NAB, WJW Take 3.0 Out To The Ballgame

[osu1991]

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/98833/nab-wjw-take-30-out-to-the-ballgame

Proponents of the Next-Gen tv transmission standard simulcast Game 2 of the World Series last night with ATSC 3.0, using an experimental license (on ch. 31) obtained by the NAB and the transmission facilities of Tribune's WJW Cleveland, the local Fox affiliate.

Others playing ball included GatesAir (3.0 exciter for over-the-air transmission), LG Electronics (3.0 receivers and antennas), Harmonic (real-time encoders for HEVC video and Dolby AC4 audio) and Triveni Digital (signaling/announcement metadata, IP stream generation, ATSC 3.0 analyzer and system integration support).

 

[comfortably_numb]

This is awesome. A good step forward.


Sent from my iPhone using the SatelliteGuys app!

 

[harshness]

It disturbs me a little that they're still at the proof-of-concept stage. There's a pretty substantial number of elements of the standard that remain to be solidified.

It is notable that there were only two receivers involved: one in the truck and one at the station.

I think they're underestimating how long it will take to get ATSC 3.0 into wide adoption on the broadcaster side and even the ATSC realizes that the broadcasts are going to have to come first.

The Dolby AC4 thing is going to be a new departure and will likely perturb those who prefer the analog approach to multi-channel sound (AC4 includes support for sound "objects" that can move seamlessly across channels). From what I can gather, AC4's object support isn't supported in consumer gear yet but the channel-based audio can be decoded by Atmos capable decoders. I'm glad I had my Onkyo repaired instead of investing in a new AVR.

DTS was a participant, but it appears that their participation has withered.