The hype persists. Tell me, if someone reading this would not get the
impression that the OTA-broadcast ATSC 3.0 signal provides interactivity, and
other Internet features we have become used to, all by itself:
“There’s a lot of competition and disruption; you have to ‘keep up with the
Joneses’ in digital media,” Claudy said. Referring to the IP component with
NextGen TV that allows broadcasters to provide OTT-type services, Claudy said,
“We have to be seamlessly integrated into existing online broadband ecosystem
in a meaningful way.”
OTT-type services? Over the OTA broadcast channel? Or you mean, over that
separate broadband connection? Why not talk up that broadband connection, and
your new roles on it, broadcasters?
"In 2017, Sinclair offered to give away 1 million NextGen TV tuners to any
cellphone makers willing to add the capability to their devices. **While there
have not been reportedly any takers**, Sinclair has showcased a NextGen TV chip
it has developed in conjunction with Saankhya Labs, VeriSilicon and Samsung
Foundry, and Aitken hinted that there will be new developments to see at the
NAB Show in April."
Hmmm. Ouch. But not hugely surprising, first, and second, let's not forget
DVB-H. Great success story?
So, just like 20 years ago, the fantasy eventually gives way to reality. DTV's
killer app was HD, enabling a new set of huge, flat screen TVs, which actually
had great pictures. Not the fuzzy, grainy pictures from those analog 35" CRTs,
or even bigger, fuzzier, rear projection behemoths. That made sense, in 2000.
All the talk about data services was just strained, overstated, let's pretend.
The Internet already existed. Déjà vu all over again, when push comes to shove:
"For those consumers who have heard about NextGen TV, the main takeaway has
been that it will allow for 4K resolution and enhanced audio. And for South
Korea, which has gotten a headstart on deploying ATSC 3.0, 4K has been
described as the 'killer app.'”
Aha. Way more sensible. Although, of course, that could just as easily (more
easily, actually) have been accomplished with ATSC 1.0. ATSC 3.0 could succeed
just for that one reason. People buy 4K sets, whether they know it or not they
may eventually have ATSC 3.0 receivers in them, and assuming ATSC 3.0 sets
become available en masse, eventually people will assume that their 4K sets
*required* ATSC 3.0. People might not even realize that ATSC 3.0 only applies
if they use OTA TV.
Also not to be overlooked:
"But he also reminded attendees that that country’s transition to ATSC 3.0 was
mandated by the government. 'Korean broadcasters also got more spectrum for the
transition,' Claudy said."
Bert
-------------------------------------------------
https://www.tvtechnology.com/atsc3/nextgen-tv-this-is-year-one
NextGen TV: ‘This is Year One’
SMPTE day-long event debates the future of ATSC 3.0.
Tom Butts 9 hours ago
ARLINGTON, Va.—The standard has been approved, testing is ongoing and new TV
sets with support for NextGen TV (aka ATSC 3.0) debuted at CES2020 earlier this
month. Now comes the hard part—marketing it.
That was among the chief topics at SMPTE’s NextGen TV Summit hosted by WETA
last week. A standing-room-only crowd discussed the technology, marketing and
business opportunities broadcasters could harness with the new over-the-air
broadcasting standard. And one of the first steps is branding.
“We don’t talk about ATSC 3.0 anymore,” said Lynn Claudy, senior vice president
of technology for NAB and chairman of the ATSC board of directors; “now we talk
about NextGen TV.”
KEEP UP WITH THE JONESES
In a quickly evolving mobile, digital world, broadcasters have to assert
themselves once again if consumers are to embrace the new standard, Claudy
added.
“There’s a lot of competition and disruption; you have to ‘keep up with the
Joneses’ in digital media,” Claudy said. Referring to the IP component with
NextGen TV that allows broadcasters to provide OTT-type services, Claudy said,
“We have to be seamlessly integrated into existing online broadband ecosystem
in a meaningful way.”
With increased demand on spectrum, “the pressure is on broadcasters to be more
efficient,” Claudy added. “You’ve got to do more with less.”
Claudy’s opening comments were echoed by ATSC President Madeleine Noland.
“The cellular industry is ravenous for spectrum,” she said. “And the way to
defend your spectrum is to use it well. And I think the ATSC 3.0 standard is
going to help broadcasters make their stake in the ground very strongly with,
‘hey, our spectrum is being used extremely wisely for the betterment of the
people and the economy.’”
One of the most significant differences between ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 is the latter
standard’s emphasis on mobility, which was driven home by Mark Aitken, senior
vice president of technology for Sinclair.
“[With ATSC 1.0], we lost consumers because we had an opportunity to be the
mobile leader and we didn't choose that path,” Aitken said. “And if we forget
that this time around, we might as well put the gun to our head right now.”
In 2017, Sinclair offered to give away 1 million NextGen TV tuners to any
cellphone makers willing to add the capability to their devices. While there
have not been reportedly any takers, Sinclair has showcased a NextGen TV chip
it has developed in conjunction with Saankhya Labs, VeriSilicon and Samsung
Foundry, and Aitken hinted that there will be new developments to see at the
NAB Show in April.
“Don’t be surprised if you see a smartphone with a NextGen TV chipset at NAB,”
Aitken predicted.
