CBT Digital Broadcasting Standards Flashcards

What does HDR stand for in modern broadcast production, and which standard is most common for US broadcast?

Answer: High Dynamic Range; HDR10 or HLG are most common

HDR (High Dynamic Range) expands luminance and color range; HDR10 (using PQ transfer curve) and HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) are the dominant standards in US broadcast.

What color space standard is defined for UHDTV (4K/8K) broadcasting?

Answer: BT.2020

ITU-R BT.2020 defines the wide color gamut, bit depth, and sampling formats for Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV) production and distribution.

In digital broadcast, what is 'lip sync' error and what is the acceptable tolerance per ATSC guidelines?

Answer: Audio/video timing mismatch; ±45 ms preferred, −90/+185 ms absolute limit

Lip sync error is the timing offset between audio and video; ATSC guidelines suggest keeping it within ±45 ms preferred, with absolute limits of −90 ms (audio early) to +185 ms (audio late).

What is the function of a conditional access (CA) system in digital broadcasting?

Answer: Encrypts content so only authorized subscribers can decrypt and view it

Conditional access systems encrypt broadcast content using encryption keys distributed via smartcards or software, ensuring only paying subscribers can view the programming.

Which ATSC standard defines the rules for closed captioning in digital television broadcasts?

Answer: ATSC A/53 Part 4 / CEA-708

CEA-708 (referenced in ATSC A/53 Part 4) defines digital closed captioning for DTV, replacing the analog CEA-608 standard used in NTSC.

What is the purpose of the MPEG-2 transport stream null packet (PID 0x1FFF)?

Answer: Fills unused bandwidth to maintain constant bit rate

Null packets (PID 8191/0x1FFF) carry no useful data and are inserted to pad the transport stream to maintain a constant total bit rate.