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Is The U.S. Going To Shut Down This O.T.A. Broadcast Standard By 2027?
It's called ATSC 1.0 and it's generally what most HD TV sets now use. It allows you to view over-the-air television in High Def and it came in when digital replaced analogue a few years ago.
But now there are reports that the FCC intends to shut down that system entirely in favour of ATSC 3.0, a higher quality standard that also allows broadcasters to add web-like features to your viewing, as well as allowing for targeted advertising. It also has the unfortunate feature of DRM or digital rights management, which means if a network or station chooses, it can keep you from recording one of their shows on a DVR or even worse, skipping the commercials if you are able to record that program.
And oh yeah, it will require you to get a brand new TV or at least buy a converter for every set in your home.
If this happens as planned, this is a terrible move that absolutely no one (except maybe advertisers and producers) asked for. And coming so soon after the still relatively recent HDTV conversion, this seems especially burdensome - even with four more years to go.
I'm not sure what Canada will do, but we generally follow the U.S. in their broadcasting standards - eventually. It's still a while away and things could certainly change. But if this is coming, it won't come easily. And I suspect most of us won't be happy.
The FCC Says TV Stations Must Continue to Offer Free ATSC 1.0 OTA TV As They Roll Out 3.0 - For Now
- RadioAaron
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Re: Is The U.S. Going To Shut Down This O.T.A. Broadcast Standard By 2027?
That is a pretty masterful click bait post.
- tvguy
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Re: Is The U.S. Going To Shut Down This O.T.A. Broadcast Standard By 2027?
CRTC Commissioners are, how can I put it nicely "technically challenged" and the staff is no better suited to deal with this issue. Their willingness to allow OTA to be shut down in most parts of the country - where there weren't robust alternative services, (i.e. rural areas) underscores how little the CRTC cares about OTA.
I might note that there was scant outcry from OTA viewers in rural areas, let alone cities where OTA was switched off. Each broadcaster had to "apply" to discontinue OTA service. Hardly anyone wrote into the CRTC. I suspect the CRTC took that as a "sign" that nobody cared.
The largest OTA groups, Bell, Rogers and formerly Shaw, and Videotron, much prefer to serve customers who want to watch OTA channels, via their cable, fibre or satellite systems, thereby accruing huge subscriber fees (which are still in the billions of $ per year), for services which would otherwise be "free" - over the air. Do you see where I'm going? A bit of a conflict of interest on the part of the guys who still operate OTA transmitters. And there has always been a revolving door from the CRTC to the "private sector". So no one at the CRTC is too fussed about pissing off their good BDU buddies. Besides, almost all OTA stations in Canada report that they are losing money....another excuse not to implement 3.0. So I would not foresee the CRTC mandating a change to 3.0 nor the shut down of current atsc 1.0. If they did move in the direction of mandating 3.0, I would speculate that Rogers, Bell, Corus, Videotron l and other remaining quasi-independent players (Pattison? Stingray? ZoomerMedia) would give a lot of thought to deleting the licenses, rather than make the large investment to implement 3.0. I suspect that we might see a tiny build-out in Toronto, Montreal, and a handful of other cities, perhaps CHCH and YES TV would be the key players who might upgrade, since they are well suited in Hamilton with the common antenna/transmitter building and adjacent channels 14/15. One channel could be used for 3.0 and the other for 1.0. Let me know if I'm missing something. One ATSC 1.0 operator who wanted to shut down a lot of transmitters was TVO, and there was a lot of blow-back from their rural audience. It seemed to me that a couple hundred people wrote to the CRTC in anger. So they derailed that plan. And forgive me if I've overlooked the CBC, but Catherine Tait certainly telegraphed the corpse's intention to shut down OTA broadcasting, including TV, FM and whatever AM assets they have - and that raised a bit of a ruckus. But I certainly haven't heard the words ATSC 3.0 from anyone at the CBC. They've wanted to sell off all of the transmitting assets for years and get out of the money pit of servicing, lighting up, and running OTA TV, all across Canada. Tell me if I've mis-read the Canadian situation.
Last edited by tvguy (September 26, 2023 5:47 pm)
- RadioActive
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Re: Is The U.S. Going To Shut Down This O.T.A. Broadcast Standard By 2027?
RadioAaron wrote:
That is a pretty masterful click bait post.
How so? If the FCC is serious about this, as a viewer who watches the U.S. networks OTA (and while I'm in the minority, I'm not the only one) I find this very alarming. It's also going to obsolete all my equipment, from the TVs to both my Channel Master DVR+s, which were made solely to receive and record 1.0 OTA signals.
I'm not sure if I can get a replacement for that.
Where's the "click bait" in that?
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Thread Starter- RadioAaron
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Re: Is The U.S. Going To Shut Down This O.T.A. Broadcast Standard By 2027?
The FCC’s not shutting anything down in 2027, they *may* just allow broadcasters to turn off 1.0 by 2027, and none of them will.
