Ever wonder why your phone doesn't have an FM radio tuner? Same reason. If suddenly you can get lots of high-quality content for free on your phone, they potentially lose money. Free TV on your phone?Īnother point of potential contention is getting ATSC 3.0 tuners intoĪre in the business of selling you data. That said, we'll keep an eye on this for any further developments. You will inevitably lose some of the other features of NextGen TV, however. While it also requires Internet access, if this type of thing bothers you, just don't connect your TV or NextGen TV receiver to the internet. There is a silver lining: There will be an opt-out option. Return data path is still in the planning stages, even as the other aspects of NextGen TV are already going live. Pretty much every app, streaming service, smart TV and cable or satellite box all track your usage to a greater or lesser extent. The finer details are all still being worked out, but here's the thing: If your TV is connected to the internet, it's already tracking you. Sure, the return data path could also allow "alternative audio tracks and interactive elements," but it's the targeted ads and tracking many observers are worried about. Today, over-the-air broadcasts are pretty much the only way to watch television that doesn't track your viewing habits. This is something brand-new for broadcast TV. Not only does this allow a more accurate count of who's watching what shows, but it creates the opportunity for every marketer's dream: targeted advertising.Īds specific to your viewing habits, income level and even ethnicity (presumed by your neighborhood, for example) could get slotted in by your local station. One of NextGen TV's more controversial features is a "return data path," which is a way for the station you're watching to know you're watching. Still, the agency is currently revisiting that requirement and could extend the deadline in some capacity.Given the competition broadcasters have with cable, streaming and so on, 3.0 could be a way to stabilize or even increase their income by offering better picture quality, better coverage and, most importantly, targeted ads.Īh yes, targeted ads… Broadcast TV will know what you're watching So let’s be clear: You won’t need a new TV or converter box anytime soon, as broadcasters will simultaneously air all their channels in ATSC 1.0 for years to come.Īs of now, the FCC is only requiring broadcasters to support the current standard through July, which is five years from when ATSC 3.0 first debuted. This seems to stem from some TV commercials that broadcasters have shown to hype the new standard. In recent months, I’ve gotten some emails from readers who mistakenly believe that ATSC 1.0 support is about to go away, and that they’ll need a new TV to keep watching free over-the-air channels. ATSC President Madeleine Noland told Tyler Kleinle at CES that it might not become common until ATSC 1.0 broadcasts are discontinued, freeing up bandwidth. Major networks haven’t yet committed to broadcasting 4K content over the air, and the increase in resolution would require a lot of additional bandwidth. The standard’s much-touted support for 4K HDR video remains in limbo, though.
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