RadioActive wrote:

This article is from a U.S. website, but it's still pretty disturbing. It indicates that the FCC has set a deadline for converting ATSC 1.0, the current TV standard, to 3.0 or what they call NextGenTV, by 2027.

Again, no.

The FCC is not mandating a shutdown date; rather they're mandating 1.0 stay on until at least 2027.

Television stations eventually plan to shut off their first-generation digital transmitters, but the Federal Communications Commission is requiring them to continue transmitting signals in the old format, known as ATSC 1.0, through mid-2027.
 

RadioActive wrote:

Which implies to me that stations can shut down their 1.0 if they want.

Yes, but if they do, it will be because they're moving to streaming, not 3.0. Going exclusively to 3.0 for OTA would kill the majority of whatever's left of the OTA audience by 2027.
 

pinto wrote:

When I got a refurb Sony TV from MTC, it had Nexgen.  I haven't changed the country to the US from Canada yet to test if I can even get Buffalo in ATSC 3.0.  Maybe I should.

All of these potential restrictions will just lead to an increase in piracy.. the exact thing they would like to avoid.

If you do get around to it, I'd be curious to know if it's really a huge improvement or about the same more or less as HD. I wasn't aware you had to change country of origin just to see an OTA channel from across the border. First I've heard of that. 

canam2021 wrote:

The only problem is the encryption on some stations.

And THAT is my biggest concern. Although I'm willing to bet someone will come along and start selling a decryption system that will defeat it. It's happened all the way back to C-Band satellite, when they first tried to start this insanity up. I'm sure there will eventually be a way to bypass it, although it might take a while.

Best way is not to even start it at all. 

By the way, I'm curious - which of the OTA services you can see on 3.0 is encrypting their signal?

So two of the four American network affiliates (NBC & ABC) are encrypting their signals? What a great way to tell viewers they're appreciated and invited to tune in. What's the point of running a free Over-The-Air station if people can't see it? This whole thing makes no sense to me. 

They're gearing up to kill the Golden Goose.

Thanks. I'll look forward to what you find. 

Every time I get assurance that this isn't going to be a thing, I read something like this: 

The National Assn. of Broadcasters in the U.S. is staging a big campaign for a total NextGen conversion down south, hoping to leverage its capabilities to fatten their wallets. They're now openly decrying the "wasteful" duplication of having to keep 1.0 signals on the air and are urging the FCC to mandate a time when every American TV station has to switch to the new standard.

"In January the National Association of Broadcasters warned that ATSC 3.0 transition was in peril, and with it broadcasters’ future calling on the FCC to phase out the "wasteful" ATSC 1.0 simulcast requirement. 

Nexstar Media Group CEO Perry Sook and other top broadcast group executives met with FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel and other commissioners and staffers to stress that the “stalled transition” represents an existential threat to free, over-the-air broadcasting.

For one thing, NAB pointed out that 4K HDR is growing across other platforms and will soon be little more than table stakes to play in the video game. They called for a firm plan for phasing out the “wasteful dual transmission in both ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0.”

And yes, I know this isn't mandatory - yet - and may never be. I can only hope when consumers hear they may be forced to upgrade their TVs all over again, the uproar will stop this lobbying in its tracks. 

ATSC 3.0: Everything You Need to Know About the Broadcast Industry's 'NextGen' Technology Standard