[January 08, 2024]

ATSC: More Than 100 NEXTGEN TV Products Available to Consumers in 2024, as U.S. Deployment of ATSC 3.0 Expands to Reach 75% of Households

Another prominent television manufacturer is joining the NEXTGEN TV bandwagon, with the announcement on Monday that TCL is planning new TV models equipped with integrated NEXTGEN TV capability. More than 100 NEXTGEN TV products will be available for U.S. consumers this year. ATSC is exhibiting in booth 19744 of the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at this week's annual CES technology event.

ATSC 3.0 is the over-the-air broadcast standard powering NEXTGEN TV, the voluntary upgrade to U.S. TV broadcasting that delivers an enhanced video and audio experience and seamless delivery of over-the-top streaming content from local stations to augment new over-the-air services. The technology is also being deployed in international markets.

The Consumer Technology Association this week announced industry results for 2023 sales and projections for the coming year, with the cumulative U.S. installed base of NEXTGEN TV receivers topping 10.3 million and consumer sales of NEXTGEN TV products expected to increase by 45% in 2024. In addition to TV models from Sony, Samsung, Hisense, and TCL, the number of available accessory receiver models is expected to double in 2024, to offer consumers with existing TV sets several affordable options for upgrades.

"ATSC is delighted to have more than two dozen broadcasters, technology companies, and networks supporting our CES exhibit this year," said Madeleine Noland, President of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC). "With U.S. NEXTGEN TV market launches in 2024 coming soon for Chicago, San Diego, and Tucson, we're projecting that NEXTGEN TV will cross the 75% household reach milestone in February - a significant achievement that also will mark 75 Nielsen broadcast markets with service.

"Now that broadcasters have reached this important milestone, attention turns to strengthening the number of available consumer receivers and improving the viewing experience - both of which are being showcased at the ATSC exhibit this year at CES. We are delighted to add TCL to the list of TV makers offering NEXTGEN TV, joining Sony, Samsung, and Hisense. And with ADTH, Stavix, Zapperbox, and Zinwell planning to offer NEXTGEN TV certified and security verified receivers, including some with digital video recording capability, this year is shaping up to be a big one for consumer choice," Noland said.

"ATSC 3.0 has a global impact, too. South Korea and Jamaica are both on-air with ATSC 3.0. Trinidad & Tobago will transition in 2025. Both Brazil and India are evaluating ATSC 3.0 as a technology that can handle different technological challenges, and discussions are underway in a number of other countries that are looking for the most flexible broadcast system that easily adapts to changing needs and behaviors," Noland added.

Upgrade Accessory Receivers: Four models are on display at the ATSC booth, offering a range of affordable options to consumers as they reach retail availability in 2024:

1. ADTH introduced its set-top receiver certified to use the CTA's NEXTGEN TV logo and verified for A3SA content security last summer, and recently expanded retail availability of its receiver through Walmart.com.
2. Stavix is new to the receiver market, planning a device that will be availablelater this year.
3. Zapperbox offers both single-tuner and dual-tuner models, including a digital video recording features with the addition of a memory card in the device.
4. Zinwell is showing the first NEXTGEN TV upgrade receiver that will operate without needing an internet connection for security verification.

Expanding Over-the-Air OTA Sports: Local stations are now carrying games from more favorite sports teams, underscoring the popularity of live sports viewing where every screen feels like the best seat at the stadium.

High Dynamic Range (HDR): With broadcasters expected to offer more natively-produced HDR sports programming in 2024, the exceptional picture quality of HDR will be showcased with ATSC exhibit demonstrations from Dolby, Technicolor and HDR10+:

Advanced HDR by Technicolor brings NEXTGEN TV viewers the ultimate experience with vibrant, live video in HDR. At the ATSC booth, attendees will see a demonstration of Advanced HDR by Technicolor content and its innovative single-stream HDR/SDR distribution, now available all day, every day from Sinclair on NEXTGEN TV.

HDR10+ Technologies LLC, an industry group with more than 150 adopters, is showing HDR video enhanced with HDR10+ Dynamic Metadata. This is shown with sports programming from FOX SPORTS encoded using a real-time ATEME encoder. HDR with dynamic metadata can be broadcast today, even with material originated in Standard Dynamic Range (SDR), without impact on workflow or bandwidth.

Better TV with Broadcast IP: A key capability of NEXTGEN TV is the flexibility of using the ATSC 3.0 standard's interoperability with internet-delivered content. Demonstrations at the ATSC booth will show how broadcast IP can be used by local stations to offer more choices to viewers, advanced emergency information, unique broadcast "start over" functions, and more navigation services such as enhanced weather and additional streaming choices launched from the broadcaster's own application platform.

Using the broadcast and broadband functionality of the ATSC 3.0 standard, a suite of new music video channels will be announced at CES that bring app-like interactive music features to broadcast TV for the first time with the support of one of America's largest broadcasters.

Global Reach: Regulators in Brazil are evaluating the physical transmission layer of ATSC 3.0 this coming spring, having already chosen many other ATSC 3.0 technologies for their new system. India is looking at ATSC 3.0 as a potential method of transmitting television to mobile devices - by far the most prevalent way that people watch TV in that country.

At CES, Saankhya Labs is announcing several new TV accessories, powered by the company's demodulator. Saankhya is working closely with the government of India for a nationwide rollout of Direct-to-Mobile video services that would utilize ATSC 3.0.

Jamaica's new consumer-facing advertising campaign for NEXTGEN TV will be on display as the country embarks on a broad-reaching consumer awareness campaign for its ongoing launch of ATSC 3.0 services. The campaign will include TV, radio, print and outdoor messaging.

Future Forward: ATSC 3.0 promises to revolutionize more than just the television viewing experience:

Sinclair will showcase the capabilities of ATSC 3.0 to deliver advanced and personalized audio services to the automobile, highlighting the mobile capability of the broadcast standard.

Nexus Connect is the premier destination for broadcasters, content creators, advertisers, and technology providers to collaborate, innovate, and unlock their full potential. The Nexus Connect exhibit features a dynamic marketplace ecosystem where industry players come together, discover exciting new intelligent applications and services, and deliver immersive, interactive, and personalized television experiences to viewers.

ATSC exhibit sponsors for CES 2024 include: Sinclair, Dolby, Nexus Connect, Pearl TV, A3SA, ADTH, Alticast, Amlogic, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, LG, MediaTek, Public Media Venture Group, Rohde & Schwarz, Roxi, Saankhya Labs, Samsung, Sony, Stavix, Advanced HDR by Technicolor, Televes, Zapperbox, Zinwell, and television networks ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC.

About ATSC: The Advanced Television Systems Committee, Inc., is an international, non-profit organization developing voluntary standards and recommended practices for digital terrestrial broadcasting. ATSC member organizations represent the broadcast, broadcast equipment, motion picture, consumer electronics, computer, cable, satellite, and semiconductor industries. ATSC also develops digital terrestrial broadcasting implementation strategies and supports educational activities on ATSC standards. For more information visit www.atsc.org.

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