News & Press
NAB SHOW ANNOUNCES CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR 2024 BEIT CONFERENCE
Committee Chaired by Ling Ling Sun, CTO of Nebraska Public Media
September 27, Washington, D.C. — Proposals for technical papers and panel sessions are now being accepted for the NAB Broadcast Engineering and Information Technology (BEIT) Conference, taking place April 13-16, 2024 at NAB Show in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Selected papers will be presented during the conference and are eligible for inclusion in the official “Proceedings of the 2024 NAB BEIT Conference.”
The BEIT Conference at NAB Show is designed for broadcast engineers and technicians, technology managers and developers, contractors, equipment manufacturers and distributors, consultants, researchers and R&D engineers. The conference focuses on technical issues facing today’s media professionals with an emphasis on the evolution of technology for radio, television, digital and the broader media and IT ecosystem. Papers and session proposals may be submitted online through the 2024 BEIT Conference Call for Papers and Panels Portal.
Proposals explaining the underlying technologies used in new broadcast products or services will be considered. Proposals submitted for the purpose of promoting company products or services will not be accepted.
The deadline for proposals is November 3, 2023. Submissions accepted for presentation will be notified by January 19, 2024.
NAB is partnering with several organizations that serve on the NAB BEIT Conference Program Committee including IEEE Broadcast Technology Society (IEEE BTS), North American Broadcasters Association (NABA), Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) and Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE). Industry veteran Ling Ling Sun, chief technology officer at Nebraska Public Media, is serving as chair of the Committee. Sun was among the “Top 50 Women Leaders in Technology of 2022” announced by “Women We Admire” and is a 2019 National Technology Leadership Award honoree by Broadcast & Cable.
Stay up to date on the latest show news by adding your name to our media list.
About NAB Show
NAB Show is the preeminent conference and exhibition driving the evolution of broadcast, media and entertainment, held April 13-17, 2024 (Exhibits April 14-17) in Las Vegas. Produced by the National Association of Broadcasters, NAB Show is the ultimate marketplace for next-generation technology inspiring superior audio and video experiences. From creation to consumption, across multiple platforms, NAB Show is where global visionaries convene to bring content to life in new and exciting ways. Learn more at NABShow.com.
About NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America's broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at nab.org.
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Elizabeth Donatelli
edonatelli@nab.org
202-429-5407
IEEE Broadcast Symposium Keynote Speakers
MEDIA ADVISORY
The IEEE Broadcast Technology Society (BTS) invites you to attend the Annual Broadcast Symposium (ABS) at the beautiful NAB headquarters in Washington DC, 14 - 15 November.
This year we are back with an amazing program and keynote speakers. Our keynote speakers are from distinctly different areas of engineering and will offer broad insights and unique information to enrich attendees.
We will feature IEEE President Elect Tom Coughlin on Tuesday at the joint IEEE/AFCCE luncheon. Tom Coughlin, President, Coughlin Associates is a widely respected digital storage analyst as well as business and technology consultant. He has over 40 years in the data storage industry with engineering and management positions at several companies as well as 20 years as a respected consultant. Dr. Coughlin has many publications and six patents to his credit.
On Wednesday BTS is excited to welcome Dr. Samara L. Firebaugh, Provost at the United States Navel Academy. Dr. Firebaugh joined the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at USNA in 2001, and has served in several roles at USNA including Vice President of the Faculty Senate, Chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, and most recently the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs. She was the 2014 recipient of the Class of 1951 Civilian Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the 2012 recipient of the Raouf Award for Excellence in Engineering Teaching. She received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 2014, and was appointed a Senior Member of IEEE in 2017.
The program will cover a diverse cross section of topics by industry experts and practitioners including both radio and TV. They will provide real world experience and technical expertise on current and future broadcast transmission topics in an industry faced with relentless change. Our goal is to share with industry the benefits from what some have learned through solving problems in today’s broadcast systems.