SINGLE FREQUENCY NETWORKS
Broadcasters are currently petitioning the FCC to revise the commission’s
standards to allow the increased use of multiple transmitter deployments to
make NextGen TV signals cut down on multipath, making the broadcast signal more
robust in the mobile environment. These “single frequency networks” could be
the key to consumer adoption, according to attendees.
“SFNs let you extend your coverage into shadow areas,” Noland said, adding that
an SFN in San Francisco, for example, could increase audience reach up to 40%.
SFNs also represent an opportunity for broadcasters in one market to cooperate
on deploying and enhancing NextGen TV coverage, according to Jeff Andrew of
Osborn Engineering.
“We believe that SFNs should be co-located—all the stations in one particular
market should all be on the same SFN sites, sharing the same infrastructure,”
Andrew said. “Pick your channel assignments that support SFN deployment.”
NextGen TV also allows for enhanced graphics and geo-targeted emergency alerts
through its AWARN platform. With broadcasters often serving as the primary
source of information, this could enhance even more broadcasters’ roles during
emergencies.
“Wireless companies are not overly eager about wireless alerts,” Noland said.
“They don’t want to accept responsibility for the message that goes out. The
broadcast community cares about such messages and enhances such messages.
Broadcasters are content creators, not just content distributors, which
differentiates us from the 5G community.”
John McCoskey, CEO of SpectraRep, mentioned that the industry needs to create a
consistent look when it comes to providing enhanced emergency alerts.
“We are looking at approaches that will provide a similar look across all
channels,” adding that “there is a fair amount of interest among broadcasters
about how to tie emergency alerts into the news workflow.”
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
NextGen TV is not being deployed in a vacuum however. 5G was described as “the
elephant in the room” at the conference, but NextGen TV advocates emphasized
the differences between a broadcast one-to-many service and cellular one-to-one.
Acknowledging the hype around the next-generation cellular standard now being
rolled out in selected areas, Josh Arensberg with Verizon Media reminded
attendees that “5G is an enabler, a last mile provider, just like ATSC 3.0,”
but that as content creators, broadcasters can better enable programming and
information tailored to the benefits provided by broadcast.
“Without content and people creating experiences, there’s nothing,” he said.
But because higher resolution content comes with a bigger data appetite, “you
can see a $500 bill within minutes with up to 10 Gbps downloads [in 5G],”
adding that when it comes to efficiency in a mobile device, when compared to
“cost per bit,” 5G is up to “90% less efficient.”
“[NextGen TV] can contribute to a very efficient battery life,” Arensberg added.
CONTENT IS NO LONGER ‘KING’
When it comes to business opportunities for NextGen TV, Mark Fratrik, senior
economist with BIA took issue with the traditional “content is king” mantra.
“Platforms and devices drive the business models more than the content,” he
said. “It’s hard to think that content is king; Roku, for example doesn’t
create content, but Wall Street loves them. For incremental growth, it’s
platforms and devices that drive the growth today.”
Fratrik and his colleague Rick Ducey unveiled the results of their study that
estimates that broadcasters could grow revenue 50% over the next 10 years as
they deploy ATSC 3.0. Nevertheless, the ATSC 1.0 signal will continue to be the
main source of revenue over the next decade, they said.
“Even with the new capabilities NextGen TV provides, traditional linear TV
advertising and retransmission will continue to account for the lion’s share of
revenues throughout the 2020s,” Fratrik said.
A CLEAR MESSAGE
With deployments under way and sets scheduled to hit retail by the 2020 holiday
shopping season, marketing NextGen TV will probably be the biggest challenge
for broadcasters in 2020. Skip Pizzi, vice president of technology education
and outreach for NAB, advised caution when promoting a product and service that
can’t be accessed by consumers yet.
“You don't want to push too hard on the consumer side if there isn't yet a
product that they can use,” he said. “You have to be careful and clear on the
messaging.”
For those consumers who have heard about NextGen TV, the main takeaway has been
that it will allow for 4K resolution and enhanced audio. And for South Korea,
which has gotten a headstart on deploying ATSC 3.0, 4K has been described as
the “killer app.”
That country in fact, is already planning on shutting down ATSC 1.0 before the
end of the decade according to Claudy. “They have already planned their shutoff
of ATSC 1.0 in 2027,” he said. “All HD content will be gone in favor of 4K by
then.” But he also reminded attendees that that country’s transition to ATSC
3.0 was mandated by the government. “Korean broadcasters also got more spectrum
for the transition,” Claudy said.
In the early stages of the deployment in the U.S., Claudy believes broadcasters
will opt for 1080p resolution with HDR and HFR (in certain situations) and just
offer 4K on “special occasions.” But by combining over-the-air broadcasting
with IP, the capabilities are so much more than that, according to Stacey
Decker, CTO of Public Media Group, who reminded attendees that it’s not just
NextGen TV, but other advances such as the cloud, AI and software-defined
networking that is revolutionizing broadcasting.
“We're at a unique time in our history with regard to technology disruption,”
he said. “We now have the opportunity to take the infrastructure we've all
known for years and deploy these things on top of it and make it powerful.”
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