AUSTIN, TEXAS—ONE Media announced that it is set to unveil its next generation broadcast transmission platform in Austin, Texas next month. The “out of the lab into the field” testing using the transmission infrastructure of Sinclair Broadcast Group’s television station, KEYE-TV, follows successful prototype lab demonstrations of the next generation transmission capabilities. The joint venture between Coherent Logix and Sinclair Broadcast Group, employing more than 30 full-time engineering specialists, will showcase its full-blown platform “for U.S. broadcasters by U.S. broadcasters,” that is no longer limited to the fixed viewing environment developed by foreign consumer electronics manufacturers.
“The viewer-centric standard was developed after extensive, thoughtful discussions over four years among U.S. television station operators to reimagine what the next generation standard should provide,” said Kevin Gage, ONE Media’s exectutive vice president and chief technology officer. “Rather than layering on to a 20-year-old standard created for living room TV viewing that was not optimized for U.S. broadcasters, this new standard reflects a fresh start to make television available to viewers wherever they may be—true ubiquitous broadcasting.”
ONE Media will demonstrate its unique capabilities to deliver high-definition signals to fast and slow moving mobile devices (vehicles and pedestrians) along with deep indoor fixed receiver reception, at the same time delivering ‘4K’ UltraHD to traditional ‘over-the-air’ antenna connected TV devices. Additional demonstrations are planned for Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas, Nev., to demonstrate the efficient use of broadcast spectrum. A notable side-benefit of the new proposal will permit single frequency networks to help restore lost reception to vast areas of the country created by the government’s failure to protect translators and low power stations in the proposed broadcast spectrum auction. A key element to the new standard is giving broadcasters flexibility as they transition from the outdated mode and optimize the system for their unique needs in different markets.
“For 20 years, U.S. broadcasters have looked from the sidelines as mobile TV viewing was cultivated by wireless companies and their foreign-owned consumer electronics device builders. TV viewers with smart phones, laptops and tablets are stuck paying enormous data charges to cell phone companies for lower quality signals. We’re out to change that dynamic and seize back the industry,” added Jerald Fritz, ONE Media’s executive vice president for Strategic and Legal Affairs. ”We made a fundamental mistake ignoring the mobile business opportunities by not adopting the OFDM standard while planning for the digital TV conversion. We will not make that error again.”
ONE Media’s broadcast-centric next generation proposal has been submitted with wide acclaim to the Advanced Television Standards Committee for consideration. Gage said, “Rapid adoption of the ONE Media proposal by the ATSC would meet the goal of coinciding adoption of the next generation standard with the repack of the broadcaster’s remaining channels post spectrum auction. That means an efficient, simultaneous conversion and a dramatic enhancement to the TV viewing experience.”
