Tolka, a globally active specialist in broadcast-related software development, today stated that it has officially partnered with Pearl TV as part of the FastTrack Program. The FastTrack Program is designed to accelerate and streamline consumer electronics makers’ adoption of NextGen TV technology for smart TV and related high-volume devices.
The announcement was made at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show which opened today in Las Vegas. Exhibiting in the ATSC booth (17783, LVCC Central Hall) and at CES Tech West (Wynn), Tolka is demonstrating a range of technology and upgrade accessories supporting the UHD-compatible ATSC 3.0 NEXTGEN TV standard as well as the HD-compatible ATSC 1.0.
Pearl TV’s FastTrack program seeks to provide support to manufacturers interested in making devices that offer the full NEXTGEN TV service feature set. This includes enhanced video, audio and interactive features. The detailed device requirements will be updated continuously to aid manufacturers as NEXTGEN TV evolves.
Tolka is working with several major system-on-chip vendors and manufacturers to offer a pre-certified turnkey solution for integration into consumer electronics brands. Tolka’s ATSC 3.0 Broadcast Stack software will be pre-certified for compliance with the Consumer Technology Association’s NEXTGEN TV logo requirements, A3SA Security and the RUN3TV Application platform.
Tolka’s ATSC 3.0 Broadcast Stack is a series of software modules which implements ATSC 3.0 and ATSC 1.0 standards. It is designed for use with household TV receivers, set-top boxes, in-car receivers, mobile phones, tablets or computers, allowing television viewers to experience latest-generation free-to-air television programs on Android or Linux platforms.
“ATSC 3.0 is one of the most impressive advances in television broadcasting since the transition from 525i standard definition to 720p and 1080i high definition which began over 20 years ago,” says Alex Day, Tolka Business Development Manager. “Central to the ATSC 3.0 standard is support for 2160p 4K resolution, high frame rate, high dynamic range, wide color gamut and movie theater quality sound. ATSC 3.0 also provides support for datacast services such as localized emergency notification.”
The number of U.S. TV markets now served by the NEXTGEN TV standard has increased by 26 in recent months, reaching 66 by December 31st, 2022. This expansion in service availability is expected to continue throughout 2023. ATSC services are accessible across many areas of the USA, Canada, Mexico and South Korea. They have also been adopted for Jamaica and recommended for Brazil.
ATSC 1.0 is based on a 19.4 Mbps bit rate and 8VSB modulation to allow 1080-line HD and 525-line SD multicasting. ATSC 3.0 is based on data rates of up to 36 Mbps and OFDM modulation to support 2160p60 UHD and HD multicasting. More than 75% of all televisions sold by 2024 are expected to be available with dual HD and NEXTGEN TV reception.
