Pearl TV, the consortium of U.S. broadcast companies leading the nation’s transition to NEXTGEN TV and its network partners have spotlighted new milestones for NEXTGEN TV receivers, and the industry group has announced details of Pearl TV broadcasters’ national holiday advertising campaign.
Pearl also applauded the collaborative efforts of New York City broadcasters launch of the next-generation broadcast platform, expanding the nationwide reach of NEXTGEN TV to 70% of American viewers and underscoring its momentum for broadcasters and consumers alike.
“NEXTGEN TV is meeting exciting milestones as it approaches the end of 2023, solidifying its trajectory for 2024 which includes more TV manufacturers expected to add NEXTGEN TV as a feature, more accessory options for consumers at retail, more market launches, and more unique and interactive content from broadcasters,” says Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV.
“We’re excited to be at Pepcom Holiday Spectacular! in New York City to help promote and educate consumers on the many options they have when it comes to NEXTGEN TV. And we praise New York City broadcasters for their collaboration and technical determination in bringing the standard to the country’s largest television market.”
A feature built into select TV models manufactured by Hisense, LG, Samsung and Sony, NEXTGEN TV is widely available to consumers at retail across more than 100 models, starting at $599, and viewable at www.watchnextgentv.com. While features may vary by device and broadcaster as commercial service expands in local markets, NEXTGEN TV is designed to be future proof, enabling a viewer’s television set to advance with technological improvements. NEXTGEN TV, powered by the IP-based ATSC 3.0 standard, is also a complement to streaming platforms, as it doesn’t compete for household bandwidth with over-the-top content, but instead, is provided as a free over-the-air service.
Consumers are also accessing NEXTGEN TV service using an antenna. As antenna technology and look has significantly modernized, the Free TV Project is an organization that helps consumers discover the benefits of free over-the-air (OTA) broadcast television. TheFreeTVProject.org website provides relevant and user-friendly content, including free online tools that will help consumers discover the right TV antenna and see how many and which OTA channels are available in their areas. In recent years, new OTA channels have launched at a rate of one new network every two to three months, according to Screen Engine/ASI. And antenna usage continues to climb as 35 million U.S. households have an antenna and 50 million are expected to have one by 2025, according to the Consumer Technology Association.
Broadcasters have launched NEXTGEN TV service in New York City and surrounding areas—the number one television market in the county encompassing approximately 7.73 million TV households according to industry rankings. New Yorkers will get the most out of live local news, events, and sports programming, while giving its broadcasters a more compelling and interactive way to deliver their content. New York City viewers can now access six additional channels over-the-air (OTA) for free: PBS stations WNET and WLIW; WMBQ; CBS’ WCBS; NBC’s WNBC; and Telemundo’s WNJU.
In addition, there are now several new ATSC-based tuners available that include:
Atlanta DTH Box
- The industry’s first NEXTGEN TV-certified receiver that is also verified for content security features a dual-mode TV tuner for reception of both ATSC 3.0 and ATSC 1.0 television signals. The ADTH receiver fully supports High Dynamic Range (HDR), Dolby AC-4 audio, broadcast applications sent by TV broadcasters and features a Bluetooth-powered remote control.
- After an initial sell-out, ADTH will soon start shipping pre-orders of its NEXTGEN TV receiver box with a suggested retail price of $89.99. The unit is equipped with dual-band Wi-Fi for software updates and security verification to ensure seamless playback of protected broadcast TV content.
Zinwell “NEXTGEN TV BOX” (Model ZAT-600B)
- A stand-alone single-tuner ATSC 1.0/3.0 tuner that accepts a standard digital TV antenna and is designed to decode/tune ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 broadcast signals. The Zinwell NEXTGEN TV Box is an ideal accessory for consumers with TVs that do not have built-in ATSC 3.0 tuners. It supports 4K broadcasts, enhanced Dolby audio, and access to broadcaster applications.
- Certified to carry the NEXTGEN TV logo, the Zinwell ZAT-600B will be security verified to operate without needing an internet connection. Working alongside Channel Master, Zinwell’s products will soon be accessible through participating antenna installers and retailers nationwide by year-end.
Zapperbox NEXTGEN TV Digital Video Recorder (DVR)
- Offering the first NEXTGEN TV DVR available as single tuner receiver to record or watch one channel at a time ($249.95 suggested retail price) or a dual tuner receiver to record or watch up to two channels at a time ($274.95 suggested retail price). Both models provide Dolby AC-4 audio playback and are expected to be NEXTGEN TV certified and security verified by year end.
- Zapperbox models support both ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 broadcasts, with new secure Digital Video Recording added as a recent update. DVR functionality, which includes recording and skip-forward functions, is available on both single-tuner and dual-tuner Zapperbox models.
More news from Pearl TV/NextGen TV: Pearl TV to Demo NEXTGEN TV Features at NAB 2023
