If there are broadcasters watching, I strongly urge you to consider this. I have tons of antennas and love the technology, but the average person my age doesn't, and has no idea what OTA TV is. If you want to have any sort of business model in the future, while fulfilling public obligations in a meaningful way, this is a crucial part of it. Broadcasters should follow the consumer behavior of the rising generations, and apply that to IP Broadcast/Multicast. My hope is that broadcasters have already come to this conclusion and are working on this, not just realizing this now.
Well maybe this would happen if a nonprofit group was willing to take the broadcast companies to court and they would need a good lawyer to convince the judge to force them to comply
They will never do this. No profit from it. Roku tvs are great because you just attach your antennae and it adds the channels and works like an app, also adding all the free Roku channels it offers, together in one package, so it feels like you have an app, offering the convenience you referenced
The broadcasters aren’t going to all of a sudden care about their supposed duty to serve the public. The FCC along with congress has allowed broadcasters to become too powerful by weakening and not enforcing ownership rules and they either care about the bottom line and/or pushing their political agendas. In Baltimore, David Smith, the local owner of Sinclair Broadcasting, which owns or operates three of the six full power commercial TV stations, just bought the Baltimore Sun. Why is this allowed? This is too much power for one person. They get around ownership limits by utilizing shell companies, such as Smith family owned Cunningham Broadcasting that owns the CW affiliate and another similar company owns the former MyTV affiliate (which is now TBD with MyTV being a sub-channel of their Fox affiliate). By owning/operating multiple stations in a market, they combine operations and shut down newsrooms. How is this serving the public? Congress needs to regulate and the FCC needs to strictly enforce laws in order to try and regain the sense of broadcasters serving the public interest. They need to end DRM on the public airwaves because it will lead to people not watching local TV to receive important detailed emergency messages and news. Sure, cell phones have emergency alerts, but they aren’t very detailed and won’t be available if the cell networks aren’t available. ATSC 3.0 included on phones would be a game changer that would allow everyone to receive important lifesaving information during disasters.
I have two outdoors antennas, an amplified LAVA HD8008 at 25' above ground and a home-built quad-loop UHF antenna with an 18db amplifier 12' above ground. When one doesn't get a signal the other one does. Even from Wilmington, NC, over 40 miles away. When the signals from the network channels in the Myrtle Beach area are bad, Wilmington comes in all the time.
We've had DVB-H for some time in Europe, but it turned out to be a fad. Maybe it was just too early for its time and would work better with today's streaming interfaces
No offense to author, I don't live in US so I don't quite understand the context surrounding broadcasting in US, but the Idea of some kind of TV being a viable option in 2024 sounds kinda ridiculous. Although the technology seems really cool and I agree on piracy being a quality of service problem
The networks literally are making over ten billion of dollars per year charging cable companies "retransmission fees". Retransmission fees in 2022 were literally 14.5 billion dollars. This is the real reason the networks do not care nor even want to make OTA television more convenient. If OTA television is easier to access or is more convenient, then cable companies would have a greater incentive to install antennas for customers (allowing them to bypass the enormous retransmission fees). The current OTA setup is beneficial to the networks. It is functionally price differentiation in economics 101. The people that have an ultra high price elasticity of their demand get free OTA television. Everyone else pays through the nose indirectly through the cable company. This indirect relationship is also massively beneficial for the networks as the cable company gets all of the consequences of the relentless price increases while reaping none of the benefits.
My Nashville TN market just changed the ATSC 3.0 Code Rate. It made a night and day difference. From 11/15 to 9/15. I’m in a fringe area. It made it usable. I hope they don’t change it higher. They use QAM256.
Most of the people that I know that used locast etc was to get their local channels when they were not local. I used it to get Washington DC channels when I was in Baltimore MD. (Which is about 35 miles apart)
Also don't forget about Puffer. It's like Locast, but you can only get stations from San Francisco. Plus there is no geographic restrictions unlike Locast. They have been around for a while, but the question remains if it is illegal to rebroadcast all their OTA channels, including sports(such as regional NFL games) for free...
some great points. but a lot people are mind less, just like who own cars or drive them .that shouldn't. Some do not like to be bother just want the convince or less hassle keep great work
I do not see the issue here 😅 Sea is deep, whats the point ? Ok I can install antenna, cable, whatever. Why ? I can get 4000+ iptv channels for 1$ per month, I dont watch it. Why should I or anyone care about antennas and other geek nonsense? For what ? To watch what? What is the point ?
lol so americans did not know TV existed before the internet? Like it sounds pretty ridiculous the default of the tv antenna is considered something new and weire in the US... did people already fordet TVs worked before the internet?
It’s not necessarily about people forgetting anything, it’s that most of Gen Z doesn’t know about it. Gen Z adults have grown up with streaming content over the internet.
Still, tv is just not that great since you need to watch ads and are constantly served cheap soap operas and fake reality shows making fun of fake poor families that are actually rich and just put up a show. Mostly elders who don't have computers or the internet connection still use TV so it's a pretty good time to start slowly phasing out terrestrial DVB-T broadcast over a decade or so and if anyone still wants to watch a classic tv they can use DVB-S instead while the frequency can be recycled for the internet :D
If there are broadcasters watching, I strongly urge you to consider this. I have tons of antennas and love the technology, but the average person my age doesn't, and has no idea what OTA TV is. If you want to have any sort of business model in the future, while fulfilling public obligations in a meaningful way, this is a crucial part of it. Broadcasters should follow the consumer behavior of the rising generations, and apply that to IP Broadcast/Multicast. My hope is that broadcasters have already come to this conclusion and are working on this, not just realizing this now.
