Audio Video News

In the fall of 2019, broadcasters belonging to the Pearl TV cooperative established the Phoenix Model Market as a testbed for the new NextGen TV (a.k.a. ATSC 3.0) broadcast standard with KASW Television serving as the host station. Technical testing was the primary mission but having 4K broadcasts up and running also provided a perfect opportunity to gauge what the public thinks about NextGen TV.

Researchers at Magid found that locals who were invited to demonstrations of the new broadcast system expressed a high level of interest, even excitement, in what they experienced, according to Magid VP Bill Hague. Nine in 10 said they were “interested” or “very interested” in the new broadcast system.

“Consumers find most value in the combination of features,” noted Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV. “The combination of enhanced video — 4K with high dynamic range (HDR) — and immersive 3D audio have the broadest appeal.”

Viewers found other benefits appealing as well, including easy off-air access to live, interactive TV and the ability to personalize the live TV experience and “customize content in a way that makes it more enjoyable for family and friends.” Ultimately, eight in 10 of those surveyed expressed an interest in buying an ATSC 3.0-capable TV, or add-on tuner like the Kickstarter-funded HDHomeRun Quatro 4K (HDHR5-4K) that just started shipping to backers.