Perhaps broadcasters are interested in ATSC 3.0 after all? With all the
half-truths and hype around this, it's a little hard to tell.
"It doesn't mean every station in these groups will be deploying the standard,
but instead will collaborate with each other to provide a large enough national
footprint so that a majority of American consumers will be able to receive some
form of ATSC 3.0 service by the time sets appear in stores by the end of 2020."
If sets sold in South Korea already support the standard, one might wonder why
this wait. Perhaps the Korean version is pre-standard?
Why wouldn't it make more sense to introduce ATSC 1.0/3.0 sets now, or even
yesterday, before or while the transmissions begin? Consumers would be less
pissed if they could see new stations appearing, even while the old ones
disappear. (Of course, no one out there seems aware that any of this is going
on. They'll wonder why their new channel scans are showing a dwindling number
of channels.)
"Magid's research shows 42 percent of those interested in ATSC 3.0 say they
anticipate buying a new TV to enable and enjoy next-gen TV services.
Overwhelmingly, 96 percent of the Core Target (those who rated the concept Very
Appealing and Very Likely to use next-gen TV) said they were likely to buy a
new TV set to experience Next Gen TV."
Maybe so, but what kind of BS is being fed to these folk, wrt to "new
features"? Interactivity and on demand? The salesman twaddle about "broadcast
IP"?
Bert
----------------------------------------------
https://www.tvtechnology.com/atsc3/station-groups-endorse-atsc-3-0-for-2020-market-debut
Station Groups Endorse ATSC 3.0 for 2020 Market Debut
Fox, NBC, Univision, Telemundo, Nexstar and Tegna announce commitment Next Gen
standard
Tom Butts 8 hours ago
NEW YORK-At NAB Show New York this week, executives from Fox Television
Stations; NBC and Telemundo Owned Stations Group; Univision; TEGNA, Inc. (for
Pearl TV), and Nexstar Media Group (for SpectrumCo) announced their
collaborative effort and support for the introduction of ATSC 3.0 (aka Next Gen
TV).
At this week's NAB Show NY, TV station group executives announced support for
ATSC 3.0. (L to R) Perry Sook (Nexstar/SpectrumCo), Dave Lougee (TEGNA/Pearl
TV), Vince Sadusky (Univision), Valari Staab (NBCUniversal/Telemundo), Jack
Abernethy (FOX TV), Anne Schelle (Pearl TV)
The new standard, which was approved by the FCC a year ago, combines broadcast
with IP and will introduce a far more robust and flexible UHD video service
designed to compete against the increasing penetration of OTT-streaming
services; however, the standard is not backward-compatible with current TV
sets. The announcement this week is designed to confirm stations' commitment to
collaborating on launching ATSC 3.0 in anticipation of the market introduction
of ATSC 3.0-enabled sets in 2020.
It doesn't mean every station in these groups will be deploying the standard,
but instead will collaborate with each other to provide a large enough national
footprint so that a majority of American consumers will be able to receive some
form of ATSC 3.0 service by the time sets appear in stores by the end of 2020.
Anne Schelle, director of the Pearl TV Group--which is testing the standard via
the Phoenix Model Market pilot project--said the lab provides a good example of
this type of collaboration, where multiple stations are using a Univision stick
to transmit test signals, while maintaining the legacy ATSC 1.0 signal,
referred to as the "lighthouse" approach.
"I think the Phoenix test is a great example of how stations are collaborating
on a market to market basis," she said. "In Phoenix, we're working of a
Univision stick and we are looking to enable a second stick in the market and
that allows us to start to introduce these basic services across the country."
As far as financial commitments, Schelle said it's too early to tell, but that
"the cost to upgrade to an ATSC 3.0 lighthouse is fairly small compared to the
existing infrastructure that's already in place," she said. But "none of the
companies are prepared to provide that level of detail at this point."
This new effort is not exclusive and will include other broadcasters with
interests in next-gen TV services, including both other commercial and public
TV broadcasters.
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS COMPANIES ALSO COMMITTED
In addition to the station groups, consumer electronics giants LG, Samsung and
Sony also expressed their commitment to the standard. All three companies have
been involved in the development of the standard.
"LG looks forward to working with these and other broadcasters and stakeholders
in the Next Gen TV ecosystem to help bring the benefits of ATSC 3.0 to American
consumers," said Dr. Jong Kim, senior vice president in the office of the CTO
at LG Electronics as well as president of Zenith Electronics, LG's U.S. R&D
subsidiary contributing to Next Gen TV standards.
Building on its support of the Phoenix Model Market pilot project, LG plans to
provide receiver technology and expertise to support various markets from coast
to coast launching Next Gen TV, Dr. Kim explained. LG already has launched 4K
Ultra HD TVs with ATSC 3.0 receiver chips in South Korea.
