President’s Memo: We’re Heading to Washington Soon for the 2024 NEXTGEN Broadcast Conference

Posted on May 21, 2024 in ATSC News

ATSC is pleased to announce that FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr and NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeytwill be addressing ATSC NEXTGEN Broadcast Conference attendees Thursday afternoon June 13th. Commissioner Carr and Mr. LeGeyt are just the latest additions to the robust conference program.

While the Hotel room block is now closed, ATSC has secured a LIMITED number of rooms at the Marriott Marquis for the conference. If you are interested in booking from this small inventory of available rooms please send an email to: atsc@atsc.org with your rooming requirements and we will respond promptly.

The event runs from June 12-14 at the Marriott Marquis in Washington D.C. ATSC Members can participate in 3 days of events, networking, the ATSC Annual Members Meeting, and a vibrant 2-day conference schedule. Non-members and the media are invited to join us for the conference starting with lunch on June 13.

Confirmed speakers and sessions include:

Roadmaps & Roadblocks: Where Are We with ATSC 3.0?

• Anne Schelle, Pearl TV (Moderator)
• Bob Campbell, Resillion
• Paul Hearty, Samsung
• Ron Wheeler, ATSC

Opportunity Knocks: New Business Scenarios Powered by ATSC 3.0

• Skip Flenniken, Sinclair Broadcast Group
• Brett Jenkins, Nexstar
• Tariq Mondal, NAB
• Kerry Oslund, E.W. Scripps

Completing the U.S. Transition to NEXTGEN TV

• Alison Martin, NAB
• Patrick McFadden, Sinclair Broadcast Group

Inspiring Consumers: The Latest Research on NEXTGEN TV

• Bill Hague, Magid

Interactive Apps Unleashed

• Zane Vella, GameLoop TV

Emergency Messaging Update

• Patrick McFadden, Sinclair Broadcast Group (Moderator)
• Manny Centeno, FEMA
• Ed Czarnecki, Digital Alert Systems
• Pete Sockett, Capitol Broadcasting

NEXTGEN TV Consumer Devices Update

• Steve Calzone, Shift2Stream (Moderator)
• Robert Folliard, Gray TV

You can stay up-to-date on announced speakers and sessions by visiting the conference program page.

Our exhibitors look forward to showcasing their ATSC 3.0 innovations:  Actus Digital, Ateme,

Digital Alert Systems, DTV Innovations, EiTV USA, EQ4ALL, Fincons Group, GatesAir, Harmonic, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Hitachi-Comark, Kathrein Broadcast USA, Leeward Software (formerly known as SuiteLife Systems), Mirakulo Software, Nexus Connect, Pearl TV, Rohde & Schwarz USA, Samsung, Synamedia, TELEVES USA, TitanTV, Triveni Digital, and VBox Communication.

Thank you to our conference sponsors including AT&T Business, NCTA and the Public Media Venture Group.

The Early Bird Registration has been extended until 11:59pm Friday, May 24^th! Take advantage of special pricing by registering here.

For more information, including schedule, conference program, speakers, and more, visit: https://www.atsc.org/events/nextgen-broadcast-conference/.

The ATSC conference gives our members and industry executives an opportunity for one-of-a-kind networking, business connections, and education that is invaluable.

The 2024 NAB Show Hits the Jackpot

With a reported 60,000 plus visitors to the NAB Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the ATSC booth was buzzing with visitors, international delegations, networking receptions, and twelve exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations in ATSC 3.0. By all accounts, the 2024 NAB Show hit the jackpot for ATSC and our exhibitors!

Across the show floor, over 40 ATSC members were exhibiting and featuring how ATSC 3.0 next-generation broadcast standards can be applied to delight viewers and introduce new streaming and data delivery options for businesses.

Eight countries representing over a billion viewers are now deploying, planning launches, or experimenting with ATSC 3.0 broadcast technologies. ATSC 3.0 broadcasts are being tested in India, Canada and Mexico, and Brazil has already selected key ingredients of the ATSC 3.0 system for their next-generation system, joining South Korea, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the U.S., which are on-air or planning near-term launches.

With NEXTGEN TV powered by ATSC 3.0 now available to 75% of Nielsen households in the U.S. and more than 100 NEXTGEN TV products available to consumers this year. A key element of the ATSC booth was a representative display of NEXTGEN TV products from television makers Samsung, Sony Electronics, Hisense and TCL, and accessory devices from ADTH, GoTech, Velo, Zapperbox and Zinwell that are already available or coming soon as affordable options for viewers looking to upgrade to NEXTGEN TV.

