Channels & viewing

[atc98092]

If there's no existing thread for your situation (and there likely isn't), you should create a new thread. That's the best way to get maximum exposure with the community.

[Paulembree]

Ok. Thank you.

[terryalbert]

How does having ATSC 3.0 on a Roku branded TV compare to other digital television standards and technologies, and what advantages does it offer?

[andyross]

You can Google about ATSC 3.0. There is lots of hype that it could include 4K, but the reality is that few if any stations will ever us it. They will use the extra bandwidth to cream more channels in. There is even a proposal for audio-only channels, and up to 50 channels could be put in one frequency, giving a bit of a SiriusXM like capability.

The BIG killer could be encryption and Digital Rights Management (DRM). Sinclair and some of the broadcasters have forced the standard to add in encryption capabilities. The encryption keys must be hard-coded at manufacture, so you cannot do a firmware update to add it. Further, encrypted channels may require the TV/adapter box to have an Internet connection so that the key can be checked to see if it's been revoked.

[atc98092]

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@terryalbert wrote:

How does having ATSC 3.0 on a Roku branded TV compare to other digital television standards and technologies, and what advantages does it offer?

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ATSC 3.0 is the new digital over-the-air broadcast standard that will be rolling out in North America over the next few years. The significant advantages over the current standard (ATSC 1.0) will be the ability to have more channels on a specific frequency, more than 6 audio channels (currently 5.1 is the max), and will support 4K video. If a Roku branded TV includes an ATSC 3.0 tuner, then you are prepared for the future changeover to ATSC 3.0.

Besides the new compression codec for video (to fit more channels in the same amount of bandwidth), it will also be using a new audio codec: AC-4. Right now, there are very few audio devices that support AC-4, so having a device that can convert the audio to AC-3/Dolby Digital is a plus. The Roku Ultra has such a converter, and I'm certain the Roku branded TVs will as well. 

Will ATSC 3.0 look better than the current system? Perhaps once there's some true 4K material available. For now, everything being broadcast is 1080 HD or lower, and ATSC 3.0 isn't going to make that look any better. With AC-4 audio there's a potential for better sound, but again that's going to be dependent on the actual source material. Most content created 20, 30 or even more years ago simply isn't going to be high enough quality to sound better, regardless of the broadcast standard used.