Join us this November.
Register for the IEEE Broadcast Symposium
About IEEE Broadcast Technology Society:
A collaborative working group driving the advancement of technology in the industry.
The BTS mission is to serve the needs of the members of the Broadcast Technology Society to enhance their professional knowledge and vitality by keeping them informed of the latest research results and their practical applications.
IEEE BTS is one of the technical societies & councils you can join as an IEEE member. bts.ieee.org
BTS President- Paul Shulins Q2 2023 Membership Message
BTS members are encourged to watch the BTS Presidents video for an update on all of the exciting things happening in the BT Society, Broadcasting Field and beyond.
If you have any comments, suggestions, concerns, or would like more information on how you can be a part of BTS, pleased contact bts@ieee.org
Call for Participation with the IEEE Broadcast Technology Standards Committee
WHY GET INVOLVED
MEETING INFORMATION
LEARN MORE
NextGen TV: Why We’re Doing It
With ATSC 3.0 now reaching half of U.S. viewers, broadcasters are taking the necessary steps to bring over-the-air TV to its fullest potential (full article)
JOHNSTON, IOWA— There is a bit of a renaissance taking place in the broadcast television industry—the return of the television antenna. Television antennas became relegated to use only by the TV in bedroom for watching the nightly news or to the TV on the kitchen counter providing background content while preparing a meal.
However, with the rising costs of traditional cable and satellite services, the increased availability of over-the-top streaming services and the expanded channel selections over traditional broadcast have exposed digital generations to the technology and reminded the pre-digital generations of how they used to be entertained in their homes. A recent study from Horowitz Research shows that antenna penetration nationwide grew 38% year-over-year between 2020 and 2021 and now reaches 40% of all TV content viewers 18+.
As this rediscovery is taking place, the underlying technology of traditional over-the-air broadcast television is undergoing a metamorphosis that will enable improved traditional television and a whole lot more. Higher-quality pictures and immersive audio are just the tip of the iceberg of improvements.
NextGen TV, as it has been dubbed by the Consumer Technology Association will enable interactivity with the content, user-specific personalization and recommendations, higher resolution, a vast improvement in accessibility and alerting features, and a raft of other capabilities beyond what television can and has traditionally done or even considered.
The Path Forward
While it may seem irrelevant to talk about the original NTSC standard and analog broadcasting, it is important to understand how the past has influenced the present ATSC 1.0 DTV broadcasting service and continues to influence the rollout of ATSC 3.0. One of the obvious influences is a TV’s station’s over-the-air coverage. While television can trace it roots back to the early 1900’s, it was after World War II that the explosive growth started. which required the establishment of the interference limited coverage contours that we are all familiar with. While over-the-air service protection changed to noise-limited contours, the assumption was that the receiver was stationary and attached to an antenna that was mounted outside of the home and 30 feet above the ground.
The introduction of digital television (DTV) 25 years ago was a game changer when it came to the quality and quantity of live streaming content that is still the mainstay of over-the-air broadcasting. It also expanded ancillary services which we often refer to as “datacasting,” which, in essence, started with the introduction of closed captioning as a digital service carried on line 21. There have been numerous experiments and deployments of other ancillary digital services encoded into the analog services with limited success.
ATSC 3.0 was the next logical step in the development of television and pretty much follows the path of all things digital. As the underlying physical technology improves, software developers create code to take advantage of the improvements which then pushes the physical technology, and the cycle continues.
Global Goal
Unlike what was done in the past, the goal this time was to create a standard that could be adopted worldwide. A global community of technical experts is involved in creating the use cases and suite of standards that is ATSC 3.0 as well as in its testing, refinement and deployment.
Currently, in the U.S., more than 60 markets have deployed NextGen TV with station groups working together to launch ATSC 3.0 while maintaining ATSC 1.0. South Korea deployed ATSC 3.0 a few years ago and there are also other countries that are looking at their next upgrade in terrestrial DTV and considering adopting all or portions of ATSC 3.0. This could be good news as it could prompt a deeper consideration of adding ATSC 3.0 receivers in handheld devices.
