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I like that OTA is still even a thing but I cannot help but think that this is going to fail - who the hell is even using OTA let alone tech saavy enough to be

I like that OTA is still even a thing but I cannot help but think that this is going to fail - who the hell is even using OTA let alone tech saavy enough to be UPGRADING their boxes for 4k? I'm still using one of the last Plasma TV's ever made (bought it used for cheap) which does have a built in tuner but is obviously 1080P only. At my last apartment I was line of site and only a few miles from where everything is transmitted from so I had great reception. Now it is the opposite and I would need to run a cable up the side of my apartment building to get an antenna working. Is ATSC 3 really not backwards compatible? It seems like it would be crazy to upgrade to a system that then will not work on all older TV's considering that most new TV's sold these days do not have a tuner built in at all!

bluedino 4y ago
> who the hell is even using OTA It's pretty common with cord cutters.
saltminer 4y ago
OTA is underrated IMO. I really only watch the local PBS affiliate, Chromecast takes care of everything else. And best of all, I can watch it on my PC with my Hauppauge tuner (though it doesn't do ATSC 3, I don't have any 3 stations in my area).
toast0 4y ago
> Is ATSC 3 really not backwards compatible? It would be pretty difficult to make it backwards compatible. Same as the NTSC to ATSC(1) transition, same radio channels, same channel width, different radio encoding, different properties. ATSC1 is a mpeg transport stream, and you could stuff something more efficient than mpeg2 in there, but apparently that will crash some receivers, and anyway they wouldn't be able to decode it, so might as well switch to a new radio encoding as well as a new video (and audio, joy) encoding to both get more bits on the same channel and more video quality per bit. The transition may be a little easier this time though: you can multiplex multiple logical channels on a single radio channel on both systems, so, if broadcasters cooperate, they can (and do, in many markets) setup shared channels for old and new, so one radio channel moves to ATSC3 and broadcasts multiple logical channels for the different broadcasters, and that channel's programs will also be broadcast on another broadcaster's ATSC1 channel. (There's not many spare channels for dual broadcasting like in NTSC -> ATSC, a lot of channels have been taken for cell phones) I'm guessing there won't be free decoder boxes this time though.

bluedino 4y ago

> who the hell is even using OTA It's pretty common with cord cutters.

saltminer 4y ago

OTA is underrated IMO. I really only watch the local PBS affiliate, Chromecast takes care of everything else. And best of all, I can watch it on my PC with my Hauppauge tuner (though it doesn't do ATSC 3, I don't have any 3 stations in my area).

toast0 4y ago

> Is ATSC 3 really not backwards compatible? It would be pretty difficult to make it backwards compatible. Same as the NTSC to ATSC(1) transition, same radio channels, same channel width, different radio encoding, different properties. ATSC1 is a mpeg transport stream, and you could stuff something more efficient than mpeg2 in there, but apparently that will crash some receivers, and anyway they wouldn't be able to decode it, so might as well switch to a new radio encoding as well as a new video (and audio, joy) encoding to both get more bits on the same channel and more video quality per bit. The transition may be a little easier this time though: you can multiplex multiple logical channels on a single radio channel on both systems, so, if broadcasters cooperate, they can (and do, in many markets) setup shared channels for old and new, so one radio channel moves to ATSC3 and broadcasts multiple logical channels for the different broadcasters, and that channel's programs will also be broadcast on another broadcaster's ATSC1 channel. (There's not many spare channels for dual broadcasting like in NTSC -> ATSC, a lot of channels have been taken for cell phones) I'm guessing there won't be free decoder boxes this time though.