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Watching HDTV Over-the-Air? Your TV Set Will Be Obsolete Sooner Than You Think

Phillip Dampier October 13, 2016 Consumer News, Editorial & Site News, Online Video, Public Policy & Gov't, Video 17 Comments

atsc-3-0If you cut the cord and are watching all of your HD programming over-the-air, we have some bad news. Your current television set will soon be obsolete.

TV stations across the country are making plans to switch to the next generation of digital television — ATSC 3.0, and it isn’t compatible with millions of television sets and adapter boxes still in daily use across the United States.

The other night I talked with a station engineer who reminded me that consumers are going to have a nasty surprise when local stations start disappearing from existing sets starting a few years from now. Consumer electronics stores will continue to slash prices to clear current television inventory without telling buyers they will eventually need an adapter or rely on cable or satellite television to keep that set working after ATSC 3.0 is fully implemented.

Broadcasters have already started to budget for replacement equipment, necessary to support the new standard. For them, it opens the door to significant new revenue streams and a better quality TV picture. For you, it could mean a bill for a new set, an adapter, or a paid subscription to keep your favorite shows.

At present, over-the-air digital stations in the United States use ATSC 1.0, developed more than 20 years ago. Despite the standard, it took until February 2009 for most television stations to discontinue their analog television broadcasts. To ease the transition, Congress mandated a DTV Converter Box Coupon Program, which subsidized the cost of digital adapters for every household in the country still using an analog-only television set. No such luck this time around. Consumers relying on over-the-air broadcasts will either have to replace their current sets or purchase adapters or dongles out-of-pocket to keep watching.

atsc-glueTo avoid a firestorm from the public, some station owners are thinking about a stop-gap measure that would launch a “digital bouquet” of participating local stations using lower bit rate Standard Definition on a single legacy ATSC 1.0 transmitter for at least a year or two until consumers upgrade their existing equipment. Then, one by one, existing HD stations would switch to ATSC 3.0 and effectively disappear from the dial of sets made before 2016. The good news is you would still have access to free television. The bad news is the picture will be significantly degraded.

Television stations are highly motivated to push for ATSC 3.0 as quickly as possible because it allows them to further monetize the spectrum the FCC allows them to use for free. For the first time, local stations will also be able to charge consumers directly to access broadcast television channels on portable devices like tablets and smartphones. ATSC 3.0 is based on Internet Protocol, allowing stations to blend broadcast and internet content. One of the unique changes ATSC 3.0 will allow is geographical or viewer-targeted commercials. A viewer in the suburbs could theoretically get a different commercial than another living in the city while watching the same station.

Television shows, transmitted in much higher-quality 4K, will also be accompanied by improved high quality audio and will integrate with online content that will run along with the show a viewer is watching. Theoretically, a viewer can lose over the air reception and have their internet connection seamlessly continue to stream the station in fringe reception areas. But viewers will likely be charged for that privilege.

ATSC 3.0 is also considerably more efficient than the current standard, which allows stations to add more digital sub-channels to their lineup, and deliver them in higher quality. That is a very important consideration as the FCC auctions away much of the current UHF television dial to mobile phone companies looking for boost wireless data capacity. ATSC 3.0 likely won’t be on the scene in a major way until after the FCC repacks current UHF stations closer together on the reduced number of UHF channels still left.

Some stations are expected to lease sub-channel space to third parties, which could start another avalanche of religious and home shopping channels, which often pay for coverage. If you have an Ion TV affiliate in your area, you already have an idea of what that looks like. In addition to a primary Ion TV channel, the broadcaster multiplexes 6 sub-channels – Qubo, Ion Life, The Worship Network, Ion Shop, QVC, and Home Shopping Network.

Currently, many major commercial stations support one or two sub-channels, often used for networks like Bounce, Antenna TV, MeTV, local weather and news, and shopping. But with an abundance of extra bandwidth, stations could add ethnic channels, time-shifted network shows, and a plethora of additional channels. That’s good news for cord-cutters looking for more over-the-air entertainment, but it will require an investment in a new set or an adapter to participate.

An introduction to ATSC 3.0 produced by the committee working on the standard. It doesn’t mention you will need a new television or adapter to watch. (3:15)

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Scott
Scott
7 years ago

So, now we have to buy new TVs every few years just like we have to buy new phones? No thanks.

fabian
fabian
7 years ago

I am one of free to air channels fan and I am excited about new technology because ATSC 1.0 use MPEG 2 which waste of bandwith.

