WASHINGTON, D.C. — The “Next Gen TV Autonomous Transport” will display local broadcasts powered by the newly released ATSC 3.0 broadcast transmission standard while shuttling attendees between the Central and South Halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center Monday-Thursday during the 2018 NAB Show. NAB Show, is held April 7-12 in Las Vegas.
The custom 11-seat vehicle, supplied by Keolis North America, will include LG Electronics ATSC 3.0 television receivers and monitors that will display live broadcasts over the air from an experimental Sinclair Broadcast Group Next Gen TV transmitter facility more than 10 miles away. The shuttle will transport attendees from the southwest corner of the Outdoor/Mobile Media exhibits to the South Hall during exhibit hours beginning at noon on Monday, April 9.
“Once again, NAB Show is the place to see groundbreaking technology applied in new ways. This is the first time an autonomous vehicle and Next Gen TV have been combined to provide a powerful glimpse of the future,” said NAB Chief Technology Officer Sam Matheny. “Riding in a driver-less vehicle is a revealing moment for people to see where the future of mobility is taking us, and viewing live HD broadcasts while doing so really highlights one of the great opportunities that broadcasters have in deploying the ATSC 3.0 standard.”
“Mobile video is the cornerstone of our Next Gen TV efforts,” said Sinclair Broadcast Group Vice President of Advanced Technology Mark Aitken. “Mobile TV will help jump-start the transition to ATSC 3.0, and this demonstration will show how broadcasting to moving vehicles is a practical and commercially viable proposition.”
“The key to success for ATSC 3.0 is the standard’s flexibility,” said LG Electronics USA’s Senior Vice President of Public Affairs John I. Taylor. “Broadcasting high definition pictures to moving vehicles like this – as well as Ultra HD to fixed receivers, interactive services, advanced emergency alerting and other advanced features of the standard – underscores the broad value proposition of Next Gen TV.”
“One of ATSC 3.0’s key benefits is mobility, giving broadcasters who deploy the new service reach far beyond the living room screen. We fully expect ATSC 3.0 to be entertaining passengers in self-driving vehicles, and for this technology to be used for providing other data services to riders- whether in an autonomous vehicle or on-the-go with future mobile devices,” said ATSC President Mark Richer.
“We’re proud to show our autonomous vehicle operating in the busy convention environment of the NAB Show,” said KeolisNA Vice President of Mobility Solutions Maurice Bell. “With the worries and hassles of driving out of the way, passengers will definitely appreciate the possibilities raised by direct delivery of broadcast signals to autonomous vehicles.”
“Nevada is a leader in the development of advanced automotive technologies, and this is a wonderful demonstration of the future of media and mobility,” said Nevada Center for Advanced Mobility Innovation Director Dan Langford. “Autonomous, connected vehicles offer many different opportunities for passengers, and this early demonstration shows local television can inform, entertain, and engage in ways not currently possible.”
An identical but stationary shuttle will be featured in the Road to ATSC 3.0 exhibit in the Central Hall Lobby, co-sponsored by NAB, the Consumer Technology Association and the Advanced Television Systems Committee. In addition to highlighting the mobile reception capabilities of ATSC 3.0, the exhibit will showcase demonstrations of Next Gen capabilities, including Ultra HDTV, High Dynamic Range video, immersive audio, and personalized and addressable content.