General Admin A3SA

MEDIA INDUSTRY VETERAN JOE ST. JEAN NAMED MANAGING DIRECTOR OF A3SA

Los Angeles, CA – February 5, 2025 – Longtime media industry veteran Joe St. Jean is joining A3SA, the ATSC 3.0 Security Authority, as Managing Director.  A seasoned professional with more than 25 years of experience in multi-platform content delivery strategies, content licensing and strategic partnerships, and video distribution product development, St. Jean takes over from Ron Wheeler, who served as Managing Director of the organization from its formation.

“Joe is the perfect choice to lead A3SA as we work to continue to support the ATSC 3.0 content security requirements and content protection needs of publishers across NEXTGEN TV receivers.  Joe’s extensive experience working at both studios and content distribution organizations will help us navigate the needs of both content owners, distributors like local broadcasters, and receiver manufacturers,” said A3SA Board Chair Anne Schelle of Pearl TV.

Most recently Executive VP of Technology Policy & Standards for Paramount, St. Jean developed and executed technology policies across the various divisions of Paramount Global.  He spearheaded ATSC 3.0 deployment initiatives for CBS, drove 4K HDR distribution for live sports, led the adoption of automated speech recognition technologies for live closed captioning of news, and provided technical leadership in various regulatory proceedings.  Previously, he worked for PanAmSat and began his career at Scientific Atlanta.  St. Jean holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University.

“Having been a long-time member of the A3SA technical committee, I have been fortunate to participate in A3SA’s amazing journey to develop a set of ATSC 3.0 Security capabilities with Ron’s dedication and leadership. I am excited to work with broadcasters and technology manufacturers to continue to support the delivery of high quality, high value content with enhanced viewing experiences to its consumers in a trusted and secure IP-based NEXTGEN TV transmission system,” St. Jean said.

Ron Wheeler steps down from the managing director position at A3SA, after agreeing to stay on until a successor was named.   “When we launched A3SA in August 2019, we set out to create something truly groundbreaking—the first-ever platform designed to bring Internet-style security to over-the-air (OTA) broadcast content, even without an internet connection. This has never been done before. Today, that vision has become a reality, providing broadcasters with a secure environment for delivering free high-value sports and entertainment content at scale. Through a collaborative effort with leading manufacturers and broadcasters, we now support over 14 million NEXTGEN TVs and set-top boxes, unlocking new opportunities for both broadcasters and consumers. This achievement represents a major leap forward for the industry, ensuring content protection and authentication for ATSC 3.0 signals while paving the way for even greater advancements ahead. I am proud of the progress we have made and pleased to leave the organization in Joe’s capable hands,” Wheeler said.

Schelle added that “Ron was instrumental in shaping A3SA from the start, providing the vision and leadership that built its foundation for success.  We are deeply grateful for his contributions.”

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About A3SA:  NEXTGEN TV, powered by ATSC 3.0, is a launching pad for enhanced local programming, news, weather, sports, and enhanced services for consumers to enjoy. ATSC 3.0 is the world’s first internet protocol (IP) based television standard, enabling broadcasters and manufacturers to use the same tools and technologies deployed for virtually all content distributed via the internet. And like the security tools and technologies used to secure internet content delivery, A3SA content security protects content owners, broadcasters, and consumers against viruses, hacking, and theft.

Media Contact:

Dave Arland, Arland Communications

dave@arlandcom.com

Phone:  (317) 701-0084

Digital Video Recorder Specifications Released for New NEXTGEN TV Devices

February 26, 2024 – A new digital video recorder (DVR) specification is now available to licensees of the A3SA content protection technology that is now being deployed throughout the country concurrent with the launch of NEXTGEN TV broadcast channels.  The new specification provides a blueprint for a variety of new ATSC 3.0 recording devices that will allow innovators to develop new products for home networks, insuring the seamless and easy viewing of favorite broadcast TV programs.

“For the past year, we’ve been working in consultation with several electronics companies who are developing devices designed to add new features for NEXTGEN TV viewers, from simple DVRs to more advanced home networking systems.  After considering the various home scenarios, A3SA is pleased to release detailed specifications that will guide companies and soon provide consumers with a wealth of new options for digital video recording and more,” said Ron Wheeler, managing director of A3SA.

A3SA approved the new specifications and rules for secure DVRs, home gateways, and other accessory devices, as well as a newly added alternative method to let viewers securely stream ATSC 3.0 content from such devices throughout their home network.  Developed in consultation with manufacturers and with extensive subsystem prototyping to prove feasibility, the new DVR specifications support multiple product architectures from single components to systems that have devices distributed across a home network.

The DVR specification is designed to work in concert with A3SA’s earlier established Broadcaster Encoding Rules, which govern how broadcasters can use the A3SA security technology with ATSC 3.0 content that is simulcast with corresponding ATSC 1.0 content, allowing viewers to decode and record broadcasts, make unlimited copies without expiration dates, and use common features like pause, rewind and fast-forward.  The A3SA Encoding Rules also prevent downgrading of picture quality when connecting to legacy television sets.

The new A3SA DVR specification supports in-home streaming to applications hosted on common media consumption platforms such as Android, Fire, Roku, WebOS, and Tizen, with iOS support in process.  The spec supports dynamic memory provisioning for media playback (an advantage for consumer devices) and enables developers of new NEXTGEN TV platforms to bring to market innovative new options.