The Boston Audio Society POB 260

May 2023 Live & Online MEETING NOTICE

Date: Saturday, May 27, 2023, 2:00 PM
Place: Lexington Community Center, 39 Marrett Rd, Lexington, MA 02421,
Phone – 781.698.4800
Guests: BAS Members John Emerson, Alvin Foster, & John Hajinlian
Topic: Tests of 2 New ATSC 3.0 Tuners – ZapperBox (https://zapperbox.com) & HDHomeRun (http://www.SiliconDust.com) both under $300

Six Boston television stations launched NextGen TV broadcasts. The Boston launch marks the expansion of NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 signals into another major U.S. market, the 10th-largest television market in the United States, serving more than 2.5 million households. It is poised to replace the existing US digital television delivery system (ATSC 1). This new form of hybrid, over-the-air, and broadband-connected TV is now available in many US television markets. Our tests will report on their distance pickup, features, and multipath rejection.

Viewers in the Boston metro who have NextGen TV capable TVs or equipment can now watch six channels over-the-air (OTA) providing NextGen TV signals on: TelevisaUnivision's WUNI (Univision; channel 27); Hearst Television's WCVB (ABC; channel 5); Cox Media Group's WFXT (Fox; channel 25); GBH (PBS; channel 2); CBS' WBZ (CBS; channel 4) and NBCUniversal's WBTS (NBC; channel 10).

ATSC 3.0 supports Dolby AC-4 and MPEG-H 3D Audio. ATSC 3.0 supports three video formats: legacy SD video, interlaced HD video, and progressive video. Progressive video supports resolutions up to 3840×2160 and supports HEVC Main 10 profile at Level 5.2 Main Tier. Progressive video supports frame rates up to 120 fps and the Rec. 2020 color space, and HDR.

As the transition is voluntary, the FCC will not require ATSC 3.0 tuners to be included in new televisions, and there will not be a subsidy program for the distribution of ATSC 3.0-compatible equipment.

Unlike the current standard, the ATSC 3.0 standard is Internet Protocol (IP) based and thus promises to expand the potential for broadcast spectrum capacity to support new services beyond traditional over-the-air video in ways that will complement the nation’s burgeoning 5G network, ranging from A/V to health, pets, robots, chess, and body art.

Directions – From Boston take I-95 North towards New Hampshire. Exit onto 46A towards E. Lexington. After 515 feet, keep right onto RT-2A, E. Lexington. After 2.8 miles turn left and arrive at destination.

Ken Schwarz is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89414786087?pwd=aG8wMFFKaXZuejR3TEJQOThISkhrUT09
Meeting ID: 894 1478 6087 - Passcode: 989644