Don't Forget Analog TSID Requirements

[Gregg Lengling]

Feb. 1 was the deadline for DTV stations to be in full compliance with ATSC Standard A/65B regarding PSIP transmission. While the requirements for DTV transmission of PSIP were clear, I found there was a lot of confusion about requirements for transmitting the analog TSID on NTSC stations. My initial reading of second periodic DTV transition review order led me to believe analog TSID was required in all cases and my discussion of the Order reflected that. Some manufacturers of TSID equipment came to the same conclusion. However, since that was written it become clear that not all analog stations are required to broadcast their TSID.


Analog TSID is only required if a station is broadcasting a program guide for its analog service. In other words, if your ATSC A/65B compliant DTV program guide does not contain information for minor channel 0, your NTSC channel, analog TSID is NOT required. In a quick survey of on-air program guides, I did not see any listing program data for the analog channel.


This issue was addressed on the NAB/MSTV Digital Decisions Web cast in November last year. Lynn Claudy from NAB explained the TSID requirements to participants in front of a panel including Victor Tawil from MSTV Rick Chessen and Alan Stillwell from the FCC. No one on the panel contested his explanation. You can hear it yourself one hour, twelve minutes into the Web cast. A link to the archived Web cast is available on the MSTV Web site. When the Web cast starts, you can move the position slider on your Windows Media player to this point in the Web cast and hear the explanation.


There is certainly no harm in transmitting analog TSID information, even if your station isn't required to carry it. If TV set and set-top box manufacturers start including the ability to read analog TSID information in their sets, the TSID could provide a link between a TV station's analog service and its DTV service. For this to work, the TV set would have to have a table linking the station's analog TSID to its DTV channel. The table would also have to reflect the station's current DTV channel assignment, as some stations have changed their channels since the initial allocation were published.