Probably the most frequent question I hear when discussing the move to NextGen TV is: Why do it at all? The transition to DTV was easier because it was federally mandated, but the FCC’s approach to ATSC 3.0 is to put the decisions and timeline mostly in the hands of station owners, with some guidance from the commission on protecting traditional digital broadcasts.
To answer the “why” question requires that we examine how the advances offered by ATSC 3.0 resonate with decisionmakers as well as the general public. It also requires that we understand not only the content creation side of the equation but content reception as well. Take immersive technology for example—creating this type of content will not only require additional skills and resources from the creators, it will also require the consumer to have the technology to receive it.
Consumer Adoption
I often get the chance to talk about NextGen TV with industry groups as well as the general public and I usually start off with a few questions to the audience to get an understanding of their technical expertise and field of interest.
The first thing I like to talk about is the improved reception thanks to the changes to the physical layer modulation scheme and the addition of elliptical or circular polarization to the transmitted signal.
Just as important, there’s also the advantage of being able to configure independent physical layer pipes to improve specific stream reception in the face of more challenging conditions. Using an indoor antenna is not only a fact of life but also the dominant methodology for viewers who expect reliable service regardless of location.
Explaining the benefits of ATSC 3.0 over ATSC 1.0 to consumers is significantly more challenging. Where the DTV explanation got complex was the difference between SD and HD. Talking pixel count and resolution is fairly easy and the audience is sort of conditioned to understand that the bigger number is always better.
The problem with ATSC 3.0 is that the benefits of UHD over HD are much more subtle. This is especially true given that most broadcasters don’t see the benefit of using a significant amount of their channel capacity to carry content at a resolution that will not be perceived by a significant majority of viewers.
The areas that I like to focus on regarding content enhancement are things like color gamut, dynamic range and immersive audio. I bypass the 1080p vs. 1080i debate and instead, show an SDR and HDR high definition picture side by side that clearly illustrates the value proposition.
When it comes to audio, the early enhancements used to be a lot harder to explain, but inexpensive sound bar systems have made 5.1 immersive audio a fairly simple and affordable audio enhancement.
I am also careful when bringing up the potential for personalization and interactivity, primarily because most of the development happening in that space is geared towards enhancing advertisers’ ability to better target their audiences. However, I’m not sure that telling viewers that they’ll see more meaningful commercials adds a lot to the value proposition.
Public Service
Perhaps ATSC 3.0’s strongest tool in the toolbox is its ability to provide a much more robust and meaningful emergency alerting services—a topic that resonates well with everyone. The idea of waking up a receiver to provide alerts during an emergency is a very compelling.
I live in an area of tornadic activity and high-wind events that happen on very short notice. Weather radios are pretty common and while they wake you up and provide an audio alert, most of us will turn on the TV to see what is happening. ATSC 3.0 can wake people up and provide video and audio and offers a faster and more complete, yet simpler method of gathering the necessary emergency information from different sources.
My colleagues at PBS North Carolina have even worked with emergency services within their state to use ATSC 3.0 as a closed alert system for first responders providing basic data in a few seconds that currently takes minutes using their current technology. The envisioned system can also supply a wealth of additional information such as maps, floor plans and situational data so that the first responders arrive better informed.
Closed-circuit services are not necessarily limited to first responders. The pandemic lockdown in many cases crippled educational institutions and many students lost an entire year or more of learning. A number of ATSC 3.0 pilot projects were demonstrated providing secure, curated content to deliver remote learning to homes that don’t have access to traditional broadband. The lack of connectivity may be due to rurality or economics, but regardless of the root cause, these pilot projects represent vital public services.
Fleet Updates
These types of ancillary services are just the tip of the iceberg—one to many broadcast distribution of data services have applications well beyond the traditional broadcast space.
