Sinclair Broadcast Group Demonstrates Enhanced Elements of NextGen Broadcast at NAB Show
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) and its subsidiary, ONE Media 3.0, will demonstrate key enhancements to the NextGen Broadcast standard (ATSC 3.0) at the NAB Show beginning this week. Those elements will serve as the baseline for Sinclair/ONE Media 3.0’s vision of a “mobile-first” offering of video and data services, delivery of significant picture quality improvements and a more efficient merger of broadcast and broadband capabilities.
An industry leader in NextGen Broadcast deployment, Sinclair/ONE Media 3.0 is also a vanguard in setting the industry’s standards for innovative services. This demonstration signals a firm direction for Sinclair and points the industry in a common approach to deliver enhanced services.
Stunning Video Delivery
Presented at the NAB Show, Sinclair’s Las Vegas TV station, KVCW, will broadcast an enhanced digital signal using high dynamic range (HDR). The NextGen Broadcast standard provides remarkable picture quality to viewers – substantially brighter highlights, darker shadows, brilliant colors and much more detail. The signal delivered employs the single layer system (SL-HDR1) developed by Technicolor.
SL-HDR1 allows a broadcaster to deliver pictures in both standard AND high definition simultaneously with TV sets automatically rendering the appropriate picture for that set. By using this technology, broadcasters can efficiently create and deliver content, eliminating the need for sending two separate streams.
This solution permits broadcasters to serve both newer HDR-capable screens and those without the capability, recognizing that not all viewers have the latest TV sets available. Sinclair announced that these capabilities will be used at all of its NextGen stations throughout the country.
Hybrid TV – Broadcast App
Also to be demonstrated at the NAB Show will be the latest version of Sinclair’s Hybrid TV Broadcast App. Viewers today are agnostic on how they receive TV programs so long as the quality is equivalent between providers. Understanding that broadcast and broadband services can be merged to provide the best of over-the-air and Internet delivered content is a key factor in the new delivery ecosystem. The means to merge over-the-air and over-the-top content on a single device requires a Broadcast App. That menuing technology allows viewers to choose content regardless of how it gets to their screens.
Included in the demonstrated capabilities will be content on demand, local weather, audio services and advanced emergency informing.
Sinclair/ONE Media 3.0 have announced that they will ease the process of distributing their version of the Broadcast App by delivering it both over-the-air and via broadband.
Said Mark Aitken, President of ONE Media 3.0, “The beauty of the NextGen Broadcast standard is its ability to both enhance the content we deliver and do it as flexibly as possible. The hybrid nature of television today means we must make it as easy as possible for viewers to take advantage of our offerings. SL-HDR1 and a common Broadcast App delivered over multiple pipes to the user simplifies that process.”
About ONE Media 3.0, LLC
ONE Media 3.0, headquartered in Hunt Valley, MD, was established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. with a vision to build and globally deploy the Next Generation Broadcast Platform, enabling broadcasters to be competitive across all platforms in delivering enhanced video and data services. For more information about ONE Media 3.0, see www.onemediallc.com.
About Sinclair
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is a diversified media company and a leading provider of local sports and news. The Company owns and/or operates 21 regional sports network brands; owns, operates and/or provides services to 185 television stations in 86 markets, owns multiple national networks including Tennis Channel and Stadium; and has TV stations affiliated with all the major broadcast networks. Sinclair’s content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and digital and streaming platforms NewsOn and STIRR. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.
