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Verizon Isn't the Fastest Internet Provider Anymore, and a New Winner Has Been Crowned
Verizon Isn't the Fastest Internet Provider Anymore, and a New Winner Has Been Crowned
What's happening
Every three months, Ookla announces the results it gathers from info pulled from millions of customer uses of its Speedtest.net tool. Consider it a quarterly checkup on Americans' speeds from their internet service providers.
Why it matters
We've grown increasingly reliant on our home broadband connections for work and play, so the actual performance of those internet services is vital information.
Verizon has been knocked off the mountain. The latest Ookla Speedtest Intelligence report, released in late July, named Cox Communications as the fastest fixed broadband provider among top US internet service providers during the second quarter of 2022. To qualify as a top provider, a company must account for 3% or more of Ookla's total test samples. Verizon had finished on top in the first three months of 2022.
In fact, Verizon had captured the top spot every quarter since the start of 2020. However, Ookla's report, which uses data from customer-run queries on Speedtest.net, now uses the median instead of the mean. So we're not exactly comparing apples to apples. The below image from Ookla's site gives an example of the difference.
Ookla
As an Ookla spokesperson told me via email: "We implemented this change to more accurately represent the typical performance that consumers actually experience on a network."
That means for the second quarter of 2022, Cox finished decisively on top with a median download speed of approximately 197 megabits per second. Xfinity, the runner-up, scored a median download speed of 184Mbps. Spectrum was third at 183Mbps, Verizon was next at 171Mbps, and AT&T capped off the top five at nearly 147Mbps.
Cox also did well regionally. It was the fastest fixed broadband provider in 14 of the 100 most populated cities in the country, including the fastest city in the US -- Gilbert, Arizona -- as well as Las Vegas, Phoenix and San Diego.
Additionally, it was the fastest ISP in four states: Arizona, Arkansas, Nevada and Oklahoma. Not bad, for sure, but Xfinity was top dog in 12 states, Spectrum in seven and Google Fiber and Verizon each won five states.
Despite its dominating performance at the top of the speed chart, Cox completely missed the top five regarding the fastest upload speeds. It registered a median upload speed just shy of 11Mbps. That was well below the top three providers of Frontier (113Mbps), Verizon (112Mbps) and AT&T (112Mbps). It also couldn't measure up to Xfinity (19Mbps), CenturyLink (12Mbps) or Spectrum (11.7Mbps).
That's not completely unexpected. The cable connections of Cox, Spectrum and Xfinity (or the DSL network of CenturyLink, for that matter) won't be able to compete with the higher upload speeds you can find with a fiber-optic internet connection, which AT&T, Frontier and Verizon all boast to a decent percentage within their respective footprints.
As Ookla continues its reporting throughout the year, it'll be interesting to see if any trends develop as it establishes the use of the median as its primary performance metric moving forward.
Hisense debuts brighter mini led tvs and even more lasers at lowe s hisense debuts brighter mini led tvs and even more lasers at academy hisense debuts brighter mini led tvs and cold hisense debuts brighter mini led vs oled hisense debuts brighter mini led monitor hisense debuts brighter blooms hisense debuts brighter horizons hisense debuts an introduction hisense debuts theater
Hisense debuts brighter mini-LED TVs and even more lasers at CES 2022
Hisense debuts brighter mini-LED TVs and even more lasers at CES 2022
This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most incredible tech coming soon.
Hisense unveiled its 2022 range of televisions, which include models equipped with mini-LED backlights and a pair of so-called Laser TVs -- short-throw projectors with screens included. Some sets include new technologies such as NextGen ATSC 3.0 tuners and gaming-friendly HDMI 2.1 ports, and employ either the Google TV or the older Android TV system. All will be available by the middle of the year and unlike most CES 2022 announcements, Hisense detailed its pricing.
There are three main offerings: the ULED range, a selection of Laser TVs and the entry-level smart TV 'A' range. All of the TVs bar the smallest A4H models boast 4K resolution.
