TV Technology

by Phil Kurz on 6 December 2018 at 20:54

ATLANTA—Fox Sports is deploying a series of small, unobtrusive POV cameras for coverage Dec. 8 of the MLS Cup game between host Atlanta United FC and the Portland Timbers as part of its 26-camera setup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. “This is the big, ultimate event for the MLS. We […]

by Mark Hallinger on 6 December 2018 at 20:37

WASHINGTON—The Government Video Expo, held Nov. 27-29, has an image of the U.S. Capitol building in its logo, but the reality on the floor is bigger than one building or just the federal government market alone. Indeed, a glance at attendee show badges on the exhibition floor or at the […]

by Phil Kurz on 5 December 2018 at 20:06

MUNICH, GERMANY—High-power, high-tower broadcasting to mobile phones and tablets via wireless networks has gotten one step closer with the deployment of an LTE Broadcast single frequency network in Germany. Transmitter and RF specialist Rohde & Schwarz and antenna manufacturer Kathrein […]

by Phil Kurz on 5 December 2018 at 19:48

LONDON—New research from IHS Markit reveals the average screen size of TV units shipped in Q3 2018 grew larger than any previous quarter in more than a year. Worldwide, shipments of TVs with screens 60 inches or larger in Q3 grew by 40 percent year over year, 10 percent higher than in recent […]

by John Eggerton on 5 December 2018 at 19:29

WASHINGTON—Microsoft is expanding its Airband Initiative, which uses unlicensed "white spaces" spectrum in the TV band to deploy broadband to rural and underserved communities, and wants the government to contribute some money to incentivize that expansion, with the money going to deployment […]

by Phil Kurz on 5 December 2018 at 01:34

WASHINGTON— Advanced Television Systems Committee members have elected four industry executives to three-year terms as ATSC Board of Directors, the committee announced today. Pearl TV Managing Director Anne Schelle was reelected to the ATSC board. Jim DeChant, VP of Technology, News-Press […]

by Phil Kurz on 5 December 2018 at 01:21

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—The Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers today declared its 2018 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition and Symposium — held for the first time at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in downtown Los Angeles — to be a success with 156 […]

by Susan Ashworth on 4 December 2018 at 13:19

The broadcast industry has lost one of its native sons with the passing of Walt Wurfel. Known for his kindness, compassion and professionalism, Wurfel was a broadcast professional who with experience in dozens of separate communications sectors: as a reporter, news director, press secretary, […]

by Emily Reigart on 4 December 2018 at 13:14

The Society of Broadcast Engineers has formed five working groups tasked with initiatives that will help the society to attract, grow and retain membership, as well as increase participation. These objectives were determined after a Strategic Planning Task Group reviewed 46 action steps identified […]

by Phil Kurz on 4 December 2018 at 01:19

DALLAS—Consumers are more likely to recommend online pay-TV to their friends than traditional pay-TV services, such as cable television, a new study from Parks Associates reveals. The net promoter score (NPS), a measure of the willingness of a consumer to recommend a service, for traditional […]

by Phil Kurz on 4 December 2018 at 00:42

WASHINGTON—NAB urged the FCC Nov. 27 to initiate a thorough examination of a TV white space database operated by Nominet UK for errors that if left unaddressed could lead to television stations experiencing harmful interference from TV white space devices. The request, made by Patrick […]

by Phil Kurz on 4 December 2018 at 00:13

STAINES-UPON-THAMES, U.K.— Millennials accustomed to smaller ad loads in the online video content they watch pose a business challenge for traditional broadcasters — one that server-side ad insertion specialist Yospace says it has solved. “The next generation of viewers is online […]

by Phil Kurz on 3 December 2018 at 16:48

DALLAS—Nexstar Media Group will acquire Tribune Media, making it the country’s largest owner of local television stations, in a deal valued at $6.4 billion (cash and debt assumption) under the terms of a definitive merger agreement announced today. Nexstar will pay $46.50 per share of […]

by Tom Butts on 3 December 2018 at 13:44

ALEXANDRIA, VA.—Future PLC has announced the recipients of its second annual Industry Innovator Awards, recognizing innovation and excellence in the broadcast and media technology industry. Future's Industry Innovator Award winners were selected by a panel of experts and evaluated on their […]

by John Eggerton on 30 November 2018 at 14:05

WASHINGTON--On Friday, Nov. 30, broadcasters in the first of a 10-phase post incentive auction repack must have completed their move to new channels and ceased broadcasting on their pre-transition channels. Phase two begins Dec. 1. According to the FCC, more than 140 TV stations in over 20 markets […]

by Phil Kurz on 28 November 2018 at 20:17

CLEVELAND—NAB and the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) have deployed a fully integrated ATSC 3.0 Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark demo system at the Tribune Broadcasting-owned WJW-TV in Cleveland, the company announced today. Comark Digital Services (CDS) delivered, installed and […]

by Phil Kurz on 28 November 2018 at 16:05

MONTREAL—Two out of three media industry professionals responding to a 2018 survey on IP uptake favor a hybrid approach of SDI and IP for signal transport and infrastructure, possibly reflecting concern over costs and the desire to get as much mileage out of existing SDI equipment as […]

by Phil Kurz on 27 November 2018 at 21:04

WASHINGTON—NAB’s innovation initiative PILOT today announced the 12 finalists for its third annual PILOT Innovation Challenge. The challenge recognizes ideas for leveraging technological advances in production, distribution and display. More than 100 ideas have been submitted to address […]

by Phil Kurz on 27 November 2018 at 20:52

MUNICH, GERMANY—Rohde & Schwarz today announced the acquisition of Pixel Powel Ltd., a step in its plan to expand its position as a leading source of broadcast playout solutions. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Pixel Power CEO James Gilbert and CTO Nick Wright will remain in […]

by Tom Butts on 27 November 2018 at 17:58

NHK has announced that it will launch its 8K channel in Japan with a broadcast of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The broadcaster, which announced the launch date last spring, has been testing 8K (what it calls “Super Hi Vision”) in anticipation of broadcasting the 2020 Tokyo […]