World Series Gets ATSC 3.0 Broadcast in Cleveland

CLEVEAND—This year’s Fall Classic is shaping up to be a historic one, and not just because the Chicago Cubs or Cleveland Indians are poised to end long title droughts. A local Cleveland TV station had the first live ATSC 3.0 broadcast of major sporting event during game one of the World Series on Tuesday night, according to a press release of ATSC.

The experimental station, using the standardized transmission system for the ATSC 3.0 Next Gen TV standard, is simulcasting network and local programming from Cleveland’s local Fox affiliate WJW-TV, while also utilizing the station’s transmitter and broadcast facilities. The NAB received an FCC experimental license to operate a full-power Channel 31 transmitter.

Technical contributions for the broadcast came from GatesAir (ATSC 3.0 exciter), LG Electronics (ATSC 3.0 receivers and antennas), Harmonic (real-time encoders for HEVC video and Dolby AC4 audio), and Triveni Digital (signaling/announcement metadata, IP stream generation, ATSC 3.0 analyzer, and system integration support).

“ATSC 3.0 standards are nearing completion, and over the coming months in conjunction with partners, we expect to test real-world Next Gen TV applications like UHD-TV, interactive services, targeted advertising, advanced emergency alerting, and more,” said NAB Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Sam Matheny.

Game two of the World Series is set to take place tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 26, from Progressive Field in Cleveland.

For more TV Technology coverage, see our ATSC 3.0 silo.