1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,840 In the age of digital media streaming, paying for a cable box or a satellite dish seems antiquated, 2 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:10,320 and having an actual antenna sticking out of your TV seems downright quaint. 3 00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:17,600 But hold on! You might want to hold on to your old antenna, or maybe even run out and buy a new one. 4 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:22,800 The broadcast TV industry is preparing to roll out a new standard for over-the-air television 5 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:30,240 in North America called ATSC 3.0, branded as the thoroughly uncreative next-gen TV. 6 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:35,440 It's the successor to ATSC 1.0, which was the original standard released during the 7 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:41,360 digital TV transition of the late 2000s. If you guys were wondering what happened to ATSC 2.0? 8 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:48,080 Well, it turns out they just never released it. Anywho, ATSC 3.0 has a lot of advantages that 9 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:52,560 very different from any over-the-air standard that we've seen before. 10 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:56,240 For starters, you can expect much higher picture quality. 11 00:00:56,240 --> 00:01:03,120 Current digital broadcasts can support a 1080 full HD signal, while ATSC 3.0 can deliver 4K 12 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:10,400 signals with high dynamic range or HDR and at frame rates of up to 120 frames per second. 13 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:15,200 It even has support for Dolby Atmos and DTSX on the audio side. 14 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:21,520 So in other words, it can deliver an experience that is on par with what you'd get on premium 15 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:26,560 content from a streaming service or even a Blu-ray player. And crazily enough, 16 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:32,400 it actually does all this while also providing a stronger signal than what we're currently accustomed 17 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:39,200 to. It uses a trick called ODFM, which is similar to technology used by some newer versions of Wi-Fi. 18 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:45,680 It works by transmitting at lower data rates, but over multiple frequencies in parallel, 19 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:50,960 which means less interference and longer range. So it should be easier to pick up channels from 20 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,720 afar, which can be an issue if you don't live really close to a larger city. 21 00:01:54,720 --> 00:02:01,600 However, with great new technology comes great new privacy concerns. Broadcasters are also 22 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:05,840 leveraging the higher data capacities to keep track of what you're watching. 23 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:11,680 Now, this technology already exists, and if you own a smart TV or you subscribe to a streaming 24 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:17,680 service, you're already getting targeted ads based on what you watch. But this is new ground for 25 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:23,360 over-the-air broadcasting. And you might not think that that's even possible. I mean, whatever's 26 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:29,200 on the airwaves is what's there, right? Wrong. So the stuff you actually want to watch, 27 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:33,440 like TV shows and football games, will still come in over your antenna, 28 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:38,560 but the personalized commercials would be delivered over your home's internet connection 29 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:45,040 instead. This hybrid OTA and online approach isn't just all about trying to get you to give 30 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:49,520 advertisers more of your money, though. The fact that your antenna can send a signal back 31 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:55,760 to TV stations might enable cool options like on-demand content and DVR features, 32 00:02:55,760 --> 00:03:02,480 bringing over-the-air actually closer to streaming services in terms of intrusiveness and features. 33 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:06,400 And because ATSC 3.0 tuners can connect to your home network, 34 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:11,920 it should be easy to watch broadcast TV on your phone or your laptop. I mean, 35 00:03:12,640 --> 00:03:16,160 over Wi-Fi, of course, it would look pretty silly if you tried to stick a pair of 36 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:22,800 rabbit ears onto an iPhone. Although, speaking of which, we might actually see ATSC 3.0 tuners 37 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:28,400 make their way into smartphones, giving you broadcast TV wherever you go with no subscription 38 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:33,680 and no data use. It's kind of like those portable TVs they had back in the 90s. 39 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:38,000 What makes this theme especially likely is that several major smartphone manufacturers 40 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:44,400 have even contributed to developing ATSC 3.0, so I might end up eating those words I said just a 41 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:49,600 moment ago. Not that I expect it to happen any time soon. Now, the industry is aiming to get it 42 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:55,120 deployed in 40 major markets in the US by the end of the year, but it isn't a mandatory standard, 43 00:03:55,120 --> 00:04:01,520 and right now, ATSC 3.0 tuners are very expensive. So for now, I would probably pass on paying the 44 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:07,440 early adopter tax unless you feel really compelled to bust out the antenna in order to watch all of 45 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:12,560 garden commercials in 4K. Thanks for watching, guys. 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