The ULED series is helmed by the U9H and U8H models, and both now include mini-LED backlights for higher brightness (up to 2,000 nits) and as many as 1,200 zones of local dimming. The U8H is an upgrade on last year's U8G which CNET's David Katzmaier said offered "more raw brightness than just about any I've reviewed." These TVs are followed by the midrange U7H and entry-level U6H.
The 120-inch L5G laser TV
Hisense
Last year, Hisense debuted its first dual-cell LCD – the U9DG – which promised better contrast than traditional LCD, but there is no word on a replacement for 2022.
Meanwhile, the PX1-PRO TriChroma Laser Cinema and L5G 4K TVs expand the company's laser TV offerings for 2022. These are short-throw laser projectors that take on models like the Samsung Premiere and include features such as Dolby Vision and Android TV. Prices start at $3,999 and unlike the rest of the range, the laser TVs are available right now.
Lastly, the standout of the A-series is the A7H which offers a massive 85 inches for $1,700 and will ship in the spring. Like the laser TVs, these models will feature the older Android TV OS instead of Google TV.
Here are the rest of the details on the new models, including the sizes and major step-up features for each one:
U9H Series
76-inch
2,000 nits of peak brightness
1,280 full-array local dimming zones
Auto low-latency mode, Game Mode Pro, variable refresh rate and FreeSync
Late summer 2022
$3,200
U8H Series
55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch
1,500 nits
Mid-summer 2022
Starting at $1,099
U7H Series:
55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch and 85-inch
Quantum Dot
FreeSync
120Hz
Mid-summer 2022
Starting at $800
U6H
55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch
60Hz
Integrated Google assistant
Summer 2022
Starting at $580
A7H, A6H and A4H Series
A7H, 85-inch, spring 2022, $1,700.
A6H, 43-inch/50-inch/55-inch/65-inch/70-inch, spring 2022, starting at $300
A4H, 32-inch/40-inch/43-inch, spring 2022, starting at $200
Laser TVs
PX1-PRO TriChroma Laser Cinema, $3,999
L5G 4K Smart Laser TV, $4,499 (100-inch) and $4,999 (120-inch)
§
NextGen TV, aka ATSC 3.0, is continuing its rapid rollout across the country. Major markets like Los Angeles, Atlanta, Denver, Houston and more all have stations transmitting. Meanwhile New York, Boston, and many other markets are slated to have broadcasts later this year. While not every station in every market has a NextGen TV counterpart, more and more are coming on the air.
What's NextGen TV? It's an update to the free HDTV you can already get over-the-air in nearly every city in the US. There's no monthly fee, but you do need either a new TV with a built-in tuner or a standalone external tuner. The standard allows broadcast stations to send higher quality signals than ever before with features like 4K, HDR, 120 Hz, and more. ATSC 3.0 proponents also claim better reception indoors and on-the-go -- whether it's on your phone, or even in your car. The best part is that if you're watching it on your TV it uses the same standard antennas available today.
One potential downside? ATSC 3.0 will also let broadcasters track your viewing habits, information that can be used for targeted advertising, just like companies such as Facebook and Google use today.
Read more:Best TV antennas for cord cutters, starting at just $10
NextGen TV to you
ATSC.org
Here's the top-line info:
If you get your TV from streaming, cable or satellite, NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 won't affect you at all.
The transition is voluntary. Stations don't have to switch. Many have already, however, for reasons we'll explain below.
It's not backwards-compatible with the current HD standard (ATSC 1.0), so your current TV won't be able to receive it. Your current antenna should work fine though.
Stations that switch to NextGen TV will still have to keep broadcasting ATSC 1.0 for five years.
There are multiple models and sizes of TV with built-in tuners available now from Hisense, LG, Sony, Samsung and others.
As of the beginning of 2022 the majority of the largest markets in the US have at least one channel broadcasting NextGen TV. By the end of 2022, nearly all major and many minor markets will have multiple channels .
