WGBH/WGBX/WBTS [and WFXZ]

[A. Joseph Ross]

What I'd like to know is what happens with people who still have analog 
TV sets.  There are converters from ATSC1 digital to analog, but I 
suspect there will be no converters from ATSC3 to analog.  Will people 
have to/be able to use two converters?


On 1/21/2020 2:50 PM, George Allen wrote:
> Scott - interesting perspective, which I did not have.  Thanks!
>
>
> At 01:49 PM 1/21/2020, Scott Fybush wrote:
> WGBH is playing a long game.
>
> When ATSC 3 becomes a reality, a few things will happen:
>
> 1. The low-VHF signal on 5 will become the ATSC 3 test bed. Anyone 
> using ATSC1 will be watching WGBX for as long as ATSC1 lasts, because 
> it will be the "lighthouse" ATSC1 signal for WGBH, WGBX and WBTS.
>
> 2. The ATSC3 signal on RF 5 will come in better than it does now in 
> ATSC1. ATSC3 is just more robust, and can carry more data. No, your 
> current TV can't pick it up, but cheap tuners will be out there in 
> abundance in a year or two.
>
> 3. In a few more years, when the move to ATSC3 is complete, WGBH will 
> have lots of options. There will be enough data on the WGBX RF32 
> signal to carry everything - 2.1, 44.1, WBTS, WFXZ - and then some. 
> They could move everything there and use the RF5 signal for new 
> programming and services.  Or they could find that low-V works 
> decently for ATSC3 and leave some services there.
>
> They're thinking way ahead.
>
>
> On Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 1:10 PM George Allen <geo.allen@comcast.net> wrote:
> Apologies if it's already been covered here, but I finally figured
> out what's where with RF Ch. 32 [WGBX].  3 different station call
> letters on one RF channel - no wonder I'm confused.  1 HD, and 6
> subchannels with low bitrates for them.
> https://rabbitears.info/market.php?request=print_station&facility_id=72098 
>
>
> Does anyone know how much WBTS/NBC-10 pays [ongoing?] WGBH for use of
> the RF-32 HD slot?
>
> What's with the subchannel dimensions of 704/480? How does that
> become 16:9?  I'm missing something here.
>
> The same info for RF-5, where both WGBH and WGBX HD [and WFXZ] live:
> https://rabbitears.info/market.php?request=print_station&facility_id=72099 
>
>
> I suppose that's worth the $162 million WGBH got for moving to
> VHF-low.  Did that net them more than taking VHF-hi would have?
> https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-17-314A2.pdf [this link
> has been posted here before]
> Add another $57 million for WGBY's move to VHF-high [RF-13].
> https://rabbitears.info/market.php?request=print_station&facility_id=72096 
>
>
> Hopefully the 4.9x power increase [later this month maybe?] will be
> enough for my rabbit ears on a Terk HD-TVA.  I can see the d@mn tower
> from my living room in Swampscott, and can just barely get them with
> the ears fully extended [visually messy...].  All these decisions by
> WGBH to cash out spectrum were probably made before cord-cutting
> became much of a thing.  Yes, I can get low-def 2-1/44-1 on RF-32,
> but on a decent large-screen 4k TV the difference is obvious.
>
>
>

-- 
A. Joseph Ross, J.D. · 1340 Centre Street, Suite 103 · Newton, MA 02459-2004
617.367.0468 · Fx: 617.507.7856 · http://www.attorneyross.com