Consumers in the U.S. are taking home more than 15,000 NEXTGEN TV products every day, with a growing number choosing to upgrade their existing displays with an affordable accessory device, including the first models to offer secure ATSC 3.0 digital video recording capability.

Impressive High Dynamic Range demonstrations were featured in the ATSC exhibit, as well as consumer experiences delivered by ATSC 3.0 from both over-the-air and over-the-top content sources.

A dozen diverse exhibitors were spotlighted in the ATSC exhibit. Major exhibits from key ATSC sponsors anchored the booth, including:

• Pearl TV: RUN3TV, a pioneering TV Web Platform, bridges the gap between traditional broadcast and digital media, introducing groundbreaking OTA broadcast features like Velope’s “Start Over” and Play Anywhere’s platform to watch, play, bet, and buy in real time. The display showed how broadcasters are enhancing viewer engagement and unlocking new monetization opportunities for content creators and broadcasters.
• Sinclair / ONE Media Technologies: Demonstrated how ATSC 3.0 opens the door to new revenue opportunities through datacasting; and how broadcasters will be able to deliver new services, such as automotive, enhanced location capability, and other data services that can readily be monetized.
• NexusConnect: Highlighted the dynamic ecosystem that brings together industry players to create, share, and monetize innovative applications and services for NEXTGEN TV. The marketplace serves as a hub for broadcasters, content creators, advertisers, and technology providers to collaborate and deliver immersive, interactive, and personalized experiences to viewers.
• Saankhya Labs: Showcased a live demonstration of Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) Broadcast, live and over-the-top AV content for broadcast, audio only content, emergency alerts and notifications, remote education, firmware and software updates delivered over-the-air, and enhanced GPS.
• Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE): Demonstrated the Broadcast Core Network which enables dynamic allocation and use of the ATSC 3.0 spectrum to deliver data services to enterprise such as manufacturing, warehouse/retail distribution, public safety and digital signage applications. Data services provide needed diversification in the Broadcaster’s business generating new revenue streams. We congratulate HPE for being honored with the NAB’s 2024 Product of the Year Award for their ATSC 3.0 Broadcast Core Network!

Additional kiosk exhibits in the ATSC booth featured new products and services, including:

For Consumers:

• Advanced HDR by Technicolor: High Dynamic Range Video for “Any Content, Any Time, Anywhere” with automated and efficient HDR creation and distribution for 24/7 NEXTGEN TV video broadcast and streaming, with SDR backwards compatibility and very low bandwidth requirements, demonstrated at the booth by showing content of NEXTGEN TV broadcast partners in HDR.
• CeWi Networks: “Carosel,” a small portable ATSC 3.0 receiver, designed to function as a “set top box” for mobile devices.

• GameLoop: Play games for free on your NEXTGEN TV. GameLoop is an innovative NEXTGEN TV channel for game discovery and free play, and a powerful demonstration of ATSC 3.0’s interactive broadcast IP capabilities.
• ROXi: The world’s first interactive music channel on Broadcast TV. ROXi Music Video Channel, powered by FastStream, brings the interactivity of music app to broadcast TV. Pause, play and skip music videos for the first time on broadcast TV without downloading an app.

And for Industry Professionals:

• Fincons: NextGen Broadcast Applications developed for major broadcasters, including new advertising products and dynamic ad insertion, content promotion and monetization, new engagement models and interactive services, and real-time audience and monitoring. Fincons won, in two categories, the NAB’s 2024 Product of the Year awards. The first was awarded to both Mediaset and Fincons Group for the “ADVisor,” which leverages Video AI to improve operational efficiency, content discovery, content monetization and audience experience. The second award went to both NBCUniversal and Fincons Group for the NBC – Telemundo NextGen TV Broadcast App.
• Mirakulo: Digital TV innovation with Dynamic Advertising & Hybrid TV solutions. Customized embedded software for cutting-edge business models.
• Rohde & Schwarz: The new R&S TE1 is an ATSC 3.0 native high-power transmitter designed to meet the ever-evolving requirements of the broadcast industry, along with a newly introduced Remote Transmitter Monitoring, the R&S RMTX, that delivers real-time diagnostic, guidance and rapid response, minimizing downtime and enhancing operating efficiency.

As the NAB Show came to a close, it was evident that with traction in international markets, the rollout of an enhanced and interactive experience for consumer audiences in the U.S., and the realities of a real ROI for broadcasters, ATSC 3.0 truly represents the state-of-the-art in broadcasting standards.

We look forward to seeing you next month in Washington, D.C.!

Madeleine

Posted in ATSC News