user experience and to assure interoperability, the ATSC and other industry groups have a keen interest in the development of test suites and tools.

This RFI is focused on four testing areas: Coding for Transmission & Reception; Data & Metadata; Interactivity; and Security.

Specifically, the RFI addresses test suites, test automation, version management, test result formats and administration. The RFI also focuses on program management, including policy and procedure development and third-party assessment plans, as well as implementation tools and experience.

The program will eventually be administered under the auspices of one or more industry organizations.

Current planning and technical work on the 3.0 standard is focused on IP-based service delivery and lays the foundation for improved viewing features, such as 4K UHD, targeted advertising, high dynamic range and mobile/portable reception.