NTA Convention 2015 – Reno NV.nationaltranslatorassociation.org/upload/2015...Decode/Re-encode, Transmodulate, Transcode ©2014 Harmonic Inc. ... –Small, remote and distant markets

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NTA Convention 2015 –Reno NV.Compression Technology for Television and Radio TranslatorsJoel Wilhite – Sr. Systems Designer


NTA 2015 Common Themes (much the same as 2014)

Convert the analogs to digital … NOW

Simplify system inputs and link systems (IP)

Maximize your bandwidth (consolidation)

Provide autonomous operation with redundancy

A market study – winners and losers


Convert to Digital (please?)

Huge commitment – new transmitters and transmission chains– Staying analog won’t work for much longer as parts run out.– What receivers need today may not work in the future…

• How long will ATSC 1.0 stay in service? • When will ATSC 3.0 start service?• What happened to ATSC 2.0?

There are a number of clever solutions to tip-toe into digital– Tuner to IF and redistribute with very little processing (gigo)– Using combiners, a single translator output could support multi-

carrier operation (wide and ultra wide bandwidth (up to 31 carriers)– Panel antennas help isolate and focus power into remote areas


Basic System Diagram

Processor

LINK SYSTEM

3 Letter Network Signals

translator

translator

translator

translator

IF layer, Decode/Re-encode, Transmodulate, Transcode


“The Dance” has begun…

CONSOLIDATION– The big boys can learn a thing or two from the

translators?– The number of OTA channels has doubled in the

last 5 years (not the other way around)– More HUB&SPOKE systems everyday– Stations have been talking/started to consider

alternative methods


A New System Diagram

Receiver/Remux/Transcoder3LNS

Translator site A

Video & Audio Encoderdigitals

TV and FM analogs

Translator site B

Big Stick


Over The Air TelevisionCase Study 2014Los Angeles CA.


“The Economy”

The US economy has not rebounded …– Interest rates are still very low, quantitative easing…– Household income has not increased much for the middle– Other parts of the world are much more worse off …

The US housing market prices have slowly clawed back up from the 2008 crash levels, but still the single best investment

Cord cutting trend continues since disposable income has nearly evaporated – discretion says keep the 4G-LTE, drop the pay TV– Shocker! Cable TV prices went up 4x the rate of inflation– DBS is still in high churn mode, and big DSL is buying DTV – Second screen is growing rapidly as pay TV losses continue


Income

The income status of residents was as follows…* Median household income: $48,610 Mean household income: $76,557 Median family income: $53,008 Mean family income: $83,965 Median non-family income: $38,227 Mean non-family income: $61,155 Take home for mean household is ~$2,200

* (Based on 26 pay periods less withholding…)


Average Home Price


Wikipedia – factfinder.cencus.gov

The racial/ethnic/cultural composition of Los Angeles as of the 2005-2009 American Community Survey was as follows:White: 41.3% (Non-Hispanic Whites: 29.4%)Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 47.5%Black or African American: 9.8%Native American: 0.5%Asian: 10.7%Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.2%Other: 25.2%Two or more races: 2.8%

Approximately 59.4% of Los Angeles' residents were born in the United States, and 0.9% were born in Puerto Rico, US territories, or abroad to American parents.

Making 39.7% of the population foreign-born. Most foreigners (64.5%) were born in Latin America (Spanish language). A large minority (26.3%) were born in Asia. Smaller numbers were born in Europe (6.5%), Africa (1.5%), Northern

America (0.9%), and Oceania (0.3%).

White: (Non-Hispanic Whites:29.4%)Hispanic or Latino (ofany race):

Black or AfricanAmerican:


Languages

The linguistic composition of Los Angeles out of a population of 3,473,790 people over the age of 5…[4]

English only: 40.2% (1,397,555) Language other than English: 59.8% (2,076,235)

– Speak English less than "very well": 30.5% (1,058,358) Spanish: 43.6% (1,513,106)

– Speak English less than "very well": 23.2% (806,252) Other Indo-European languages: 7.0% (242,461)

– Speak English less than "very well": 2.8% (98,907) Asian languages and Pacific Islander languages: 7.9% (275,109)

– Speak English less than "very well": 4.0% (140,058) Other languages: 1.3% (45,559)

– Speak English less than "very well": 0.4% (13,141)


The Consumer Television Market

Yet the average big TV screen size has increased as the average sale price has fallen, consumer spending habits die hard…

The new displays have…– FOTA tuners – including the UHD monsters – Much better display processors– Much better display technology – Much better power consumption, slim profile, etc.– AVC decoders – Thank you NetFlix, YouTube, etc.


It’s 2015… what do we know…

He who has the programming wins – will always be true As the population ages, so do the viewing habits New world of viewers, all with A.D.D.? Everything in broadcasting is digital,

– How an RF channel is defined is more blurry now …– How we choose to deliver content may change …

A very large population of ethnic and minority viewers will suffer when OTA is impacted from repack.– They tend to be vocal– They tend to vote…


Flexibility, Diversity and Statmux pools

One program channel per RF is old school, very analog The number of specialty channels will continue to increase and

there are tons of libraries (see the handout in your welcome bag… More and more multi HD per stick is the new trend As 4K production ramps, more UHD delivery is predicted and

HEVC will be heavily engaged but… By 2020 will see a large number of changes…

– OTA – he who has the spectrum wins– OTT – forcing trends in spending and viewing habits– MVPD – must do something different or face extinction


Back to Translators


Statistical Multiplexing

The Variable Bit Rate processing (statmux) has bent the needle– 1HD@1080i +1SD – NBC {2008}– 12SD – KAXT and now others {2009}– 1HD1080i+1HD@720p – KSBW {2010}– 4HD@720p in demos {2011}– 3HD@720p + 1SD (in Texas) {2012}– 2HD@1080i + 2SD – UNIVISION {2013}– 1UHD@2160p – in demos {2014}– 2HD@720p + 6SD in demos {today}– Tomorrow ???


ATSC 3.0

Just about everything in there including the kitchen sink… Not backwards compatible with any system in our universe…

– No more Transport Streams (ISOBMFF – think IP)– Channel bonding – 2x6MHz makes a single 12MHz– It’s digital so it has a knob – doesn’t need to be 6MHz anymore– Leverages cutting edge technology

• HDR – large color gamut• HEVC encoding is ½ the bandwidth of AVC and ¼ of MPEG 2

– A 1080i MPEG 2 @ 8 Mb/s only needs 2 Mb/s in HEVC– Is much better for UHD than SD


What’s an LPTV or translator district to do?

HANG ON SNOOPY!– He who has the frequencies wins…– Small, remote and distant markets have less to fear from auction– Lot’s of gear showing up in the secondary markets– Moving to IP distribution offers more/better options– Start teaching the kids – YouTube is just like TV!

• Support SBE, SMPTE, ATSC and the NTA! Maybe consider a hybrid delivery system model.

– IP delivery for some, is inevitable - offer high speed internet + TV– DOCSIS devices are all over the place and low cost.


DOCSIS 3.0

• Building a Cable delivery system for linear channels and High Speed Internet inside an MDU, hospital, hotel, etc. has never been easier.

• The delivery of both TV channels and two way high speed broadband data offers a very compelling alternative to support communities - CATV


CCAP

We can’t make these things fast enough…


Thank you.

White Papers

http://info.harmonicinc.com/WP-FEC-Optimization-IP-Video-Networks

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NTA Convention 2015 – Reno NV.nationaltranslatorassociation.org/upload/2015...Decode/Re-encode, Transmodulate, Transcode ©2014 Harmonic Inc. ... –Small, remote and distant markets