As momentum for 5G Broadcast around the world slowly grows, we catch up with progress in the USA with recent and forthcoming trials.
The appetite for broadcast content over mobile devices has reached several important milestones, providing more opportunities for the latest versions of ATSC and DVB content to be distributed as cellular data without a SIM card or a cellular subscription. The irony is that only a handful of experimental mobile devices can receive 5G TV yet, and much of it in the US will be broadcast to viewers on a portion of the UHF TV broadcast band the FCC auctioned off.
The last 56k dialup modem I bought in 1998 cost more than double the price of a 28k modem, and the double bandwidth was worth the extra money. New Wi-Fi 7 devices are similarly premium-priced because early adaptation of leading-edge new technology is nearly always expensive. The 6 GHz Wi-Fi band was introduced in 2020 as Wi-Fi 6E (aka IEEE 802.11ax) and it covers from 5.925 to 7.125 GHz. Recently introduced Wi-Fi 7 (aka IEEE 802.11be) is the first standard to actively aggregate the new 6 GHz band with the 2.4, and 5 GHz bands.
The most tightly focused and fresh technical information for TV engineers at the NAB Show will be analyzed, discussed, and explained during the four days of BEIT sessions. It’s the best opportunity on Earth to learn from and question indisputable industry experts, meet them, and swap business cards.
A full-time chief engineer in good relationships with manufacturer reps and an honest local dealer should spend most of their NAB Show time immersed in BEIT sessions. It’s an incredible opportunity to learn from and personally question indisputable industry experts.
It’s difficult for local stations generally focused on earning positive numbers during the next sweeps to invest much time contemplating station technology needs five to ten years out. This story explores what new direction TV broadcasting could go, from the perspective of someone who controls budgets and strategic direction years in advance: A generic media group Corporate Board member.
TV stations have mostly parked their satellite trucks and ENG vans in favor of mobile bi-directional wireless digital systems such as bonded cellular, wireless, and direct-to-modem wired internet connections. Is Starlink part of the future?
Not long ago, nearly everything but software on display in exhibits at TV trade shows worldwide was also known as “Big Iron,” because most new TV broadcasting products were big and heavy. Today, the only big iron on display at TV trade shows is RF hardware such as transmitters, antennas, feedline, filters, and towers. Nearly everything else on display is small, digital and portable and/or runs on a PC or smartphone.