Here's the map of actual stations as of January 2022. Orange denotes stations that are live now. Blue is launching before summer. White sometime after the summer.
ATSC
How it will work in your home
Put simply: If you connect an antenna to your TV you will receive free programming, just like most people can get now. Yet, that is selling the potential benefits of NextGen TV short.
NextGen TV is IP-based, so in practice it can be moved around your home just like any internet content can right now. For example, you connect an antenna to a tuner box inside your home, but that box is not connected to your TV at all. Instead, it's connected to your router. This means anything with access to your network can have access to over-the-air TV, be it your TV, your phone, your tablet or even a streaming device like Apple TV. There will be traditional tuners as well, of course, but this is a new and interesting alternative.
This also means it's possible we'll see mobile devices with built-in tuners, so you can watch live TV while you're out and about, like you can with Netflix and YouTube now. How willing phone companies will be to put tuners in their phones remains to be seen, however. You don't see a lot of phones that can get radio broadcasts now, even though such a thing is easy to implement. We'll talk more about that in a moment.
'Voluntary'
In November of 2017, the Federal Communications Commission approved ATSC 3.0 as the next generation of broadcast standard, on a "voluntary, market-driven basis" (PDF). It also required stations to continue broadcasting ATSC 1.0 (i.e. "HD"). This is actually part of the issue as to why it's voluntary.
During the mandatory DTV transition in the early 2000s, stations in a city were given a new frequency (channel, in other words), to broadcast digital TV, while they still broadcast analog on their old channel. These older channels were eventually reclaimed by the FCC for other uses when the proverbial switch was flipped to turn off analog broadcasts. Since a changeover isn't occurring this time around, stations and markets are left to themselves how best to share or use the over-the-air spectrum in their areas.
Because there's no new bandwidth, broadcasters will temporarily share transmitters. Two or more stations will use one tower for ATSC 1.0 (HD) broadcasts and those stations will use another tower for ATSC 3.0 (UHD) broadcasts. This will mean a temporary reduction in bandwidth for each channel, but potentially a limited impact on picture quality due to the better modern HD encoders. More info here.
ATSC/TVTechnology.com
While it's not a mandatory standard, many broadcasters still seem enthusiastic about NextGen. At the beginning of the roll-out, then executive vice president of communications at the National Association of Broadcasters Dennis Wharton told CNET that the improvement in quality, overall coverage and the built-in safety features mean that most stations would be enthusiastic to offer ATSC 3.0.
John Hane, president of the Spectrum Consortium (an industry group with broadcasters Sinclair, Nexstar and Univision as members), was equally confident: "The FCC had to make it voluntary because the FCC couldn't provide transition channels. [The industry] asked the FCC to make it voluntary. We want the market to manage it. We knew the market would demand it, and broadcasters and hardware makers in fact are embracing it."
Given the competition broadcasters have with cable, streaming and so on, 3.0 could be a way to stabilize or even increase their income by offering better picture quality, better coverage and, most importantly, targeted ads.
Ah yes, targeted ads…
Broadcast TV will know what you're watching
One of NextGen TV's more controversial features is a "return data path," which is a way for the station you're watching to know you're watching. Not only does this allow a more accurate count of who's watching what shows, but it creates the opportunity for every marketer's dream: targeted advertising.
Ads specific to your viewing habits, income level and even ethnicity (presumed by your neighborhood, for example) could get slotted in by your local station. This is something brand-new for broadcast TV. Today, over-the-air broadcasts are pretty much the only way to watch television that doesn't track your viewing habits. Sure, the return data path could also allow "alternative audio tracks and interactive elements," but it's the targeted ads and tracking many observers are worried about.
The finer details are all still being worked out, but here's the thing: If your TV is connected to the internet, it's already tracking you. Pretty much every app, streaming service, smart TV and cable or satellite box all track your usage to a greater or lesser extent.
