LodgeNet Helps Hotels Prepare for DTV Transition

While most DTV transition education efforts have focused on viewers watching off-air TV over-the-air on their own indoor or outdoor antennas, many viewers rely on the master antenna systems installed in apartment buildings, condominiums or hotels.

LodgeNet announced a plan last week to prepare its United States hotel customers for the February full-power analog shutdown.

"The FCC mandate to move local broadcast channels to a digital signal has significant implications for our hotel customers," said Scott E. Young, president of hospitality and chief marketing officer for LodgeNet. "Our digital transition roadmap is part of the proactive initiative we have undertaken to help our hotel customers understand this issue, and to ensure that they maintain a superior guest experience during and after the February 17 transition."

LodgeNet has been in contact with more than 1,600 properties, and said it will perform site surveys at these locations to assess the specific technical needs at each hotel. Once the changes needed at a hotel are determined, LodgeNet will propose customized solution for that property. LodgeNet will also offer the delivery of local stations via DirecTV as well as local HDTV using off-air antennas.

Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.