Sony Electronics will supply televisions, demodulators and application
development tools for ATSC 3.0 and is collaborating with broadcasters and other
industry players in testing both technical solutions and service models.
Current collaborations include the Phoenix Model Market and Test Bed, as well
as launches by individual broadcast groups.
Station group CEOs expressed their enthusiasm for the standard's deployment.
"One big challenge was whether the big owners of valuable spectrum could work
together, commit resources, and stick to the game plan. Done, done and done,"
said Jack Abernethy, Chief Executive Officer at FOX Television Stations.
"ATSC 3.0 is something that as an industry we have to do. The new standard will
transform the way we deliver content to our audiences - including viewers who
are consuming information in multiple languages and screens. ATSC 3.0 will also
help us to better connect advertisers with the audiences they want to reach on
any platform. We are pleased to be working with Pearl TV and our broadcast
partners to ensure the new technology is set in place for both viewers and
broadcasters when we are ready to roll-out the new standard," said Valari
Staab, President, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations.
"Univision is excited to continue playing a leadership role in the market
transition from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0. As one of the largest TV spectrum holders
in the US, we are eager to bring an enhanced audio and video experience to our
audience, as well as new services and capabilities to our advertising
partners," said Vince Sadusky, Chief Executive Officer at Univision.
"Pearl TV's 300 local broadcasters, along with our network partners, are
working together to deliver a national Next-Gen TV service by the end of 2020.
ATSC 3.0 offers new ways for local broadcasters to tell stories, interact with
viewers, make an impact in our communities and innovate across screens and
devices. The new standard will allow for clear, ultra HD signals, personalized
advertising and the potential for exciting new adjacencies such as smart city
infrastructure and connected vehicles," said Dave Lougee, President and CEO of
TEGNA, Inc., one of the Pearl TV broadcast group members.
"SpectrumCo and Pearl TV consortium members are aligned in our commitment to
the voluntary scaled adoption of the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard across the
U.S.," said Perry Sook, President & CEO of Nexstar Media Group, representing
SpectrumCo. "Advancing the ATSC 3.0 standard is critical to facilitating future
innovation in the local broadcast television industry. With more than 350
SpectrumCo stations participating and additional new members in the pipeline,
SpectrumCo broadcasters will add immense scale and depth to the collaborative
industry wide rollout of ATSC 3.0. With this new technology broadcasters will
be able to bring consumers more localized programming content and a host of
other innovative NextGen TV services, while creating new revenue opportunities
for our respective businesses in growing areas of the digital economy."
The Phoenix Model Market pilot project launched nearly one year ago and the
pilot project has offered testing for broadcast equipment implementation, new
services, and technology offerings to show how the ATSC 3.0 standard could be
deployed by broadcasters while maintaining existing digital service for
viewers. The Phoenix DMA is home to more than 1.8 million households with more
than one in five viewers relying on over-the-air reception. Participating TV
groups and stations in the Phoenix Model Market include: Arizona State
University's Arizona PBS (KAET) , Arizona Television's KAZT Channel 7
(Independent), E.W. Scripps' KNXV (ABC), Fox Television Stations' KSAZ (Fox)
and KUTP (MyTV), Meredith's KPHO (CBS) and KTVK (Independent), Nexstar Media
Group's KASW (CW); Telemundo Station Group's KTAZ (Telemundo), TEGNA's KPNX
(NBC), and Univision's KFPH-CD (UniMas) and KTVW (Univision).
CONSUMER INTEREST IN NEXT GEN TV IS HIGH, ACCORDING TO MAGID
Pearl TV's initial activities in Phoenix provide an open test bed and a proving
ground for technology, implementations, and new services. A September 2018
consumer survey conducted by Magid for Pearl TV and the Consumer Technology
Association (CTA) shows exceptionally strong consumer interest in a Next Gen TV
service that will offer all the programming of live over-the-air TV (such as
local news, live sports, programming from ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and other
broadcast networks) and adds improved features that can enhance the viewing
experience for consumers.
In the Phoenix Model Market partners /CTA survey of more than 1,500 U.S.
consumers ages 18-74, Magid registered "solid overall interest in and high
likelihood to use" the next-gen ATSC 3.0 concept. The research also shows that
the Next Gen TV concept is most appealing with younger consumers and those who
are defined as "Early Adopters" because of their positive attitude toward
technology.
Magid's research shows 42 percent of those interested in ATSC 3.0 say they
anticipate buying a new TV to enable and enjoy next-gen TV services.
Overwhelmingly, 96 percent of the Core Target (those who rated the concept Very
Appealing and Very Likely to use next-gen TV) said they were likely to buy a
new TV set to experience Next Gen TV.
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