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Jim Ocon discusses mobile DTV, bit budgets and Gray Television’s Omaha rollout

Sep 15, 2009 10:51 AM, By Phil Kurz

             

According to Gray Television VP of technology Jim Ocon, a full-spectrum mobile DTV signal may not be out of the question for some broadcasters in the future.

WOWT-TV, the Gray Television-owned NBC affiliate in Omaha, NE, went on the air with a trial of mobile DTV July 24.

While few prototype receivers exist, those who have seen the station’s mobile DTV signal report that the picture quality is as impressive, as is the ability to actually receive TV on the go.

Currently, the station is transmitting mobile DTV from its existing antenna; however, within the next few weeks, work will be completed on a circularly polarized antenna from ERI in preparation of the wider availability of mobile DTV receivers in the market.

For WOWT and other broadcasters adopting the technology, mobile DTV raises the question of just how many bits to allocate to the emerging service. If wildly successful down the road, mobile DTV may demand that broadcasters re-evaluate their overall bit budget and where HD fits into the equation.

In this podcast, Jim Ocon, Gray Television VP of technology, discusses the Omaha trial and how the whole question of bit budget allocation may play out.

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