The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / Ready Or Not, Here It Comes: NextGen TV Takes Another Leap

**Posted by RadioActive** January 3, 2025 3:45 pm

Many broadcasters are continually tubthumping the "improvement" of NextGen TV, the supposed new standard in television after the upgrade from HDTV a number of years ago. NextGen allows companies to add many interactive services along with a TV signal, and is said to deliver a magnificent picture. (Isn't that what HD was supposed to do?)

One of the many add-ons is the possibility of including a gaming feature to an equipped TV set, without needing any other hardware.

"GameLoop TV...will bring gaming directly to viewers with no additional hardware or subscriptions required. At the heart of GameLoop’s innovation is the channel’s “Play Now” feature, which allows NextGen TV viewers to instantly play games showcased on the channel simply using their TV remote or mobile phone."

But it's also capable of delivering something else - ads targeted right to you or who advertisers think you are. As if there aren't enough spots on the tube already.

On the surface, it all sounds great.

But my question is: who asked for this? Certainly not consumers, who will have to upgrade to yet more equipment at their own cost. I know it makes me a Luddite, but we were already forced to go buy a new HD set when all analogue was shut off. Or maybe more than one, if like most people you have one in the living room and another in an upstairs bedroom.

I'm certain NextGen will happen. I just don't want to be forced into yet another new thing I never requested or have no real use for. But they're going to do it anyway.

Welcome to the future folks. And hold onto your wallets. It's going to be an expensive ride.

Local TV Broadcasters Welcome Additional NextGen TV Devices, Interactive Channels & Enhanced Programming

**Posted by mace** January 3, 2025 4:44 pm

All I keep hearing about is how local affilliates are gradually scrambling their signals.

**Posted by RadioActive** January 3, 2025 4:50 pm

By the way, they've announced that all babies born in 2025 will be known as belonging to Generation Beta. They are the next group of people in line to take over from the rest of us until 2039, when the following group begins their own reign in 2040.

I'm hoping they call those kids Generation VHS, because one succeeded the other and they'll have more time!

Generation Beta has arrived — here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 babies

**Posted by pinto** January 3, 2025 4:54 pm

NextGen = ATSC 3. Won't happen here. I have one TV that has the needed tuner and it's a Sony so it will decrypt the signal if I set the region to USA. Problem is, trying to get the signals from Grand Island can be difficult as they are more directional and broadcast less power. A little tropo and the antenna loses them all. I found the Buffalo Fox station had some interactive things at one point.. weather, news headlines, but the picture wasn't really that much better so I went back to the regular HD channels... says someone who thought getting the new TVO on an old B&W in London was a huge thing!! 3 channels... luxury!!!

**Posted by RadioActive** January 3, 2025 5:09 pm

The question I have is: will this be forced on us like HDTV was? Will they obsolete your current set if everyone converts to this standard? If so, in the words of the late movie mogul Sam Goldwyn, "include me out."

**Posted by pinto** January 3, 2025 5:19 pm

Forced eventually in the US.

**Posted by RadioActive** January 3, 2025 5:23 pm

Which, if history is any indication, means we'll follow suit about three years later.

**Posted by ED1** January 3, 2025 8:36 pm

Canada will probably still be on ATSC 1.0 until the end of time, or until the end of broadcast television...

**Posted by Shorty Wave** January 4, 2025 9:24 am

RadioActive wrote:
By the way, they've announced that all babies born in 2025 will be known as belonging to Generation Beta. They are the next group of people in line to take over from the rest of us until 2039, when the following group begins their own reign in 2040.

I'm hoping they call those kids Generation VHS, because one succeeded the other and they'll have more time!

Generation Beta has arrived — here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 babies

Interesting read RadioActive. I found one thought that stuck with me regarding Gen Beta and I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing:-

“AI algorithms will tailor their learning, shopping and social interactions in ways we can only begin to imagine today, McCrindle writes.

Sounds very Big Brother to me.

Thanks for sharing!

**Posted by tdotwriter** January 4, 2025 2:23 pm

The existing ATSC 1.0 standard is very good for picture quality on HD channels, and a few TV stations have even switched to more advanced video codecs such as HEVC without actually having to upgrade to ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) which comes with "strings attached", namely encoding of the signals with DRM (digital rights management) that's become well-known for breaking compatibility with many ATSC 3.0 enabled tuners. Tyler the Antenna Man; a well-known television technology aficionado even made a video on how this modern retrofit for ATSC 1.0 TV stations works. The subject of the video is a TV station in Eugene, Oregon that uses HEVC to transmit four 2160p ultra HD channels, two 1080p HD channels and eight 720p HD channels on a single multiplex occupying the same 6 MHz bandwidth as any other TV station. Here's a link to the video.

As far as equipment obsolescence is concerned, external tuner boxes with DVR capability that support ATSC 3.0 and numerous "alternative" codecs for ATSC 1.0 are available with more probably in the pipeline. You will be able to avoid having to replace your existing TV by this means. ATSC 3.0 may very well fail to achieve sufficient acceptance based on the issues with DRM encoding and the fact that LG actually dropped the system entirely from their TVs last year. The industry got by just fine with no such usage controls built into the ATSC 1.0 system or even the A/V outputs from cable & satellite boxes, so there's no reason for such countermeasures to be used with ATSC 3.0.

As for Canada, the industry is at such a crossroads that I find it impossible to predict the fate of our traditional broadcast media in general. Our over-the-air broadcast TV landscape may largely die leaving mostly U.S TV stations to fill the void, including for antenna users within their range. On the other hand, some stations may wind up being sold to more bold and ambitious undertakers who may breath new life into them with new investments in over-the-air broadcast infrastructure, amongst other improvements.

Last edited by tdotwriter (January 4, 2025 2:40 pm)

**Posted by RadioActive** March 6, 2025 8:14 am

The linked article presents a strong argument against any forced conversion to so-called "NextGen" TV. And he's right.

In addition to preventing you from recording shows you want to watch later, there's the expense of upgrading (i.e. being forced to buy) another TV. And I'm guessing most people don't even know what ATSC 3.0 is or will care much about it. Alienating your customers (read: viewers) may not be the best idea.

"In many ways, this push mirrors the early days of digital television, when consumers were forced to upgrade their equipment or lose access to free, over-the-air content. This time around, however, the stakes are higher. The current broadcast landscape is already fragmented, with viewers increasingly turning to streaming platforms for convenience and content variety. Forcing consumers into an expensive upgrade cycle may only accelerate this shift, particularly as more affordable, flexible viewing options continue to emerge.

The challenge of ensuring that all consumers can access local television without undue financial strain should be a priority. While it is important for broadcasters to innovate and enhance their services, it is equally important that these changes do not alienate the very viewers who rely on OTA broadcasts for their daily news, entertainment, and sports programming."

Broadcasters Want To Kill ATSC 1.0 – But At What Cost To Viewers?