Ian Littman
Ian Littman
7 years ago

“By 2016”? Think you’ve got a date wrong…

Ev
Ev
7 years ago

The FCC hasn’t approved ATSC 3.0, and considering the painful transition we just went through, and pushback from Congress, it seems pretty likely they’ll just shoot it down, entirely. It’s good to know slimy business interests want to force you to buy a new TV, but this is likely a non-story.

rfgenerator
rfgenerator
6 years ago
Reply to  Ev

This is happening, since this story was published Trump’s FCC head is pushing ATSC 3.0 hard. http://origin-nyi.thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/technology/318454-under-new-chairman-fcc-means-business

AaronG
AaronG
7 years ago

you guys are forgetting the big picture here, OTA WILL NO LONGER BE FREE! its clearly stated in this article one of the big things is that local stations can now charge you for access, this is not a change because its a good idea or its cheap, its a change because they can charge extra money from the local viewers.

rfgenerator
rfgenerator
6 years ago
Reply to  AaronG

Absolutely right about the introduction of Digital Rights Management (DRM). This will allow stations to go subscription only, control recording of programs as well as how long recordings of programs will be available. CBS is already moving to a subscription only business model with their introduction of CBS All Access. CBS is putting exclusive high demand content there (i.e. the new Star Trek series) which is only available with a monthly fee.

goon
goon
7 years ago

I disagree with some stuff in the article and with some of the stuff people are saying here. First I see a transition where the stations will share the spectrum to get this going. Channels 7-31 when the spectrum auction is complete. They will run 2 streams for the transtion atsc 1.0 and atsc 3.0 by some stations sharing until it is complete. Also the article misleads you to believe that your tv you have now will not work for astc 3.0 but that is sorta false. You will be able to get a hdmi dongle to run it on… Read more »

goon
goon
7 years ago

Might be wrong but way I’m understanding what I’ve been reading is with 3.0 the problem of noise and co channel interference would be taken care of so to me the won’t have to reduce the power of a channel when sharing. I also read it that if you have broadband also,, As long as you get any signal from an antenna,you won’t loose it. They will suplliment it with broadband wifi. I also read in one of the stories when testing I think it was for wral in NC where they are testing it. The signal reached a van… Read more »

JayS
JayS
7 years ago

Has the ATSC 3.0 standard been finalized?

The All-Channel Receiver Act of 1962 empowers the FCC to require that all new TV sets are able to receive at the ATSC 3.0 standard. The FCC applied this act in the mid 2000’s for the transition to digital that occurred in 2009. In 1962, it was originally written, to require UHF receivers in all TVs sets, as many TV sets only included a VHF receiver; you needed a separate external receiver for UHF channels.

goon
goon
7 years ago
Reply to  JayS

Jay that act made it so no receiver can be called a television or tv unless it had at the time ntsc tuner,now atsc tuner. Reason the new visio sets they sell without a tuner they don’t call them televisions or tv’s. If the advertise them as television or tv’s they would be breaking the lay reason the call them sets monitors or something else. But like I mentioned earlier, they would be able to sell dongles or boxes for atsc 3.0 and still say its for to improve your television signal cause your television already has a atsc 1.0… Read more »

goon
goon
7 years ago
Reply to  goon

Actually I think the broadcasters don’t need any permission at all to move up to atsc 3.0, That will be totally up to them. What the fcc can and will force them to do is make sure there is still a way for people to watch television on sets that have a astc 1.0 set is able to watch on them television sets for so many years or could probably take all the spectrum off of them if they didn’t. But the fcc can force the television set manufactures to have the tuner in them or they wouldn’t be able… Read more »

Berfunkle
Berfunkle
7 years ago

I wouldn’t mind OTA 4K television. Where else are you going to get 4K content? The cable cos? LOL They don’t even provide 1080P!

It’s a hassle and costly for some folks who would need to upgrade, I realize, but I wouldn’t mind going to ATSC 3.0 now rather than later.

Brian M. Hass
Brian M. Hass
6 years ago

I spoke with an employee of South Dakota Public Broadcasting this past week. I asked him about the upgrade from HD to 4K. He told me that there is a difference between the HD to 4K upgrade compared to the earlier analog to HD upgrade. He told me that the earlier upgrade by television stations from analog to HD was mandatory. However, he said that the upgrade by television stations from HD to 4K will be entirely voluntary; and because of cost of upgrading the broadcast hardware, some television stations might not be in a hurry to do it. So,… Read more »

jj
jj
6 years ago

They can keep it , I don’t want it . People on a set income will be left out in the cold , they will not be able to buy new TV’s or digital boxes . All I see is a bad Idea that is going to kill OTA OFF once and for all . probably secretly backed by cable companies because they sure wouldn’t like this coming it will make them vanish Internet bills will skyrocket with them constantly popping you up ads even during a dvd or bluray,. Time to just retire the set top box when this… Read more »

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