Today it was announced that the new ATSC 3.0 OTA TV standard is expanding their testing into Santa Barbara, CA. This comes as the family-owned News-Press & Gazette Company (NPG) announced that they will start testing the new OTA TV standard.
“While most people wouldn’t expect cutting-edge technology in a relatively small market, the fact is that ATSC 3.0 is expected to be a substantial benefit to urban and rural viewers in markets large and small. NPG is proud to hoist the flag for next-gen TV here in southern California,” said NPG co-owner Eric Bradley.
“NPG is choosing to launch ATSC 3.0 service in Santa Barbara for an array of reasons, one being the multiple natural disasters that have taken place over the last two years. This new standard will allow us to deliver highly localized news and emergency information to an even wider variety of devices. That means faster alerts when there is potential danger,” said Bradley.
“NAB fully supports NPG’s efforts to launch next-gen TV in the Santa Barbara area,” said Dennis Wharton, Executive Vice President of Communications at NAB. “Local TV broadcasters are working diligently to bring the new standard to market with broadcasts ongoing in Cleveland, Portland, Baltimore, East Lansing, Chicago, Phoenix and Dallas. This new broadcast standard will unlock pro-consumer, innovative services such as better quality broadcasts, diverse programming streams, greater interactivity and mobile viewing. Experimental efforts are an important step in this process and NAB will work alongside NPG to ensure the success of this important trial.”
So what is ATSC 3.0?
ATSC 3.0 is a new standard that will bring a long list of new features to over-the-air TV. Two main features that will really excite cord cutters are 4K HDR picture with better sound and better over-the-air TV coverage.
There are other great features such as detailed custom weather alerts, internet active news stories, and more. Yet the biggest selling point for cord cutters is the fact that ATSC 3.0 does a far better job covering a larger area compared to the current OTA TV standard.
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