New “NextGen TV” (ATSC 3.0) over-the-air (OTA) TV news has come out of this week’s National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show, including the introduction of new hybrid streaming media players with OTA capabilities for consumers.
One such announcement was a network-connected, whole-home tuner called FreeCast Home that when attached to a TV set, local internet network and an external antenna, will receive available OTA stations and make them accessible via a FreeCast digital on-screen guide, alongside web-delivered streaming app channels.
The FreeCast Home will enable bringing programming to other devices throughout the home and will feature local DVR storage, with expandable capacity via external USB memory.
Perfect for cord-cutters who may or may not already own a smart TV, the device’s FreeCast app will also support access to popular OTT streaming service apps including Netflix, Amazon Prime and others alongside local ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV channels received free over-the-air using a antenna.
The company said it has developed a special low-cost server solution and agreements for multiple dwelling units (MDUs) such as condos, apartments and hotel/motels.
Similar to cable and satellite pay-TV equipment, FreeCast Home will come with a 1TB DVR to record and time-shift viewing of OTA broadcast programs.
Availability timing for the unit was not yet announced, but the company said it will be offered at a one-time $200 price, presenting a significant cost-savings compared to cable and satellite TV subscription gear and subscription requirements.
Also announced at the show was “the world’s first mobile ATSC 3.0 receiver” dongle from 6G-Datacast.tv. The device offers connectivity through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and USB, and is entirely self-contained with an internal battery and high-performance antenna.
The 6G-Datacast.tv receiver is said to demonstrate “the value of the CY4 protocol enabling any type of data to be multicast to all client devices with virtually zero latency while incorporated or synchronized with video/audio all in one broadcast.”
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The company said the required bandwidth to deliver the data is reduced and no return wireless network is required. No hardware modifications to iOS or Android mobile devices is required.
6G-Datacast.tv is owned by CeWi Networks, Inc., which was founded by C.Y. Smith, “Chief Engineer for General Dynamics STANDARD Missile, the Navy’s premier surface-to-air supersonic missile system.” In 1994, Smith founded Zytex Instruments, Ltd., to provide telemetry data systems and displays for use in the television broadcast of auto races. The company was later purchased by a subsidiary of CBS.
In other ATSC 3.0 announcements at the NAB Show, Verance, the developer of digital watermarking technology for NextGenTV broadcast content, said it has entered agreements with Sinclair Broadcast Group, Gray Television, Graham Media Group, and Capitol Broadcasting Company to implement the Verance Aspect audio watermark on stations across the station groups.
As a result, each of the broadcaster’s NextGenTV Broadcast (ATSC 3.0) applications will be able to offer new business models and revenue through interactive applications to five times as many homes.
This means that the watermarking can be applied to all homes receiving their television signals through a NextGenTV’s HDMI connection via a cable/satellite set top box or media adapter, the company said.
“Aspect is Verance’s high-performance implementation of the ATSC open watermarking standards. The Verance Aspect watermark launches broadcast applications by carrying metadata and triggers associated with NextGenTV Broadcast experiences through all distribution paths (including ATSC 1.0 over the-air, ATSC 3.0 over-the-air, cable/satellite, and over-the-top services) to reach 100% of connected televisions,” the company said.
The company said that without the Verance Aspect watermark, “approximately 80% of households are unable to receive NextGenTV capabilities.”
Digital watermarking technology is used by content distributors and copyright owners to protect the IP and distribution rights to content against unauthorized re-distribution over the internet.
Verance announce at last year’s NAB Show that LG Electronics had become the first television manufacturer to implement ATSC 3.0 watermark detection on its ATSC 3.0/ NextGenTVs. Verance said expects additional television manufacturers add the capability soon.
“Bringing Verance’s Aspect watermarking to all of our stations accelerates our NextGenTV Broadcast applications strategy to better understand our viewers and to provide them with personalized broadcast experiences,” said Mike Kralec, CTO, Sinclair Broadcast Group. “We believe that Verance’s watermarking technology substantially enhances use of the NextGen Broadcast standard that we hope that all the television manufacturers will adopt quickly.”
Sinclair used the NAB Show this year to “show how viewers can have access to Broadcast App functionality by embedding the watermark in the audio signal that launches the interactive experience on a NextGen TV for any pay TV or ATSC 1.0 over-the-air viewer.”
Verance said the Broadcast App is then available to all NextGenTV viewers who want to take advantage of this new capability, regardless of how they receive the TV signal, gaining access to both broadcast and broadband content.
LG applied the Verance Aspect capability to all of its 2021 and 2022 NextGenTV-capable models through a firmware update last year. This cleared the way for access to watermarked content, including interactive features, from cable networks and regional sports networks as well as local TV stations and national networks.
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By Greg Tarr
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