Next Gen TV

(photo credit: https://theblackandwhite.net/58180/feature/fcc-approves-next-gen-tv-with-tailored-ads/)

Is over-the-air tv dead? As a kid, over-the-air broadcast tv was the only option available. The picture was often grainy or snowy, depending on how far away from the tv station you lived, how good or bad antenna/rabbit ears you had, and if trees/buildings blocked the signal. Sometimes the picture rolled, or formed into strange diagonal sections, and you had to adjust the knobs on the back or side of the television set to bring the picture back to normal. The audio signal might be clear, or it might be mixed with static that rendered it indecipherable.

Now we have so many choices – cable tv, satellite tv, internet tv, tv on our phones, and streaming video services like Netflix and Hulu. But we still have the option of OTA, over-the-air broadcast tv. All you need is one of those indoor pancake-type antennas, or an outdoor antenna on your roof. This gives you the “free” channels – ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Ion, and PBS, and all their sub-stations. Despite it being free, broadcast tv has been waging a losing battle against paid tv for decades.

Lately I’ve been reading that there’s a new over-the-air tv format on the horizon:
ATSC 3.0. It promises:
– the ability for local TV stations to broadcast in 4K resolution
– color quality upgrades
– Dolby AC-4 audio
– better signals for indoor antennas

All good improvements, right? Read on.