RALEIGH – If the future of broadcast TV is dark, someone forgot to tell Capitol Broadcasting’s Jim Goodmon, NBC Universal, the National Association of Broadcasters and a host of high-tech firms who are pushing the boundaries of over-air technology.

Next Generation TV took another step toward commercial reality on Monday as Raleigh-based Capitol – long a pioneer in embracing new tech from the Internet to high-definition and now 4K ultra high-definition – and numerous partners demonstrated the emerging suite of offerings for a crowd of VIPs. Later, scores of people attending the Startup Social put on by Big Top and WRAL TechWire, also came by for live demonstrations.

Pete Sockett demos Next Gen TV on a tablet

And the demo was not staged. It featured a live feed from the Winter Olympics as executives such as Capitol’s Pete Sockett and NAB’s So Vang (the leads for Next Gen at WRAL and NAB) showed how the exceptionally crisp images can be blended with local broadcasts while adding local data and interactive, personalized features that make viewing about as personal as your own Facebook page.

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“It’s a big day,” declared Sam Matheny, a former Capitol executive who now is chief technology officer of NAB. “We’re showcasing the world’s biggest sporting event on the next wave in broadcast technology. It’s huge for broadcasters.

“Really, I’m not just excited about the interactive factor or the broadcast quality. This opens up so many new business possibilities.”

While Next Gen only recently has won FCC approval and the commercial deployment looks likely to begin in 2019, according to Sockett, the demonstration clearly showed that broadcasters, networks and technology partners are on the way to developing an eco system of support and services. Just as high-definition television slowly emerged in 1996 (with WRAL as the first commercial broadcaster) with $8,000 TVs, Next Gen will be an unfolding process. But executives at the event said technology is already under development that may help people avoid having to replace their TVs to accommodate the new signal, overcoming the hurdle of “backwards compatibility.”

So Vang of NAB, left, demos interactive features

Jimmy Goodmon, Capitol’s president and chief operating officer, hailed the new tech built around ATSC 3.0 (the current standard is ATSC 1.0) for many reasons, from higher picture quality and new features to the underlying foundation.

“The fact that this is all standardized on IP [Internet Protocol] is huge,” he explained.

By embracing IP, Next Generation TV enables broadcasters to transmit information in packets rather than waves. The IP framework also will allow broadcasters to stream information, meeting the growing demand for cable cord cutters. Interactive applications will be coming. And much, much more.

Data crunching through Next Gen TV

The IP data will offer broadcasters a treasure of information that can be crunched for in-depth sales, ratings, and other analysis.

“This standard is so flexible,” pointed out Doug Lung, vice president of technology for NBC Universal-owned stations, who traveled to Raleigh for the showcase. He notes the technology enables broadcasters to boost bandwidth over the airwaves to homes, enabling not only the higher definition but improved “immersive” sound, the interactivity, and a robust signal for clarity.

But there’s more to come. “This is just the first step,” he said, noting that 8K looms. And with repeaters “you can eliminate all the dead spots in a home.”

Capitol Broadcasting’s Jim Goodmon talks Next Gen TV

A feed from the near-by WRAL studios pointed to a future news broadcast that will enable viewers to interact.

Internet gateways are being developed along with dongles packaged with antennas and software that will provide viewers with Internet access and also enable mobile devices such as tablets and cellphones with live, mobile TV.

“You can get [the broadcast] on every device,” Jim Goodmon declared, holding up his own smartphone.

Having been told often in the past from such potential killers as the Internet that broadcasting is dead, Goodmon noted a sense of “deja vu.”

“I said then that we were entering the golden age of broadcasting,” Goodmon said. “I have a lot of confidence in the future of broadcasting.”

Why? The flexibility, the power, the resolution, the interactivity – all Next Gen has to offer.

WRAL TV’s news team via Next Gen TV broadcast

For a more detailed Q&A about Next Gen TV’s technology and what it means for viewers, check out WRAL TechWire’s earlier story