{"id":99,"date":"2018-04-26T20:41:51","date_gmt":"2018-04-26T20:41:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.titantvinc.com\/blog\/?p=99"},"modified":"2018-04-26T22:01:52","modified_gmt":"2018-04-26T22:01:52","slug":"nab-2018-recap-foundational-changes-are-underway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.titantvinc.com\/blog\/nab-2018-recap-foundational-changes-are-underway\/","title":{"rendered":"NAB 2018 Recap:\u00a0 Foundational Changes are Underway"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NAB Show in Las Vegas<\/a> came at a particularly interesting time for our industry, as several major initiatives and trends are coalescing this year, driving significant change.\u00a0 Not since the digital transition has the future been so uncertain.\u00a0 While that uncertainty is creating challenges, it is also creating opportunities.\u00a0 It was clear from our conversations with partners and clients at the show that there are many different, innovative approaches underway to prepare for what\u2019s ahead.<\/p>\n

Here are three key themes that we heard throughout the show:<\/p>\n

#1:\u00a0 Next Gen TV is coming soon, and it is time to act.<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

On the first day of the show, the \u201cribbon was cut\u201d on ATSC 3.0<\/a>, and this the standard finally begins its transition from science project to commercialization.\u00a0 Offering consumers 4k ultra high def and immersive audio, as well as several broadband-like experiences such as interactive menus, Next Gen TV will provide a whole new experience to viewers and an opportunity for savvy broadcasters to grow revenue.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Pearl TV consortium<\/a> is running a market trial in Phoenix<\/a>, and TitanTV is a proud participant<\/a> in this project through provision of our electronic program guides.\u00a0 An extension of our current EPG technology, these guides will allow for an immersive, engaging viewer experience.\u00a0 (Take a look at our next gen digital guides<\/a> \u2013 this same type of rich media experience will be present in an ATSC 3.0 enabled TV.)\u00a0 This trial should be watched closely.\u00a0 Though ATSC 3.0 is an optional standard, consumers may begin to demand it once they have experienced it, and broadcasters should be ready to respond.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

#2:\u00a0 The Vendor Ecosystem must streamline workflow and connect systems.<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Broadcasters can no longer afford to have redundant workflow and are particularly tired of redundant data entry.\u00a0 This challenge is becoming more acute as linear OTT\u00a0and diginets proliferate.\u00a0 Vendors must allow their systems to cleanly interoperate and integrate, allowing for the automated flow of information.\u00a0 Some vendors have been slow to respond to this trend, while others have embraced it.\u00a0 But broadcasters are unified in wanting it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

TitanTV\u2019s MediaStar scheduling<\/a> platform is open and available for connection to other systems.\u00a0 Many such integrations have been\u00a0completed already, enhancing MediaStar\u2019s ability to bring accuracy, efficiency, and consistency to program scheduling throughout broadcaster operations.\u00a0 We had some good discussions at the show this year to continue to expand our list of partners, and will continue to\u00a0make this a point of emphasis moving forward.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

#3:\u00a0 Consumer education about the Repack and Next Gen TV is essential.\u00a0 <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

As the repack and ATSC 3.0-driven channel sharing arrangements get underway, this will be a confusing time for OTA viewers.\u00a0 Viewer education and outreach will be essential.\u00a0 But there are resources available to help broadcasters educate and inform.<\/p>\n

Regarding the repack, once a station moves, viewers will need to rescan their TVs before they can receive the broadcast.\u00a0 The NAB has developed clear messaging to viewers who will need to re-scan.\u00a0 Its web site, TVAnswers.com<\/a>, is a crucial viewer resource that broadcasters about to repack should heavily promote if they wish to retain viewership.<\/p>\n

If you set up a channel sharing arrangement or otherwise move your transmission, your OTA viewers will need to understand how to change the direction of their antennas to ensure a clear signal or purchase a new antenna to get your full content offerings (diginets, ATSC 3.0, etc.).\u00a0 Our NAB<\/a> and CTA<\/a>-sponsored web site Antennaweb.org<\/a> is a crucial resource for OTA viewers for this purpose. \u00a0This tool is free<\/strong> for viewers to use.\u00a0 We urge broadcasters to promote this utility to ensure a clear, strong signal can be received at a viewer\u2019s location.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We heard that the logistics of the repack for many broadcasters will be somewhat messy, with uncertain project timelines.\u00a0 Please keep TitanTV appraised of your repack timeline and key events<\/a>.<\/u>\u00a0 To do so, we provide a free utility for broadcast engineers called Antenna TechSpecs<\/a>.\u00a0 This utility feeds AntennaWeb.org<\/a> and TitanTV.com<\/a>, as well as the electronic program guides on broadcaster web sites.\u00a0 At the NAB Show this year, TitanTV and the NAB met to begin developing a workflow to share updates regarding the repack.\u00a0 TitanTV and NAB will be sharing repack information with each other to ensure that their outreach efforts on broadcasters\u2019 behalf are fully informed with the latest information.<\/p>\n

We are proud to work with our clients and partners to work closely with them during this time of change with our traditional high level of service and responsiveness.\u00a0 It would be our pleasure to work with you.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Christopher W. Kelly<\/a>
\nChief Executive Officer
\nTitanTV, Inc.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The NAB Show in Las Vegas came at a particularly interesting time for our industry, as several major initiatives and trends are coalescing this year, driving significant change.\u00a0 Not since the digital transition has the future been so uncertain.\u00a0 While that uncertainty is creating challenges, it is also creating opportunities.\u00a0 It was clear from our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":93,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.titantvinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.titantvinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.titantvinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.titantvinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.titantvinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.titantvinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":124,"href":"https:\/\/www.titantvinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99\/revisions\/124"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.titantvinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.titantvinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.titantvinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.titantvinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}