NAB's Smith To ATSC: Next-Gen TV Is Vital

National Association of Broadcasters President Gordon Smith encouraged television engineers to get on with the task of developing a new broadcast TV standard that can provide truly ubiquitous service.

“As broadcasters, it is our job to make sure our signals are available on every device and everywhere -- smartphones, laptops, tablets -- and of course, multiple channels of digital TV,” Smith said at the opening of the annual conference of the Advanced Television Systems Committee, which is working on the standard.

“In order for TV to succeed, we must continue to move quickly to increase the number of distribution channels and platforms for our valuable local content, and we must respond to the needs of an ever-more mobile audience.” While ATSC works on the so-called ATSC 3.0 standard, Smith said, NAB will work to preserve TV spectrum.