![]() ![]() Ever wonder why your phone doesn't have an FM radio tuner? Same reason. ![]() If suddenly you can get lots of high-quality content for free on your phone, they potentially lose money. Free TV on your phone?Īnother point of potential contention is getting ATSC 3.0 tuners intoĪre in the business of selling you data. That said, we'll keep an eye on this for any further developments. ![]() Pretty much every app, streaming service, smart TV and cable or satellite box all track your usage to a greater or lesser extent. The finer details are all still being worked out, but here's the thing: If your TV is connected to the internet, it's already tracking you. Sure, the return data path could also allow "alternative audio tracks and interactive elements," but it's the targeted ads and tracking many observers are worried about. Today, over-the-air broadcasts are pretty much the only way to watch television that doesn't track your viewing habits. This is something brand-new for broadcast TV. Not only does this allow a more accurate count of who's watching what shows, but it creates the opportunity for every marketer's dream: targeted advertising.Īds specific to your viewing habits, income level and even ethnicity (presumed by your neighborhood, for example) could get slotted in by your local station. One of NextGen TV's more controversial features is a "return data path," which is a way for the station you're watching to know you're watching. We knew the market would demand it, and broadcasters and hardware makers in fact are embracing it."Īh yes, targeted ads… Broadcast TV will know what you're watching John Hane, president of the Spectrum Consortium (an industry group with broadcasters Sinclair, Nexstar and Univision as members), was equally confident: "The FCC had to make it voluntary because the FCC couldn't provide transition channels. At the beginning of the roll-out, then executive vice president of communications at the National Association of Broadcasters Dennis Wharton told CNET that the improvement in quality, overall coverage and the built-in safety features mean that most stations would be enthusiastic to offer ATSC 3.0. While it's not a mandatory standard, many broadcasters still seem enthusiastic about NextGen. This will mean a temporary reduction in bandwidth for each channel, but potentially a limited impact on picture quality due to the better modern HD encoders. Two or more stations will use one tower for ATSC 1.0 (HD) broadcasts and those stations will use another tower for ATSC 3.0 (UHD) broadcasts. Because there's no new bandwidth, broadcasters will temporarily share transmitters. ![]()
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