With the annual ATSC Meeting being held in Detroit for the first time this month, we are seeing real interest from automakers—in particular, car rental companies—who are considering using ATSC 3.0 to provide software updates to their fleet. These companies have stated that the number one reason many of their cars are out of service is due to the lack of software updates, so being able to use ATSC 3.0 to update their fleet of vehicles while they are parked rather than in the service shop is a compelling case.
So what is the future of NextGen TV? Well, I have a fundamental question that I have asked myself and as well as others working in television. The question, “do you think ATSC 3.0 is essential to your station’s future survivability and growth?” I’ll be blunt, I have heard “yes,” “no,” and “not sure.”
My personal opinion is yes it is. I think that what we call DTV was actually a half step. ATSC 3.0 moves us to being a true digital broadband service. It will provide opportunities to grow in ways that we have only started to think about. Without it I think we operate our existing systems until we become irrelevant and fade away and without action on our part, I don’t believe that fate is too far into the future.
Bill Hayes is the director of engineering and technology for Iowa PBS and a SMPTE Fellow. He is also a member of SBE, IEEE-BTS and SCTE and a recipient of Future’s 2021 Tech Leadership Award.
IEEE Broadcast Technology Society Awards Valentino Trainotti with the Prestigious 2021 Jules Cohen Award
December 9, 2021, 4PM ET - The IEEE Broadcast Technology Society is delighted to announce that the 2021 Jules Cohen Award is to be presented to Valentino (Tino) Trainotti of Argentina.
The Jules Cohen Award is the Society’s premier award and recognizes major contributions to the industry, integrity and professionalism, and a record of sharing expertise for the benefit of colleagues, and of the industry as a whole.
“He is a consultant for countries around the world for designing AM transmitter plants, that require high powers for desert regions. He is the most outstanding engineer in the area of RF in matters of wave propagation and low frequency antennas of the South American region” said Prof. Dr. Ing. Walter Gustavo Fano Director of Laboratorio de Radiación Electromagnética Facultad de Ingeniería Universidad de Buenos Aires.
Tino’s career exemplifies these values. He has published numerous technical papers (some of which are cited by 85 patents) and served for several years as an IEEE BTS Distinguished Lecturer. His publications have been abundant in the IEEE, in the BTS, APS and EMCS Societies. Tino is currently co-author and editor with Prof. Dr. Ing. Walter Gustavo Fano of a book on "Electromagnetic Compatibility" for the University of Buenos Aires Editions (EUDEBA), now in press. He is the author of the book's chapter titled: “Antenna Calibration for EMC”, in this new book, he analyzes some questions concerning the attenuations site parameter, because, he has a studied a better approach, already published in his papers of IEEE, in order to improve the measurement procedure, and probably will be very important for the IEEE Standards of EMC.
He is well-known as an expert who has solutions to colleagues’ problems. “In 1998, while I was working for CBC, I had problems with an AM station, in Gander at 1400kHz. I could not make sense of my calculations on tower phasing and currents. Being experienced in Satcom more than LF, I seek Dr Trainotti expertise, which explained to me exactly what I was doing wrong and pointed me to an issue with grounding radials” said Guy Bouchard, Directeur Technique Réseau et Entretien, Télé-Québec.
“These values closely match those of the late Jules Cohen and make this award particularly appropriate” said Peter Symes, Awards Chair for the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society. BTS is honored to award Tino with the 2021 BTS Jules Cohen Award. Tino is a valued member and important contributor to the mission of the society. Congratulations Tino on an amazing career!
