Transition and Deployment Guide Helps Broadcasters Plan for Next Gen TV
A comprehensive planning guide to help broadcasters make the transition to ATSC 3.0 is now available.
The handiwork of a group of leading broadcasters and equipment manufacturers, the new Next Gen TV “Transition and Deployment Guide” was developed to provide detailed information for use by station management and engineers to move to ATSC 3.0, while also planning for channel changes that could result from the FCC spectrum repack plan.
The 80-page planning guide, available on the GatesAir website , will be a living document that will evolve as additional elements of the standard are completed. The Next-Gen TV Transition and Deployment Guide states:
“The next-generation platform delivers more flexibility, capabilities, and tradeoffs – depending upon how a system is customized. With that comes a multifaceted system that will require more business and technical planning. Understanding which combination of ATSC 3.0 services to employ and the subsequent trade-offs between robustness and bandwidth is the first step in planning a system.”
Stations transitioning to new channels (and ultimately to ATSC 3.0) during the post-auction FCC spectrum repack can realize significant savings when buying equipment and services to facilitate the channel change. Broadcasters should identify any potential redundancies for tower work or equipment with future ATSC 3.0 adoption.
Among other things, the transition guide highlights ways to broadcasters reduce capital requirements by choosing the right transmitter, RF system and antenna components; assuring that the antenna conforms to the RF requirements for ATSC 3.0 adoption; evaluating software-upgradable ATSC 3.0 options; and understanding how installation of ATSC 3.0 equipment could affect tower and tower site infrastructures.
“ATSC 3.0 is rounding third base and sliding head-first into home plate,” said Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV, whose membership represents 200-plus local broadcast stations. “It’s time for station managers, engineers, and planners at all levels to look ahead and get ready for the future,” the ATSC board member and apparent baseball fan said.
A number of ATSC members and other respected industry experts participated in the creation of the Next Gen TV Transition and Deployment Guide: American Tower; Cox Media Group; Digital Tech Consulting; Dielectric; Ericsson; GatesAir; Harmonic; Hitachi-Comark; Meintel, Sgignoli, & Wallace; Pearl TV; Raycom Media; Sinclair Broadcast Group; and Triveni Digital.
Posted in ATSC News
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