Return data path is still in the planning stages, even as the other aspects of NextGen TV are already going live. There is a silver lining: There will be an opt-out option. While it also requires Internet access, if this type of thing bothers you, just don't connect your TV or NextGen TV receiver to the internet. You will inevitably lose some of the other features of NextGen TV, however.
That said, we'll keep an eye on this for any further developments.
Free TV on your phone?
Another point of potential contention is getting ATSC 3.0 tuners into phones. At a most basic level, carriers like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile are in the business of selling you data. If suddenly you can get lots of high-quality content for free on your phone, they potentially lose money. Ever wonder why your phone doesn't have an FM radio tuner? Same reason.
T-Mobile made a preemptive strike along those lines all the way back in September 2017, writing a white paper (PDF) that, among other things, claims, "In light of the detrimental effects that inclusion of ATSC 3.0 can have on the cost and size of a device, the technology trade-offs required to accommodate competing technologies, and the reduced performance and spectral efficiency that it will have for other mobile bands and services, the decision as to whether to include ATSC 3.0 in a device must be left to the market to decide."
"The market" determined you didn't need an FM tuner in your phone, and in the few phones that had an FM tuner, if you bought it through an American provider, it was almost always disabled.
TV broadcasters, on the other hand, are huge fans of ATSC 3.0 on mobile phones. It means more potential eyeballs and, incidentally, a guarantee of active internet access for that return data path. John Hane of the Spectrum Consortium feels that tuners built into phones is "inevitable," and that international adoption of ATSC 3.0 will help push it forward. Wharton says that the focus is getting TVs to work, but mobile is in the plan.
Then there's portable TVs, of which there are HD versions on the market and have been for years. The next-generation ATSC 3.0 versions of these will likely get better reception in addition to the higher resolution offered by the new standard.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Cost (for you)
NextGen TV is not backward compatible with current TV tuners. To get it, you'll eventually need either a new TV or an external tuner.
However, you shouldn't feel a push to upgrade since:
1. NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 isn't mandatory, and it doesn't affect cable, satellite or streaming TV.
2. HD tuners cost as little as $30 to $40 now, and NextGen TV tuners, which currently sell between $200 and $300, will eventually be cheap as well.
3. Even after they start NextGen broadcasts, stations will have to keep broadcasting regular old HD.
Here's the actual language:
"The programming aired on the ATSC 1.0 simulcast channel must be 'substantially similar' to the programming aired on the 3.0 channel. This means that the programming must be the same, except for programming features that are based on the enhanced capabilities of ATSC 3.0, advertisements and promotions for upcoming programs. The substantially similar requirement will sunset in five years from its effective date absent further action by the Commission to extend it."
In other words, the HD broadcast has to be essentially the same as the new 3.0 broadcast for five years, perhaps longer depending on future FCC actions.
Which brings us to point 3. By the time people had to buy them, HD tuners were inexpensive and are even more so now. The HD tuner I use is currently $26 on Amazon. The first generation NextGen tuners available now are more expensive than that, though they're not outrageous. We'll discuss those below. By the time anyone actually requires one, however, they'll almost certainly be affordable.
Which is good, because there aren't any planned subsidies this time around for people to get a tuner for cheap. I'm sure this is at least partly due to how few people actually still use OTA as their sole form of TV reception. Maybe this will change as more stations convert, but we're a ways away from that.
As you can see, there are lots of parts that need to get upgraded all along the chain before you can get 3.0 in your home.
ATSC/TVTechnology.com
Here's another way to think about it: The first HD broadcasts began in the mid-90s, but when did you buy your first HDTV? As far as the 3.0 transition is concerned we're in the late-90s, maybe generously the early 2000s, now. Things seem like they're moving at a much more rapid pace than the transition from analog to DTV/HDTV, but even so, it will be a long time before ATSC 3.0 completely replaces the current standard.
