NEXTGEN TV Launched on 6 Grand Rapids Stations

The future of television arrived May 6 in Grand Rapids. Six leading local television stations in Grand Rapids, including WOTV (ABC), WWMT (CBS), WOOD-TV (NBC), WXMI (FOX), WXSP-CD and WOLP-CD (MyNet), became the latest in the nation to begin broadcasting with NEXTGEN TV, a revolutionary new digital broadcast technology.

Based on the same fundamental technology as the Internet, digital applications and other web services, NEXTGEN TV can support a wide range of features that are currently in development and are designed to enable viewers to be immersed in stunning video with brilliant color, sharper images and deeper contrast. NEXTGEN TV’s evolution will create a whole new dimension to TV viewing, with brilliant video and new Voice+ dialogue enhancement. Viewers will feel the power of movie theater sound quality, delivering every voice clearly and offering consistent volume across channels. NEXTGEN TV will also be enhanced with Internet content, providing a wealth of additional information so that viewers can get the most value out of live sports, live news, and live events in real time. It will also offer new and improved ways for broadcasters to reach viewers with advanced emergency alerts.

Powered by ATSC 3.0, NEXTGEN TV is the most significant broadcast technology upgrade ever.Today’s launch in Grand Rapids follows a decade of development of the new technology and months of planning and preparation by the local stations. BitPath, which is developing new broadcasting services, led the planning process and coordinated efforts across the six television stations. WOTV, WOOD-TV, WWMT and WXSP-CD and WOLP-CD will be charter members of the BitPath data broadcasting network, which will launch later this year.

The participating stations have worked together to ensure that current programming remains available to all viewers, regardless of whether their television service is provided over-the air or by a cable or satellite company. Antenna viewers can simply rescan their TV sets to ensure full service. Rescan instructions are available at: fcc.gov/rescan. Cable and satellite subscribers do not need to take any action.