- RadioActive
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That is not the impression the article gives. From the FCC statement:
"...we adopt a new sunset date of July 17, 2027. Given the ongoing transition, we believe at this time that this is an appropriate sunset period."
Am I not reading this correctly? Sure, the date can be changed. But the fact there's a date at all being imposed is enough to cause concern, whether its four years or ten. I'm happy with the system we have and I expect most who watch OTA are, too. I don't want to obsolete all of my equipment, especially when it works just fine. Besides, it really hasn't been that long since the first transition.
While I enjoy some of aspects of HD, I ask now what I asked then when this was forced on us: who asked for this?
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Thread Starter- RadioAaron
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Re: Is The U.S. Going To Shut Down This O.T.A. Broadcast Standard By 2027?
You are misreading.
“ Last week the FCC announced they will be pushing back their deadline that would have let TV stations shut down their 1.0 signals to June 2027.”
Keyword “let”
- RadioActive
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So it isn't mandatory, it's voluntary? I hope that's the case, although there's nothing to prevent stations either way from doing it. Look at the Buffalo Channel 49 cluster, which is already 3.0, but is staying on with a 1.0 "nightlight" with the help of other stations in the market.
I have a feeling this is coming eventually, whether we want it or not. That's my concern. Still, the fact it's such a long way away (although four years will go by very quickly) doesn't mean it will never happen. I hope you're right. I suspect obsoleting all our equipment - again! - will make a lot of people very angry.
Frankly, I've read about 3.0 and while it's great for the corporate types and advertisers, I don't see much advantage to viewers. You remember them - the customers who actually watch TV.
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Thread Starter- RadioAaron
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Re: Is The U.S. Going To Shut Down This O.T.A. Broadcast Standard By 2027?
Completely voluntary. It says at the end of the article that a mandatory date may be defined in the future, but that’s way in the future.
ASTC 3.0 could be a really interesting technology, but there’s no point in trying to shoehorn its capabilities into today’s realities.
- In Phase
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I might note that there was scant outcry from OTA viewers in rural areas, let alone cities where OTA was switched off. Each broadcaster had to "apply" to discontinue OTA service. Hardly anyone wrote into the CRTC. I suspect the CRTC took that as a "sign" that nobody cared
(almost) nobody cares.
If one were to take a drive through rural areas today you would see that virtually every home has a satellite dish and/or a wireless internet service. OTA TV is not needed anymore (at least from a business case standpoint). The consumer has moved to a better platform that offers numerous music/radio/TV channels and true bi-directional internet service, and yes, they are willing to pay for it.
ATSC 3 is DOA
- RadioActive
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ATSC 3 is DOA
I'm relieved to hear this. May it rest in pieces.
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Thread Starter- RadioActive
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Re: Is The U.S. Going To Shut Down This O.T.A. Broadcast Standard By 2027?
NextGen TV has now hit the largest market in North America, and some major stations are part of it, including WCBS and WNBC.
I love the way they're trying to sell this as viewers being able to get "enhanced" services. Which to me is code for more targeted commercials you don't want and perhaps the ability to not be able to record anything thanks to digital rights management.
I know some here have said this is never going to happen, yet it keeps progressing. If this is the future of OTA TV, to quote something movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn supposedly said, "include me out."
Major New York City Broadcasters Launch NEXTGEN TV in Nation's Largest Market on October 16
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Thread Starter- RadioAaron
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Re: Is The U.S. Going To Shut Down This O.T.A. Broadcast Standard By 2027?
It may catch on somewhat, but it has a fat chance of becoming dominant any time soon.
This is not like the transition from SD CRTs to HD Flatscreens. That was a huge upgrade for consumers. This is not.
Any forced "upgrade" would spell the end of OTA altogether.
- andysradio
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Any forced "upgrade" would spell the end of OTA altogether.
If it happens there will be a 50’ tower free for the taking - mine.
- In Phase
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Re: Is The U.S. Going To Shut Down This O.T.A. Broadcast Standard By 2027?
I know some here have said this is never going to happen, yet it keeps progressing
Although I am not a believer in the long-term future of OTA and ATSC 3, it will continue to deploy, especially in the United States. It's the last hurrah for free OTA TV.
The reality is that "free", commercial driven, linear scheduled TV is no longer a business model.
Subscription based, on-demand content, delivered anywhere, is.
ATSC3 can't play in the future.
- Tomas Barlow
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Re: Is The U.S. Going To Shut Down This O.T.A. Broadcast Standard By 2027?
That is a pretty masterful click bait post.
I used to fall for those, but now when I see those speculative questions, I answer "no" to myself and scroll to the last post in the thread to find that there was speculation involved and few facts. This metheod hasn't failed me yet.
Could this happen in Canada? Nope
Is the CRTC about to...? Uh uh
How long before you have to...? Infinity