What Is the Broadcast Technology Society?

The Broadcast Technology Society (BTS) is a technical society within the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) dedicated to the advancement of broadcast engineering and science. Its field of interest encompasses devices, equipment, techniques, and systems related to broadcast technology, including the production, distribution, wired and wireless transmission, propagation, and reception of audio, video, and data services. The Society serves engineers and researchers working in television, radio, and emerging digital broadcast platforms.

BTS traces its origins to the early IEEE broadcasting activities and has evolved alongside the broadcast industry from analog terrestrial television through digital compression standards, high-definition broadcasting, and internet-based distribution. It brings together practitioners from consumer electronics, transmission infrastructure, studio production, and regulatory engineering to address technical challenges common across those domains.

Technical Scope

The technical scope of BTS spans the full broadcast signal chain, from content production and studio equipment through transmission and propagation to consumer reception. This includes the study of modulation and coding schemes used in digital terrestrial television standards such as ATSC in North America and DVB in Europe, the engineering of broadcast transmitters and antenna systems, and the propagation characteristics of VHF and UHF bands used for terrestrial broadcasting. The Society also addresses cable and satellite distribution, audio and video compression standards including MPEG and its successors, and the transition of broadcast infrastructure to IP-based production and delivery workflows. Standards development is a significant part of BTS activity, reflecting broadcasting's historical reliance on interoperability standards to ensure that signals produced by one broadcaster can be received by consumer equipment manufactured by many vendors.

Publications and Research

BTS publishes IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting, a peer-reviewed journal covering research on broadcast systems, signal processing for broadcast, transmission and propagation, digital broadcasting standards, and broadcast applications. The journal serves as a primary archival venue for engineering research that bridges the gap between academic signal processing and deployed broadcast infrastructure. BTS also produces the IEEE Broadcast Technology newsletter, which covers society news, chapter activities, technical meetings, and contributions from members on current engineering topics in broadcasting. Members additionally have access to a digital library and resource center providing historical and current BTS publications.

Conferences and Standards

BTS sponsors and co-sponsors technical conferences where broadcast engineers present research and deployment experience, including the International Symposium on Broadband Multimedia Systems and Broadcasting (BMSB), which focuses on the technology underlying advanced broadcast delivery systems. The Society participates in standards activities through IEEE's broader standards organization, contributing technical expertise to efforts that shape digital television, radio broadcasting, and associated measurement methods. The IEEE Broadcast Technology Society's overview of its governance and technical activities describes the committee structure through which members participate in standards, conferences, and awards programs.

Applications

The Broadcast Technology Society supports work with applications in a wide range of areas, including:

• Digital terrestrial television systems using ATSC, DVB, and ISDB standards
• Radio broadcasting, including AM, FM, and digital audio broadcast (DAB) systems
• Satellite and cable television distribution infrastructure
• Internet protocol television (IPTV) and over-the-top video delivery platforms
• Broadcast signal measurement, monitoring, and spectrum management