Chicago will be the next major market to get NextGen TV, which represents the next leap in over-the-air broadcast television.
The city will roll out the standard, called ATSC 3.0, according to a spokesman for Pearl TV, the group of broadcasters organizing the nationwide upgrade effort. in January, although which station will perform the upgrade is still unclear.
NextGen TV is the next-generation standard that television stations around the country have been upgrading to. The standard brings higher picture and sound quality and the ability to target content to specific locations.
The standard made its way to New York last month after WNET upgraded its antenna to carry ATSC 3.0 for Long Island-based WLIW, as well as WNBC, WCBS, and Telemundo. As with all other upgrades, the older standard continues to broadcast for TVs can’t pick up the newer signal. Next month, WPIX in New York is also expected to upgrade to NextGen TV.
The addition of New York and Chicago would mean NextGen TV would cover 75% of the nation, according to Pearl TV. TV Tech first reported on the stat earlier this week. It also reported that Pearl TV would focus on shipping more devices — settop boxes and dongles — that are compatible with the standard and plug into a TV’s HDMI port.