ATSC 3.0 is now live in Columbus, Ohio, with four local stations now broadcasting with the NextGen TV transmission standard. The local stations that are now transmitting with ATSC 3.0 include WSYX (ABC/Fox), WCMH-TV (NBC), WWHO (CW), and WTTE (TBD).
The participating stations have cooperated to ensure that current programming remains available to all viewers, regardless of whether their television service is provided over-the air or by a cable or satellite company. Antenna viewers can simply rescan their TV sets to ensure full service.
“Powered by ATSC 3.0, NEXTGEN TV is the most significant broadcast technology upgrade ever developed. Today’s launch in Columbus follows a decade of development of the new technology and months of planning and preparation by the local stations,” BitPath wrote in a statement this week. BitPath, which is developing new data broadcasting services, led the planning process and coordinated efforts across the four television stations. All four stations will be charter members of BitPath’s revolutionary broadcast data network.
NextGen TV will be able to support new features incusing immersive audio and video, broadcasting to mobile devices, personalized viewing tools, and advanced emergency alerts providing rich media instead of simple text messages.