Twelve months and ticking

Broadcasters have one year until the final curtain falls on full-power analog broadcasting. In that time, some station executives will be singularly focused on getting the RF system in place. But other managers and engineers will be working hard to build new services and markets that will take advantage of their new digital OTA platform.

America's ATSC digital format supports the transmission of HD, SD, multiple program channels or a combination of these signals. Stations now can offer viewers multiple programs, all from the same transmitter. And, with multiple programs can come additional revenue.

Even more exciting is the ongoing work that may permit stations to transmit content directly to handheld and portable devices. With luck, broadcasters may soon be able to send their local news, weather and other content directly to viewers' cell phones and other mobile devices.

While all these new potential revenue channels are exciting, it takes a new broadcast infrastructure to support these opportunities. Because the workflow within a digital facility is different, incorporating the right combination of capabilities can be challenging.

That's why Broadcast Engineering and Broadcasting & Cable magazines have joined to develop a series of exclusive seminars to help broadcast executives make intelligent choices about new technology. Our goal is to assemble industry and vendor experts to help explain the options and capabilities, and then help managers and engineers work towards their own best choices.

This year's Competitive Summit will present a wide-ranging discussion on several new technology platforms and solutions. We'll look at mobile video, on-demand broadcasting, local HD and converged distribution models.

For leading stations, the Broadcast Engineering and Broadcasting & Cable Competitive Summit in Orlando, FL, is the place to be. We look forward to participating with you in this exciting summit.