Background
Valentín Trainotti received his Electronic Engineering Degree from the Technological National University, Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1963. His post-graduate coursework on antenna measurements and geometric theory of diffraction was completed at California State University in 1981 and Ohio State University in 1985. He has worked from 1963 to present at CITEFA as the Antenna & Propagation Division Chief Engineer. His work also includes being on the Engineering Faculty at the University of Buenos Aires as a part-time Full Professor of Electromagnetic Radiation and Radiating Systems for graduate students. He is an IEEE Fellow, the IEEE BTS Argentina Chapter Chair, the URSI Commission B Argentina Chair, and the 1993 IEEE Region 9 Eminent Engineer. He has worked more than thirty years developing and measuring antenna systems for several applications from LF to SHF.For additional IEEE BTS Announcements and
Event Information please visit bts.ieee.org
BTS Member Roz Clark Receives the Radio World's Excellence in Engineering Award
Roz Clark Embodies Business Continuity at Cox
Veteran technologist is recipient of the Radio World Excellence in Engineering Award
We’re pleased to announce that Roswell Clark is the recipient of Radio World’s Excellence in Engineering Award for 2021–22.
Recipients represent the highest ideals of the radio broadcast engineering profession and reflect those ideals through contributions to the industry. Roz Clark is the 18th person we’ve honored.
We are recognizing Roz for his accomplishments as senior director of radio engineering for Cox Media Group. In choosing honorees, we also look for people who are making a difference right now in our industry and whose work will benefit engineers in years to come.
Radio World readers know from our news coverage and ebook interviews that Roz is doing just that in his work with the NAB Radio Technology Committee’s Next-Generation Architecture Working Group.
We’re also honoring him for his important contributions to the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society, the Society of Broadcast Engineers, the National Radio Systems Committee and the Nielsen Technical Advisory Committee.
Given his decades of work on behalf of his employer as well as the broader world of radio, he is a worthy recipient.
“Technology is our business”
Read full article https://www.radioworld.com/resource-center/awards/rw-excellence-in-engineering-award/roz-clark-embodies-business-continuity-at-cox
IEEE WIE Celebrates 25 years and Hosts a Competition for Innovative Ideas
Earn CEU and PDH Credits through the Broadcast Technology Society Resource Center
Continuing education requirements are designed to keep students and engineers at the cusp of technology, research, and best practices–but they’re often hard to attain or require significant coordination. IEEE’s Broadcast Technology Society Resource Center offers on-demand CEU and/or PDH credits through courses from the industry’s leading experts, on topics including NextGen TV is NOW and Radio Content Delivery, RF and Beyond Video.
Educational credits are available at a discounted rate for society members. Resources offering CEUs and/or PDHs include:
- The Codec Debate
- NextGen TV is NOW
- Radio Content Delivery, RF, and Beyond Video
- 5G Content Production Video
It’s easy to get started!
- Visit the BTS Resource Center
- Select a product that offers educational credits: Look for the "CEUs/PDHs Available" designation on the resource page
- Purchase your product and the associated educational credit, at a steep society member discount
- Experience the content and access it for up to 365 days
- Complete a quiz or evaluation as a simple follow-up to your course available on the course page
- Receive an educational certificate via email and share it to prove course completion.
Ready to start earning valuable CEUs and/or PDHs? Visit the BTS Resource Center.
Voting has Opened for the 2022-2024 Administrative Committee
The IEEE Broadcast Technology Society Nominations Committee has supplied a slate of eight nominees for election to the 2022-2024 Administrative Committee. The voting has opened on September 15, 2021.
This year’s election continues to offer an electronic balloting option. If you would like to cast your ballot electronically you will need your IEEE Account username/password. If you do not remember your account information, you may retrieve it on the voter login page.
It's your choice – you may send in the paper ballot by mail using the envelope provided OR cast your ballot electronically by using the URL below to access the ballot through the Internet and cast your vote now https://eballot4.votenet.com/
Please vote for UP TO FIVE candidates. Ballot cards or electronic ballots must be received at IEEE no later than 29 October 2021. Any returns received after this date will not be counted. The online voting site will close at 4:00 pm Eastern Time.
If you have any questions about the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society voting process, please contact
ieee-btvote@ieee.org or +1 732 562 3904