How to get NextGen right now
LG
If you want to check it out for yourself, many of you already can. The first stop is to go to WatchNextGenTV.com. That website will help you find what stations in your area are broadcasting, or which ones will soon.
Next up you'll need something to receive it. If you're in the market for a new TV there are several options available from Hisense, LG, Samsung, and Sony. Here's our list of all the 2022 TVs with built-in next-gen tuners.
If you want to check out NextGen TV without buying a new television, you'll need an external tuner. It's still early days, so there aren't many options.
The Tablo ATSC 3.0 Quad HDMI DVR
Nuvvyo
At CES 2022 Nuvvyo announced the Tablo, a quad-tuner box that can connect to a TV directly, or transmit over a network to Rokus, Apple TVs, or computers on your home network.
The Silicon Dust has two models, the $199 HomeRun Flex 4K and the $279 HomeRun Scribe 4K. Both have ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 tuners.
If you want a more traditional tuner, BitRouter plans to start shipping its first ZapperBox M1 tuners in the spring. You can reserve one now for $249. It doesn't have internal storage, but BitRouter plans to add the ability to save content on network-attached storage, or NAS, devices via a firmware update. They also plan to add the ability to send the content around your home network, like what the Scribe 4K does.
Zapperbox
Then there's what to watch. Being early in the process, you're not going to find much 4K content, possibly not any. This was the same with the early years of HDTV. It's also going to vary per area. There is certainly a lot of 4K content being produced right now, and that has been the case for several years. So in that way, we're in better shape than we were in the early days of HD.
Basic and paid cable channels over-the-air?
One company is using the bandwidth and IP nature of NextGen to do something a little different. It's a hybrid paid TV service, sort of like cable/satellite, but using over-the-air broadcasts to deliver the content. It's called Evoca, and right now it's available only in Boise, Idaho. Edge Networks is the company behind it, and it wants to roll it out to other small markets where cable offerings are limited, and broadband speeds are slow or expensive.
It's an interesting idea for underserved and often forgotten-about markets.
Read more: Cable TV channels and 4K from an antenna?
Seeing the future
The transition from analog broadcasting to HD, if you count from the formation of the Grand Alliance to the final analog broadcast, took 16 years.
Though many aspects of technology move rapidly, getting dozens of companies, plus the governments of the US and many other countries, all to agree to specific standards, takes time. So does the testing of the new tech. There are a lot of cogs and sprockets that have to align for this to work, and it would be a lot harder to fix once it's all live.
But technology moves faster and faster. It's highly doubtful it will take 16 years to fully implement NextGen TV. As we mentioned at the top, dozens of stations are already broadcasting. Will every station in your city switch to NextGen TV? Probably not, but the bigger ones likely will. This is especially true if there are already other NextGen TV stations in your area. There's a potential here for stations to make additional money in the long run with 3.0, and that's obviously a big motivator.
There's also the question of how much content there will be. If it follows the HDTV transition model, big sporting events in 4K HDR will come first, followed by lots and lots of shows featuring nature scenes and closeups of bugs. Seriously -- this was totally a thing. Then we'll see a handful of scripted prime-time shows. My guess would be the popular, solidly profitable ones that are produced (not just aired) by networks like CBS and NBC.
So should you hold off buying a new TV? Nope, not unless you only get your shows over the air. And even if you do, by the time there's enough content to be interesting, there will be cheap tuner boxes you can connect to whatever TV you have.
For now, NextGen TV seems to be well on its way.
As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000 mile road trips, and more. Check out Tech Treks for all his tours and adventures.
He wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines, along with a sequel. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.
Hisense debuts brighter mini led tvs and even more lasers at walmart hisense debuts brighter mini led tvs and even more lasers at academy hisense debuts brighter mini led tvs and even more lasers at harbor hisense debuts brighter mini led tvs and even more lasers rick hisense debuts brighter mini led lights hisense debuts brighter mini led flashlight hisense debuts brighter mini led christmas hisense debuts brighter minimum hisense debuts brighter mini golf hisense debuts brighter dental hisense debuts theater
Hisense debuts brighter mini-LED TVs and even more lasers at CES 2022
Hisense debuts brighter mini-LED TVs and even more lasers at CES 2022
This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most incredible tech coming soon.
