LAS VEGAS—Pearl TV, a consortium of broadcasters, manufacturers and service providers promoting ATSC 3.0 has announced the launch of a new program to seed the market for NextGen TV with low-cost converter boxes priced $60 and under.
Since the transition began in the late 2010s, broadcasters have struggled to gain traction, primarily because ATSC 3.0 lacks backward compatibility with the existing ATSC 1.0 standard.
According to the Consumer Technology Association's most recent figures, as of late 2024, approximately 10 million TV sets that support 3.0 have been shipped to the U.S. since they hit the market in late 2020, with an additional half a million to a million converter boxes shipped. A number of those boxes purchased by early adopters, however, lacked the capability to handle DRM-encoded programming, leading to a barrage of criticism about copy protection.
Additionally, there is no insight as to how many of the 3.0 TV sets are actually used for over the air reception. The FCC is currently considering steps to accelerate the transition to 3.0, including mandating the inclusion of 3.0 tuners in TV sets sold in the U.S. CTA, which unsuccessfully opposed such a mandate during the transition to 1.0 two decades ago, also opposes the new requirement.
According to the ATSC, more than 75% of U.S. households are within receiving distance of a 3.0 signal and CTA says more than 20 million U.S. households use an antenna on at least one household television to watch local channels.
The ATSC announced its intention to launch the program when it showed prototypes of the boxes during the 2026 International CES in January. Those prototypes from ADTH, Skyworth, and Zinwell will again be on display in the ATSC booth in Central Hall (C1655) at the 2026 NAB Show, April 19-22 in Las Vegas.
Pearl noted that this is a new product category — distinct from existing retail ATSC 3.0 set-top receivers and smart TVs — with its own branding under the NextGen TV umbrella. It will include special pricing considerations from participating IP license holders and component manufacturers and broadcaster promotion of the availability of converter boxes to help drive volume from launch.
“This effort brings together broadcasters who are transmitting in ATSC 3.0 with high-volume consumer electronics companies who see the potential to sell low-cost receivers with a simple purpose – easily and affordably making the jump to NextGen TV with a simple converter box that will connect to a display via HDMI, just like other accessory components. At the NAB Show in Las Vegas, we’re officially launching the NextGen TV Converter Box Program and inviting qualified electronics companies to join with broadcasters to offer a new range of receivers,” said Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV.
“Of approximately 23 million over-the-air households in the U.S., we estimate that at least 15 million will be looking for exactly this kind of easy-to-use device,” Schelle added. “The NextGen TV Converter Box is built to serve that market: a compact, easy-to-use HDMI accessory that delivers the NextGen TV experience on any existing display, at a suggested retail price of $60 or less. We know that not every consumer will want to buy a new TV, which is why the NextGen TV Converter Box Program is so critical for a successful transition from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0. A device that qualifies under our Converter Box Program will not include an integrated display or a digital video recorder and will have no more than one tuner. This keeps the design lean, the bill of materials manageable, and the $60 price point achievable.
The Fine Print
The NextGen TV Converter Box Program is open to all qualified device manufacturers on a fair and non-discriminatory basis. Pearl TV does not favor any chipset, operating system, software stack, or supply chain approach. Manufacturers are free to propose the technical implementation they believe best meets the program's specifications and economics.
The NextGen TV Converter Box connects between an antenna and a television via HDMI, delivering the over-the-air viewing experience. The core device requirements include:
- Full ATSC 3.0 and ATSC 1.0 reception, supporting both broadcast standards
- 4K-capable HEVC video decoding with High Dynamic Range (HDR) support;
- Dolby surround audio;
- Features support for emergency alerts, closed captioning, audio descriptions, dialog enhancement, and parental controls;
- Over-the-Air delivered electronic program guide;
- Simple, consumer-first user interface;
- No internet connection required.
Additionally, device manufacturers may wish to offer more fully-featured receivers that include broadband connectivity for access to additional programming options.
Devices in the NextGen TV Converter Box Program must meet NextGen TV Converter Box certification requirements that will include applicable standards from the Consumer Technology Association and the ATSC 3.0 Security Authority (A3SA), as well as new radiofrequency (RF) sensitivity and user interface standards.
Pearl TV says it "will work with participating manufacturers to support the certification process to ensure every device delivers a consistent, quality experience that upholds the NextGen TV brand promise."
Detailed draft technical specifications are provided to qualified manufacturers under a non-disclosure agreement. Interested manufacturers should contact converterboxprogram@pearltv.com
