First Collaborative, Single-Market Transition to ATSC 3.0 Now
Underway as Additional Key Partners Join Model Market Project
PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The first next-generation TV signal in the Phoenix Model Market is “on
the air,” with KFPH-CD Channel 35, owned by Univision Communications
Inc., now transmitting UniMás network programming using the new ATSC 3.0
standard.
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“Today’s announcement is just the first Phoenix station to transition to
ATSC 3.0, with additional partner stations to be added soon. We are also
simultaneously preserving ATSC 1.0 signals for viewers in coordination
with other broadcasters in the Phoenix market,” said Pearl TV Managing
Director Anne Schelle as she announced the new service on opening day of
the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas. The Phoenix Model Market project is
the first collaborative single-market effort to plan for and implement a
transition to next-generation over-the-air television broadcasting.
“We are excited to be pioneering the next generation of broadcast
television with our UniMás station in Phoenix. ATSC 3.0 allows us to
continue innovating and providing our audience with a unique,
best-in-class viewing experience,” said John Eck, Chief Local Media
Officer.
New to the Phoenix Model Market effort are consumer electronics
manufacturers LG Electronics; Sony; Samsung; and Channel Master;
technology contributors Dolby Laboratories; TitanTV; and Unifsoft; and
signaling and technical experts BitRouter; Meintel, Sgrignoli, &
Wallace; and Yotta Media Labs.
“More announcements are coming, because the Phoenix Model Market is an
open test bed environment and we plan to work with additional suppliers
and share our findings broadly with the industry,” Schelle said.
Consumer Electronics Manufacturers:
LG Electronics is the first consumer electronics manufacturer
to supply integrated ATSC 3.0 television receivers for evaluation and
monitoring in Phoenix this spring. LG is already marketing dual
reception ATSC 3.0/1.0 TV products in South Korea.
Sony Electronics will supply televisions, demodulators and
application development tools for ATSC 3.0. Supplementing the
partnership announced at 2018 CES, Sony will collaborate with Pearl
TV, not only in developing the Electronic Program Guide, but also in
testing technology and service models to insure the customer
experience is of the best quality and drives engagement.
Samsung brings their expertise to the Phoenix Model Market
project having rolled out ATSC 3.0 TVs widely in South Korea. Their
success in Korea will help Phoenix focus on evaluation of features
such as HDR and immersive audio for the ultimate entertainment
experience. Additionally, Samsung’s support of ATSC 3.0 applications
and online services will facilitate the testing of advanced features
for next-generation TVs in the U.S.
Channel Master, which is based in the Phoenix metropolitan
area, will supply a variety of reception antenna products and lend its
professional signal evaluation expertise to the Phoenix Model Market
project, including development of future products designed to enhance
digital TV reception.
Technology Contributors:
Dolby is providing encoding and decoding technology to add key
audio features with Dolby® AC-4 and is working closely with
video delivery expert Harmonic on the implementation of this ATSC 3.0
next generation audio format in their broadcast and OTT workflows.
TitanTV, Inc. is providing the Electronic Service Guide
services for the Phoenix Model Market Initiative, built on the
company’s robust delivery platform and expanded to include rich media
content. Titan TV is supporting next-generation TV with responsive
Program Guides and Service Announcement metadata services.
UniSoft is providing their ATSC 3.0 Signature File Generator
which performs cryptographic signing of applications and signaling
tables.
Signaling and Technical Experts:
BitRouter will provide their ATSC3pro, a PC/Linux based ATSC
3.0 single stream professional receiver, to view ATSC 3.0 broadcasts,
collect signal quality data and test ATSC 3.0 applications. The
ATSC3pro is based upon BitRouter’s ATSC3pak which integrates the ATSC
1.0 and ATSC 3.0 standards into a single software product.
Meintel, Sgrignoli, & Wallace (MSW) is retained to install
and commission the new ATSC 3.0 transmitter as well as to manage the
integration of the ATSC 3.0 upper layer equipment for the station. In
addition, MSW is working with the project participants on the initial
testing of the RF signal in the Phoenix Market to establish base-line
signal performance.
Yotta Media Labs is providing technical consultation to the
Model Market Project, working to develop a prototype navigation guide
that could be deployed by ATSC 3.0 broadcasters.
The latest companies to join the Phoenix Model Market project join
technology companies Dielectric, Enensys, GatesAir, Harmonic and Triveni
Digital, whose involvement was announced earlier.
“All of the media companies that are participating in the Model Market
have pledged to participate in the project, and today’s announcement
paves the way for a long line of broadcaster and technology companies to
collaborate and make the Phoenix Model Market a success,” Schelle said.
E.W. Scripps Company, Fox Television Stations, Meredith Local Media
Group, Nexstar Media Group, TEGNA Inc., Telemundo Station Group,
Univision Communications, Arizona State University/PBS and Pearl TV are
planning the comprehensive effort for the Phoenix, Arizona TV market to
show how next-generation ATSC 3.0 technology can be deployed while
maintaining existing digital TV service for viewers.
Model Market Demonstrations at NAB Show
At the Phoenix Model Market kiosk in the “Road to ATSC 3.0” exhibit at
the NAB Show in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center, Sony
will detail the capabilities of the ATSC A/344 standard for
interactivity, with a Sony-designed run-time environment that will show
broadcasters how interactivity can occur with next-generation TV. The
system is designed to be very flexible, allowing adaptive ad insertion
and messaging displayed with real-time object delivery over
unidirectional transport as well as dynamic adaptive streaming over
HyperText Transfer Protocol. These are commonly known as ROUTE and DASH
and can operate seamlessly to enable new experiences such as loyalty and
viewing history offerings like coupons and purchase choices.
Using an ATSC 3.0 receiver provided by LG Electronics, Yotta Media Labs
will demonstrate a prototype application that local broadcasters could
use with ATSC 3.0, allowing the viewer to access and discover content
through a modern TV guide embedded in the broadcaster's channel. The
sample ATSC 3.0 app shows a potential experience that over-the-air
viewers would get on smart TVs connected to the internet. The Yotta
Media Labs demonstration will show a consumer-friendly experience, with
just enough common elements between broadcasts to avoid confusion when
viewers switch channel, but with a system that would still allow
networks and affiliates to retain their individual identities.
New Website Provides Model Market Information
Phoenix Model market partners also today launched an informational
website to provide information about the Model Market for Phoenix
viewers, to fully inform the public about the ATSC 3.0 testing that has
just begun in Phoenix. The www.phoenixnextgentv.com
site provides advice for viewers, including notifications that cable and
satellite viewers are not affected by the over-the-air signal changes.
Model Market Objectives
The Phoenix “model market” project will create an open test bed for the
mutual benefit of all stakeholders in the TV ecosystem. The project has
several objectives, including confirming basic TV service parameters and
performance, determining the appeal of next-generation high dynamic
range video and immersive audio content to consumers, assessing TV
application features and implementation requirements, testing
interactive and addressable advertising functionality, testing cable
integration and determining consumer device and service appeal. Creating
an end-to-end model system will help foster industry consensus and drive
ecosystem development. This includes development of the “lighthouse”
concept to keep legacy digital TV available for all viewers while new
ATSC 3.0 services are being launched.
About Pearl TV:
Pearl TV is a business alliance of Cox Media Group, the E.W. Scripps
Company, Graham Media Group, Hearst Television Inc., Meredith Local
Media Group, Nexstar Media Group, Raycom Media, and TEGNA Inc. Pearl
TV’s membership includes companies that operate more than 300
network-affiliated, local stations across the country.
Contacts
Arland Communications
Dave Arland, 317-701-0084