PMVG, DIGICAP, WCTE Complete Successful ATSC 3.0 Transmission At New Testbed Site

A collaboration between PMVG (Public Media Venture Group), RAPA (Korea Radio Promotion Association) and noncommercial WCTE Nashville has resulted in the successful launch of an ATSC 3.0 demonstration site at W35DZ-D, a low-power television station owned by PMVG. The station, located on WCTE’s Monterey, Tenn., transmitter site, is the first step in creating an active NextGen TV testbed that will showcase the potential of ATSC 3.0 technology for public media.

The testbed was built with the help of DigiCAP, a ATSC 3.0 solutions provider based in Seoul, South Korea. It will serve as a platform for developing and demonstrating various ATSC 3.0 applications and use cases, such as enhanced emergency alerting, interactive education, and datacasting.

In early August, a delegation of Korean engineers and technology suppliers visited WCTE to set up and test the new station. The delegation included representatives from RAPA, ETRI, DS Broadcast, and DigiCAP. Welcomed by WCTE leadership and technical staff, who were actively involved in the testing process, the delegation met with local decisionmakers and business leaders, as well as two members of the Tennessee Legislature. The delegation also visited Putnam County’s Emergency Management Center and toured WCTE’s mountaintop transmitter site. While on-site in Monterey, the RAPA delegation installed and tested an ATSC 3.0 system configuration comprising a media encoder, air-chain and modulator, and conducted a successful low power test of the system configuration.

PMVG, RAPA and WCTE anticipate the commencement of full ATSC 3.0 service to the Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee and Kentucky this fall.

“We are excited about the new capabilities ATSC 3.0 can bring. As a public station in rural Tennessee, we see 3.0’s potential to better serve our community by enabling us to add more services and distribution channels,” said WCTE Station Manager Craig Lefevre. “The testbed will not only benefit the Upper Cumberland region, but also inspire the broader industry to explore the possibilities of 3.0.”

Marc Hand, founder and CEO of PMVG, added: “As a platform for NextGen testing and development, this demonstration site will show how public media can continue to lead in delivering cutting-edge content and services. We look forward to working with WCTE and RAPA to experiment with the ATSC 3.0 features that can benefit all public stations and their communities.”

“DigiCAP is proud to be part of this significant initiative that will showcase the capabilities of NextGen TV, from enhanced emergency alerting to targeted education services,” said Joonyoung Park, DigiCAP SVP. “The launch of the testbed exemplifies the power of international collaboration and demonstrates how technology leaders and innovative broadcasters can come together to drive the future of broadcasting.”