Coherent Logix and Sinclair Broadcast Group have announced the creation ONE Media, a joint venture that will design an alternative to the new ATSC 3.0 standard being developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee. ONE media will be headed by Tommy Eng as president.
In announcing the effort, the two companies noted that the industry needed to respond to rapidly changing consumer habits and the growing popularity of mobile services by creating a new broadcast platform.
A key component of the new platform would be making broadcaster systems compatible with LTE-mobile infrastructures and devices in a way that would allow for the convergence of broadcast and wireless broadband services, the companies argued.
The backers of the effort believe this will help the industry “realize the full potential of broadcast spectrum, which has long been hamstrung by inadequate technical standards and antiquated business models.”
“There has been considerable time and effort spent on defining what the current and future anticipated needs of the industry are, and we are confident that an enabling platform can be built and demonstrated within 12 months,” Eng said in a statement. “My unique backgrounds in silicon chip manufacturing, digital signal processing and the wireless carrier industry align with the requirements of the next generation television broadcasting. This opportunity allows us to bring the same Software Defined Radio (SDR) capabilities together and build products that have made other wireless industries a success.”
Sinclair has long backed the idea of a new standard that would be compatible with existing mobile technologies. In announcing the effort, the company’s noted that broadcasters need to move quickly and that “TV standard transitions have historically been a lengthy process. This is not compatible with the internet age. The challenge of meeting broadcaster needs through the current `Next Generation’ (ATSC 3.0) activity within the ATSC organization is difficult due to there being little business alignment between broadcast, consumer electronics (CE), and other wireless industries. A standards development organization is not a suitable forum in which to align business interests.”
The companies did note that the Coherent Logix/Sinclair “ATSC 3.0 proposal, will be open to all participants in the ATSC standardization process and will obtain continuous input from leaders in the wireless, broadcast, CE industries, as well as spectrum and content owners.”