Hisense unveiled its 2022 range of televisions, which include models equipped with mini-LED backlights and a pair of so-called Laser TVs -- short-throw projectors with screens included. Some sets include new technologies such as NextGen ATSC 3.0 tuners and gaming-friendly HDMI 2.1 ports, and employ either the Google TV or the older Android TV system. All will be available by the middle of the year and unlike most CES 2022 announcements, Hisense detailed its pricing.
There are three main offerings: the ULED range, a selection of Laser TVs and the entry-level smart TV 'A' range. All of the TVs bar the smallest A4H models boast 4K resolution.
The ULED series is helmed by the U9H and U8H models, and both now include mini-LED backlights for higher brightness (up to 2,000 nits) and as many as 1,200 zones of local dimming. The U8H is an upgrade on last year's U8G which CNET's David Katzmaier said offered "more raw brightness than just about any I've reviewed." These TVs are followed by the midrange U7H and entry-level U6H.
The 120-inch L5G laser TV
Hisense
Last year, Hisense debuted its first dual-cell LCD – the U9DG – which promised better contrast than traditional LCD, but there is no word on a replacement for 2022.
Meanwhile, the PX1-PRO TriChroma Laser Cinema and L5G 4K TVs expand the company's laser TV offerings for 2022. These are short-throw laser projectors that take on models like the Samsung Premiere and include features such as Dolby Vision and Android TV. Prices start at $3,999 and unlike the rest of the range, the laser TVs are available right now.
Lastly, the standout of the A-series is the A7H which offers a massive 85 inches for $1,700 and will ship in the spring. Like the laser TVs, these models will feature the older Android TV OS instead of Google TV.
Here are the rest of the details on the new models, including the sizes and major step-up features for each one:
U9H Series
76-inch
2,000 nits of peak brightness
1,280 full-array local dimming zones
Auto low-latency mode, Game Mode Pro, variable refresh rate and FreeSync
Late summer 2022
$3,200
U8H Series
55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch
1,500 nits
Mid-summer 2022
Starting at $1,099
U7H Series:
55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch and 85-inch
Quantum Dot
FreeSync
120Hz
Mid-summer 2022
Starting at $800
U6H
55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch
60Hz
Integrated Google assistant
Summer 2022
Starting at $580
A7H, A6H and A4H Series
A7H, 85-inch, spring 2022, $1,700.
A6H, 43-inch/50-inch/55-inch/65-inch/70-inch, spring 2022, starting at $300
A4H, 32-inch/40-inch/43-inch, spring 2022, starting at $200
Laser TVs
PX1-PRO TriChroma Laser Cinema, $3,999
L5G 4K Smart Laser TV, $4,499 (100-inch) and $4,999 (120-inch)
§
NextGen TV, aka ATSC 3.0, is continuing its rapid rollout across the country. Major markets like Los Angeles, Atlanta, Denver, Houston and more all have stations transmitting. Meanwhile New York, Boston, and many other markets are slated to have broadcasts later this year. While not every station in every market has a NextGen TV counterpart, more and more are coming on the air.
What's NextGen TV? It's an update to the free HDTV you can already get over-the-air in nearly every city in the US. There's no monthly fee, but you do need either a new TV with a built-in tuner or a standalone external tuner. The standard allows broadcast stations to send higher quality signals than ever before with features like 4K, HDR, 120 Hz, and more. ATSC 3.0 proponents also claim better reception indoors and on-the-go -- whether it's on your phone, or even in your car. The best part is that if you're watching it on your TV it uses the same standard antennas available today.
One potential downside? ATSC 3.0 will also let broadcasters track your viewing habits, information that can be used for targeted advertising, just like companies such as Facebook and Google use today.
