LAS VEGAS—Sinclair Broadcast Group and its subsidiary, ONE Media 3.0, have announced they will be demonstrating key enhancements to the NextGen Broadcast standard (ATSC 3.0) at the 2022 NAB Show between April 23 and 27.
The demos include Sinclair's Hybrid TV Broadcast App and HDR broadcasts using the NextGen TV standard.
Sinclair said those demos will highlight the baseline for Sinclair/ONE Media 3.0’s vision of a “mobile-first” offering of video and data services, the delivery of significant picture quality improvements and a more efficient merger of broadcast and broadband capabilities.
One key demo will be broadcasts of higher image quality. During the NAB Show, Sinclair’s Las Vegas TV station, KVCW, will broadcast an enhanced digital signal using high dynamic range (HDR).
The NextGen Broadcast standard provides remarkable picture quality to viewers – substantially brighter highlights, darker shadows, brilliant colors and much more detail, Sinclair said. The signal delivered employs the single layer system (SL-HDR1) developed by Technicolor.
SL-HDR1 allows a broadcaster to deliver pictures in both standard and high definition simultaneously with TV sets automatically rendering the appropriate picture for that set. By using this technology, broadcasters can efficiently create and deliver content, eliminating the need for sending two separate streams, Sinclair said.
This solution permits broadcasters to serve both newer HDR-capable screens and those without the capability, recognizing that not all viewers have the latest TV sets available. Sinclair announced that these capabilities will be used at all of its NextGen stations throughout the country.
Another key demo will be the latest version of Sinclair’s Hybrid TV Broadcast App.
Sinclair noted that merging broadcast and broadband services to provide the best of over-the-air and Internet delivered content is a key ingredient of the new NextGen TV delivery ecosystem.
To achieve that result, Sinclair has developed a Hybrid TV Broadcast App with menuing technology that allows viewers to choose content regardless of how it gets to their screens.
The demo will include content on demand, local weather, audio services and advanced emergency informing, Sinclair said.
Sinclair/ONE Media 3.0 have announced that they will ease the process of distributing their version of the Broadcast App by delivering it both over-the-air and via broadband.
“The beauty of the NextGen Broadcast standard is its ability to both enhance the content we deliver and do it as flexibly as possible,” explained Mark Aitken, president of ONE Media 3.0, “The hybrid nature of television today means we must make it as easy as possible for viewers to take advantage of our offerings. SL-HDR1 and a common Broadcast App delivered over multiple pipes to the user simplifies that process.”
