RF Shorts for Nov. 14, 2013

By Doug Lung
published

FCC Postpones 3.5 GHz Band Workshop
The FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology announced a date change (Public Notice DA 13-2142) for the workshop on the proposed spectrum access system for the 3.5 GHz band. The workshop will now be held on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014 from 9 a.m. until 3:30pm EST.

The Public Notice stated, “In the near future, the Bureaus intend to release a Public Notice outlining the scope of the workshop and encouraging parties to develop detailed technical papers addressing specific technical issues related to the operation of the SAS prior to the workshop.”

For additional information on the proposed “Citizens Broadband Service” at 3550-3650 MHz see my article FCC Seeks Comments on 3.6 GHz ‘Citizens Broadband Service’.

Tablo Off-Air TV Tuner/DVR Promises Personal Aereo Anywhere
CNET.com editor Matthew Moskovciak reported Tablo: A new over-the-air DVR seeks crowdfunding.

Tablo is a personal off-air tuner with DVR capability and is promising support for Roku, Apple TV and Google Chromecast for TV viewing. Two-tuner and four-tuner models are promised, with both having integrated Wi-Fi. “Crowdfunding” is being sought and you can join the Beta Team for $149.

The CNET article said, “Apps for both Android and iOS are on the way, and Tablo will be capable of streaming both within and outside your home network. Tablo is aiming for an early 2014 release date; the two-tuner box will cost $200, and the four-tuner box will sell for $250. The boxes will also require a monthly subscription fee for guide data, which the company says will likely run around $5.” So far 16 out of 50 of these perks have been claimed on Indiegogo. While this device seems to offer the benefits of Aereo anywhere without the risk of having service cut as a result of a future court decision interest so far appears low. As of Wednesday night Tablo had only raised $4,712 of the $50,000 it needs to raise by Dec. 5, 2013. See the Tablo indiegogo page for details on participating.

Comments and RF related news items are welcome. Email me at dlung@transmitter.com.

Doug Lung
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.