ACAP approved by ATSC

ACAP (Advanced Common Application Platform), the middleware specification based on GEM, was recently approved by the ATSC. With trial services already on air in Korea, where the ATSC system is used for digital terrestrial television, this approval clears the way for the growth of interactive services in the USA, with harmonised standards across the cable and terrestrial markets. OCAP, developed by CableLabs for the American cable market, is also based around a GEM core.

ATSC previously published a companion Standard A/96, âInteraction Channel Protocols.â Used in combination with forward broadcast download channels from terrestrial, cable, and satellite networks, these protocols provide a complete interactive system.Both the ACAP (A/101) and the Interaction Channel Protocols (A/96) documents are available on the ATSC web site at www.atsc.org/standards.html.

An ATSC press release is available from: http://www.atsc.org/news_information/press/2005/PR_ACAP_09_05.html

In a related development Mexicoâs Televisa has made the first transmission and demonstration in Mexico of ACAP in cooperation with a South Korean data broadcasting company, Aircode. The partners have been successful in an actual live transmission over the entire city through the Pico Tres Padres state of the art transmitting station since August 30, which was before the ATSC officially announced ACAP’s approval.