Piracy is a service problem
- Gabe Newell, CEO of Valve
You make some excellent points. Broadcasters are addicted to those transmission fees. They will fight tooth and nail to keep those fees coming.
Well maybe this would happen if a nonprofit group was willing to take the broadcast companies to court and they would need a good lawyer to convince the judge to force them to comply
They will never do this. No profit from it. Roku tvs are great because you just attach your antennae and it adds the channels and works like an app, also adding all the free Roku channels it offers, together in one package, so it feels like you have an app, offering the convenience you referenced
Well said sir. If only the Broadcasters would actually listen to this as well.
My hope is that there are people in the industry watching this.
The broadcasters aren’t going to all of a sudden care about their supposed duty to serve the public. The FCC along with congress has allowed broadcasters to become too powerful by weakening and not enforcing ownership rules and they either care about the bottom line and/or pushing their political agendas. In Baltimore, David Smith, the local owner of Sinclair Broadcasting, which owns or operates three of the six full power commercial TV stations, just bought the Baltimore Sun. Why is this allowed? This is too much power for one person. They get around ownership limits by utilizing shell companies, such as Smith family owned Cunningham Broadcasting that owns the CW affiliate and another similar company owns the former MyTV affiliate (which is now TBD with MyTV being a sub-channel of their Fox affiliate). By owning/operating multiple stations in a market, they combine operations and shut down newsrooms. How is this serving the public? Congress needs to regulate and the FCC needs to strictly enforce laws in order to try and regain the sense of broadcasters serving the public interest. They need to end DRM on the public airwaves because it will lead to people not watching local TV to receive important detailed emergency messages and news. Sure, cell phones have emergency alerts, but they aren’t very detailed and won’t be available if the cell networks aren’t available. ATSC 3.0 included on phones would be a game changer that would allow everyone to receive important lifesaving information during disasters.
I have two outdoors antennas, an amplified LAVA HD8008 at 25' above ground and a home-built quad-loop UHF antenna with an 18db amplifier 12' above ground. When one doesn't get a signal the other one does. Even from Wilmington, NC, over 40 miles away. When the signals from the network channels in the Myrtle Beach area are bad, Wilmington comes in all the time.
3.0 is an upgrade for DRM
We've had DVB-H for some time in Europe, but it turned out to be a fad. Maybe it was just too early for its time and would work better with today's streaming interfaces
No offense to author, I don't live in US so I don't quite understand the context surrounding broadcasting in US, but the Idea of some kind of TV being a viable option in 2024 sounds kinda ridiculous. Although the technology seems really cool and I agree on piracy being a quality of service problem
I’m also a “Gen X” born in 1984. That does watch Antenna TV/OTA.
The networks literally are making over ten billion of dollars per year charging cable companies "retransmission fees". Retransmission fees in 2022 were literally 14.5 billion dollars.
This is the real reason the networks do not care nor even want to make OTA television more convenient.
If OTA television is easier to access or is more convenient, then cable companies would have a greater incentive to install antennas for customers (allowing them to bypass the enormous retransmission fees).
The current OTA setup is beneficial to the networks. It is functionally price differentiation in economics 101. The people that have an ultra high price elasticity of their demand get free OTA television. Everyone else pays through the nose indirectly through the cable company. This indirect relationship is also massively beneficial for the networks as the cable company gets all of the consequences of the relentless price increases while reaping none of the benefits.
My Nashville TN market just changed the ATSC 3.0 Code Rate. It made a night and day difference. From 11/15 to 9/15. I’m in a fringe area. It made it usable. I hope they don’t change it higher. They use QAM256.
Most of the people that I know that used locast etc was to get their local channels when they were not local. I used it to get Washington DC channels when I was in Baltimore MD. (Which is about 35 miles apart)
Also don't forget about Puffer. It's like Locast, but you can only get stations from San Francisco. Plus there is no geographic restrictions unlike Locast. They have been around for a while, but the question remains if it is illegal to rebroadcast all their OTA channels, including sports(such as regional NFL games) for free...
Well said!
Just two inches of creating French Télevision Numérique Terrestre
They should create an American equivalent of UK's Freeview...
some great points. but a lot people are mind less, just like who own cars or drive them .that shouldn't. Some do not like to be bother just want the convince or less hassle
keep great work
mindless is one word.
I do not see the issue here 😅
Sea is deep, whats the point ?
Ok I can install antenna, cable, whatever. Why ?
I can get 4000+ iptv channels for 1$ per month, I dont watch it.
Why should I or anyone care about antennas and other geek nonsense?
For what ?
To watch what?
What is the point ?
lol so americans did not know TV existed before the internet? Like it sounds pretty ridiculous the default of the tv antenna is considered something new and weire in the US... did people already fordet TVs worked before the internet?
It’s not necessarily about people forgetting anything, it’s that most of Gen Z doesn’t know about it. Gen Z adults have grown up with streaming content over the internet.
Still, tv is just not that great since you need to watch ads and are constantly served cheap soap operas and fake reality shows making fun of fake poor families that are actually rich and just put up a show. Mostly elders who don't have computers or the internet connection still use TV so it's a pretty good time to start slowly phasing out terrestrial DVB-T broadcast over a decade or so and if anyone still wants to watch a classic tv they can use DVB-S instead while the frequency can be recycled for the internet :D
first
Channel members and Patreon members were first to watch ;)