ATSC 1.0 has been the backbone of digital television broadcasting in the U.S. since the late 1990s. While it was revolutionary at the time, it's now showing its age—particularly due to the continued reliance on the outdated MPEG-2 codec and the overcrowding of subchannels.

Fortunately, there’s a better path forward: H.264/AVC (MPEG-4 Part 10). Introduced in the early 2000s and officially supported in ATSC 1.0 since 2008, H.264 offers significantly better compression, enabling broadcasters to deliver twice the video quality or twice the number of subchannels compared to MPEG-2—all within the same 6 MHz, 19.39 Mbps bandwidth.

The best part? Nearly all TVs and set-top boxes made in the last 15 years already support H.264. For those with older equipment, affordable over-the-air set-top boxes that decode H.264 are widely available for as little as $25.

Why Broadcasters Should Make the Switch
By adopting H.264, broadcasters can:

Improve picture quality across all channels. https://youtu.be/WjVEfHo4yuc
Fit more HD or SD subchannels without sacrificing clarity. 
Enhance viewer experience, making content more appealing and accessible.
Increase ad visibility and readability, potentially boosting revenue.
Maintain compatibility with the vast majority of existing TVs and receivers.
Real-World Examples of H.264 in Action
Bridge News stations offer up to 13 MPEG-4 subchannels (480i/p) alongside a main HD MPEG-2 channel.
ABC News (Australia) uses H.264 to broadcast HD subchannels.
WMEU-CD (Chicago) uses MPEG-4 for Start TV and MeTV+, allowing room for The U in 720p and a 1080i simulcast of WBBM.
WFDC (Washington, D.C.), sharing spectrum with WDCW, recently added UniMás in MPEG-4.
KCNS (San Francisco), part of a three-way spectrum share, uses MPEG-4 for one of its subchannels.
A Call to Action
Let’s encourage our local broadcasters to embrace H.264 encoding. It’s a simple, cost-effective upgrade that benefits everyone—from viewers to station owners.

📢 You can help! Sign the petition and spread the word. Together, we can bring over-the-air broadcasting into the modern era—without leaving anyone behind.