psip

PSIP, or Program and System Information Protocol, is a set of metadata tables used by ATSC digital television to describe the programs, services, and time information carried in the MPEG-2 transport streams. Implemented as part of the ATSC PSIP standard, PSIP allows receivers to present channel names, guide information, and stable channel numbering regardless of frequency changes.

PSIP data are transported in specific tables within the transport stream. The Master Guide Table (MGT) lists all PSIP tables and their PIDs. The Program Association Table (PAT) maps program numbers to the PIDs of their Program Map Tables (PMTs). The PMT describes the elementary streams that comprise each program and their PIDs. The Service Description Table (SDT) provides service names and provider information. The Event Information Table (EIT) conveys current and upcoming program events for listed services. Time information is provided by the Time and Date Table (TDT).

Some ATSC implementations also use virtual channel tables, such as the Terrestrial Virtual Channel Table (TVCT) and the Cable Virtual Channel Table (CVCT), to assign and describe the public channel numbers that appear to the viewer.

PSIP is defined primarily by ATSC A/65 and related specifications and is used mainly in North American and other markets that adopt ATSC. It is analogous in purpose to DVB’s PSI/SI for guiding receivers and program guides, though the two standards employ different table structures and identifiers.