Read more:Best TV antennas for cord cutters, starting at just $10
NextGen TV to you
ATSC.org
Here's the top-line info:
If you get your TV from streaming, cable or satellite, NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 won't affect you at all.
The transition is voluntary. Stations don't have to switch. Many have already, however, for reasons we'll explain below.
It's not backwards-compatible with the current HD standard (ATSC 1.0), so your current TV won't be able to receive it. Your current antenna should work fine though.
Stations that switch to NextGen TV will still have to keep broadcasting ATSC 1.0 for five years.
There are multiple models and sizes of TV with built-in tuners available now from Hisense, LG, Sony, Samsung and others.
As of the beginning of 2022 the majority of the largest markets in the US have at least one channel broadcasting NextGen TV. By the end of 2022, nearly all major and many minor markets will have multiple channels .
Here's the map of actual stations as of January 2022. Orange denotes stations that are live now. Blue is launching before summer. White sometime after the summer.
ATSC
How it will work in your home
Put simply: If you connect an antenna to your TV you will receive free programming, just like most people can get now. Yet, that is selling the potential benefits of NextGen TV short.
NextGen TV is IP-based, so in practice it can be moved around your home just like any internet content can right now. For example, you connect an antenna to a tuner box inside your home, but that box is not connected to your TV at all. Instead, it's connected to your router. This means anything with access to your network can have access to over-the-air TV, be it your TV, your phone, your tablet or even a streaming device like Apple TV. There will be traditional tuners as well, of course, but this is a new and interesting alternative.
This also means it's possible we'll see mobile devices with built-in tuners, so you can watch live TV while you're out and about, like you can with Netflix and YouTube now. How willing phone companies will be to put tuners in their phones remains to be seen, however. You don't see a lot of phones that can get radio broadcasts now, even though such a thing is easy to implement. We'll talk more about that in a moment.
'Voluntary'
In November of 2017, the Federal Communications Commission approved ATSC 3.0 as the next generation of broadcast standard, on a "voluntary, market-driven basis" (PDF). It also required stations to continue broadcasting ATSC 1.0 (i.e. "HD"). This is actually part of the issue as to why it's voluntary.
During the mandatory DTV transition in the early 2000s, stations in a city were given a new frequency (channel, in other words), to broadcast digital TV, while they still broadcast analog on their old channel. These older channels were eventually reclaimed by the FCC for other uses when the proverbial switch was flipped to turn off analog broadcasts. Since a changeover isn't occurring this time around, stations and markets are left to themselves how best to share or use the over-the-air spectrum in their areas.
Because there's no new bandwidth, broadcasters will temporarily share transmitters. Two or more stations will use one tower for ATSC 1.0 (HD) broadcasts and those stations will use another tower for ATSC 3.0 (UHD) broadcasts. This will mean a temporary reduction in bandwidth for each channel, but potentially a limited impact on picture quality due to the better modern HD encoders. More info here.
ATSC/TVTechnology.com
While it's not a mandatory standard, many broadcasters still seem enthusiastic about NextGen. At the beginning of the roll-out, then executive vice president of communications at the National Association of Broadcasters Dennis Wharton told CNET that the improvement in quality, overall coverage and the built-in safety features mean that most stations would be enthusiastic to offer ATSC 3.0.
John Hane, president of the Spectrum Consortium (an industry group with broadcasters Sinclair, Nexstar and Univision as members), was equally confident: "The FCC had to make it voluntary because the FCC couldn't provide transition channels. [The industry] asked the FCC to make it voluntary. We want the market to manage it. We knew the market would demand it, and broadcasters and hardware makers in fact are embracing it."
Given the competition broadcasters have with cable, streaming and so on, 3.0 could be a way to stabilize or even increase their income by offering better picture quality, better coverage and, most importantly, targeted ads.
