LAS VEGAS — Don’t have time to sit and experience the wonders of the next generation broadcast transmission standard known as ATSC 3.0?
Grab a seat on a shuttle taking attendees between the Central and South Halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center during the 2018 NAB Show.
The “Next Gen TV Autonomous Transport” will display local broadcasts powered by the newly released next-gen standard. It’s a custom 11-seat vehicle supplied by Keolis North America, and it’ll include LG Electronics ATSC 3.0 television receivers and monitors that will display live broadcasts over the air from an experimental Sinclair Broadcast Group Next Gen TV transmitter facility more than 10 miles away; the terrain of Las Vegas allows for a good test of the signals, as the Las Vegas Strip is flat and ringed by high mountain peaks.
The shuttle will transport attendees from the southwest corner of the Outdoor/Mobile Media exhibits to the South Hall during exhibit hours beginning at noon on Monday (4/9).
Be warned: It’s an autonomous vehicle.
NAB Chief Technology Officer Sam Matheny commented, “Riding in a driver-less vehicle is a revealing moment for people to see where the future of mobility is taking us, and viewing live HD broadcasts while doing so really highlights one of the great opportunities that broadcasters have in deploying the ATSC 3.0 standard.”
Sinclair Broadcast Group VP/Advanced Technology Mark Aitken added, “Mobile TV will help jump-start the transition to ATSC 3.0, and this demonstration will show how broadcasting to moving vehicles is a practical and commercially viable proposition.”
LG Electronics USA SVP/Public Affairs John I. Taylor noted, “The key to success for ATSC 3.0 is the standard’s flexibility. Broadcasting high definition pictures to moving vehicles like this – as well as Ultra HD to fixed receivers, interactive services, advanced emergency alerting and other advanced features of the standard – underscores the broad value proposition of Next Gen TV.”
Don’t like the idea of a driver-less ride?
An identical but stationary shuttle will be featured in the Road to ATSC 3.0 exhibit in the Central Hall Lobby, co-sponsored by NAB, the Consumer Technology Association and the Advanced Television Systems Committee.
In addition to highlighting the mobile reception capabilities of ATSC 3.0, the exhibit will showcase demonstrations of Next Gen capabilities, including Ultra HDTV, High Dynamic Range video, immersive audio, and personalized and addressable content.
RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief will be covering the 2018 NAB Show from Las Vegas.
