The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) announced the recent approval of its A/153 ATSC Mobile DTV Standard.

The ATSC Mobile DTV Standard was designed to help broadcasters provide new services to consumers by using a wide array of wireless receiving devices, including mobile phones, small handheld DTVs, laptop computers and in-vehicle entertainment systems.

The ATSC Mobile DTV Standard defines the technical specifications necessary for broadcasters to provide new services to mobile and handheld devices using their digital television transmissions.

The ATSC said the new services for mobile and handheld devices are carried along with current DTV services without any adverse impact on legacy receiving equipment. The ATSC Mobile DTV Standard was developed to support a variety of services, including free (advertiser-supported) television and interactive services delivered in real time, subscription-based TV, and file-based content downloads for playback at a later time. The standard can also be used for transmission of new data broadcasting services.

"Development and adoption of the ATSC Mobile DTV Standard is a major milestone in the ongoing evolution of digital television," said ATSC President Mark Richer. "We have been fortunate to have strong and active industry support, including thousands of person-hours of technical volunteers, for this work, which enabled us to develop the standard in an efficient manner."

The new standard enjoyed the support of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

“As a founding ATSC member, CEA congratulates ATSC on achieving this new standard, which will help chipmakers and equipment manufacturers proceed with product development and deployment,” said CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. “With the successful digital television transition now behind us, the ATSC Mobile DTV standard gives broadcasters an opportunity to provide consumers with the next generation of compelling over-the-air content."

ATSC said the ballot, which was counted at midnight on Thursday, passed with overwhelming support by its members.

On the heels of the ATSC’s announcement, Samsung Electronics said it had successfully developed the world’s first single chip that’s compatible with the new standard.

Samsung’s chip combines the radio frequency and digital chip components into a single 65 nanometer (nm)-scale chip. Compared with traditional multiple-chip sets, Samsung said the single chip provides makers of various mobile devices – including mobile phones, car-mounted televisions and portable media players – an optimal solution that is more compact, uses less power and is more affordable.