An advanced television system standard adopted primarily in North America.
The ATSC is a committee set up to co-ordinate voluntary technical standards among different communications media focusing on digital television, interactive systems, and broadband multimedia communications.
The ATSC standards of the Advanced Television Systems Committee are designed to supplement and replace the NTSC analogue television standards used in North America and other countries.
Established in 1982, the ATSC represents a number of industry bodies including the Electronic Industries Association (EIA), the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the National Cable Television Association (NCTA), and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).
ATSC Digital TV Standards include digital high definition television (HDTV), standard definition television (SDTV), data broadcasting, multichannel surround-sound audio, and satellite direct-to-home broadcasting.
The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted the major elements of the ATSC Digital Television (DTV) Standard (A/53) at the end of 1996 and the standard was adopted by Canada the following year.