President’s Memo: Optimization

Posted on May 6, 2021 in ATSC News

This past month several TV stations in Sacramento, California filed for their ATSC 3.0 transmission licenses with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, bringing the number of NextGen license filings in the FCC database to 140.

According to watchnextgentv.com watchnextgentv.com, my hometown of Boston, Massachusetts is slated to begin transmitting ATSC 3.0 signals in the coming weeks. In anticipation of this, I spent some time this weekend optimizing my over-the-air (OTA) set-up. With thanks to ATSC members Titan TV and Antennas Direct/Mohu, I was able to quickly identify and implement a few simple things that made a big difference. I now receive 75 ATSC 1.0 over-the-air channels – a major increase compared with the 59 I used to receive. And not only do I get all these additional channels, but those that I used to get are now coming in with stronger signals and better picture quality.

While broadcasters across the country continue optimize their ATSC 3.0 deployment plans, industry conference organizers are also busy optimizing their plans as the COVID pandemic continues to pose challenges. CABSAT, originally scheduled to take place in Dubai in May, has been rescheduled for October 26-28. IBC is still set for September 10-13 in Amsterdam, but organizers have also announced “fall back” dates in December just in case. Other industry events such as the recent TVOT LIVE! are making great use of online platforms, which get better and better as conference planners and attendees gain experience with virtual events. The ATSC NextGen Broadcast Conference is also still set for August 25-56 in Washington, DC as a hybrid in-person/virtual event; however, the possibility of all-virtual is very real. “Meantime, NAB is moving forward with plans for the NAB Show in Las Vegas for October 10-13 with full expectations of a successful event.

As we continue to need remote/virtual environments to get work done, I notice that platforms are not only getting better and better, but people are discovering optimizations that will likely survive long after a return to “normalcy.” A great example is an ongoing ATSC 3.0 “Virtual Inter-Op” 1 plugfest. The online nature of the event allows many ATSC members from across the globe to participate who might otherwise be unable to test their solutions. The timeframe can also be relaxed, as companies can exercise individual test vectors over a period of days instead of hours.

It is sad to see the resurgence of the pandemic in many parts of the world, but also heartening to see how people are supporting each other. One ATSC team, for example, changed its priorities from moving broadcast equipment into a lab to moving critical supplies of oxygen to team members in need. People are persevering and optimizing opportunities to not only move the broadcasting ecosystem forward, but also to help one another.

Madeleine Noland, ATSC President

Posted in ATSC News