Residents in the US city of Atlanta are to benefit from enhanced broadcast video as five television stations band together to launch NEXTGEN TV, using the digital television standard ATSC 3.0.

Atlanta – the seventh-ranked media market in the US – will now get the most out of live news, events, and sports programming, as NEXTGEN TV incorporates Internet content so that viewers are informed and entertained.

“NEXTGEN TV offers enhanced features to broadcast television, such as stunning video with brilliant colour, sharper images, and deeper contrast, and is a thorough upgrade to traditional television,” said Tom Casey, vice president, engineering and technology for the Meredith Local Media Group. “NEXTGEN TV also exclusively offers Voice + audio from Dolby, so viewers can hear every voice, while also experiencing movie-theatre quality sound and uniform volume across different channels.”

Just in time for the autumn sports season, viewers can find NEXTGEN TV-enabled televisions from LG Electronics, Samsung, and Sony at local and national retailers. While features available on NEXTGEN TV will vary by device and broadcaster as commercial service launches in local markets, it is designed to be upgraded, enabling a viewer’s television set to advance seamlessly with the latest technology.

“NEXTGEN TV merges over-the-air TV with Internet content, creating a personalised, interactive experience for viewers and their home screens,” added Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV, the broadcaster business group that is coordinating NEXTGEN TV station launches. “Many NEXTGEN TV sets are now available across the country ahead of the fall football season, so viewers looking to enhance their experience now with this upgradable technology can stay current with features that will be released in the future.”

Atlanta viewers can now find five channels over-the-air with NEXTGEN TV:

Meredith Local Media’s WPCH (Independent, Channel 17) and WGCL (CBS, Channel 46), Cox Media Group’s WSB (ABC, Channel 2), FOX Television Stations’ WAGA (FOX, Channel 5), and TEGNA’s WXIA (NBC, Channel 11). Viewers watching these channels can look forward to enhanced television viewing provided by NEXTGEN TV as a complement to streaming platforms, as NEXTGEN TV doesn’t compete for household bandwidth with over-the-top content, but is provided as a free over-the-air service to elevate viewers’ experiences.

The participating stations have worked together 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.

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Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Business, Connected TV, DTT/DSO, HbbTV, OTT, Regulation, Standards

Tags: atsc 3.0, Meredith Local Media Group, NextGen TV, Pearl TV