Ah yes, targeted ads…
Broadcast TV will know what you're watching
One of NextGen TV's more controversial features is a "return data path," which is a way for the station you're watching to know you're watching. Not only does this allow a more accurate count of who's watching what shows, but it creates the opportunity for every marketer's dream: targeted advertising.
Ads specific to your viewing habits, income level and even ethnicity (presumed by your neighborhood, for example) could get slotted in by your local station. This is something brand-new for broadcast TV. Today, over-the-air broadcasts are pretty much the only way to watch television that doesn't track your viewing habits. Sure, the return data path could also allow "alternative audio tracks and interactive elements," but it's the targeted ads and tracking many observers are worried about.
The finer details are all still being worked out, but here's the thing: If your TV is connected to the internet, it's already tracking you. Pretty much every app, streaming service, smart TV and cable or satellite box all track your usage to a greater or lesser extent.
Return data path is still in the planning stages, even as the other aspects of NextGen TV are already going live. There is a silver lining: There will be an opt-out option. While it also requires Internet access, if this type of thing bothers you, just don't connect your TV or NextGen TV receiver to the internet. You will inevitably lose some of the other features of NextGen TV, however.
That said, we'll keep an eye on this for any further developments.
Free TV on your phone?
Another point of potential contention is getting ATSC 3.0 tuners into phones. At a most basic level, carriers like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile are in the business of selling you data. If suddenly you can get lots of high-quality content for free on your phone, they potentially lose money. Ever wonder why your phone doesn't have an FM radio tuner? Same reason.
T-Mobile made a preemptive strike along those lines all the way back in September 2017, writing a white paper (PDF) that, among other things, claims, "In light of the detrimental effects that inclusion of ATSC 3.0 can have on the cost and size of a device, the technology trade-offs required to accommodate competing technologies, and the reduced performance and spectral efficiency that it will have for other mobile bands and services, the decision as to whether to include ATSC 3.0 in a device must be left to the market to decide."
"The market" determined you didn't need an FM tuner in your phone, and in the few phones that had an FM tuner, if you bought it through an American provider, it was almost always disabled.
TV broadcasters, on the other hand, are huge fans of ATSC 3.0 on mobile phones. It means more potential eyeballs and, incidentally, a guarantee of active internet access for that return data path. John Hane of the Spectrum Consortium feels that tuners built into phones is "inevitable," and that international adoption of ATSC 3.0 will help push it forward. Wharton says that the focus is getting TVs to work, but mobile is in the plan.
Then there's portable TVs, of which there are HD versions on the market and have been for years. The next-generation ATSC 3.0 versions of these will likely get better reception in addition to the higher resolution offered by the new standard.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Cost (for you)
NextGen TV is not backward compatible with current TV tuners. To get it, you'll eventually need either a new TV or an external tuner.
However, you shouldn't feel a push to upgrade since:
1. NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 isn't mandatory, and it doesn't affect cable, satellite or streaming TV.
2. HD tuners cost as little as $30 to $40 now, and NextGen TV tuners, which currently sell between $200 and $300, will eventually be cheap as well.
3. Even after they start NextGen broadcasts, stations will have to keep broadcasting regular old HD.
Here's the actual language:
"The programming aired on the ATSC 1.0 simulcast channel must be 'substantially similar' to the programming aired on the 3.0 channel. This means that the programming must be the same, except for programming features that are based on the enhanced capabilities of ATSC 3.0, advertisements and promotions for upcoming programs. The substantially similar requirement will sunset in five years from its effective date absent further action by the Commission to extend it."
In other words, the HD broadcast has to be essentially the same as the new 3.0 broadcast for five years, perhaps longer depending on future FCC actions.
Which brings us to point 3. By the time people had to buy them, HD tuners were inexpensive and are even more so now. The HD tuner I use is currently $26 on Amazon. The first generation NextGen tuners available now are more expensive than that, though they're not outrageous. We'll discuss those below. By the time anyone actually requires one, however, they'll almost certainly be affordable.
Which is good, because there aren't any planned subsidies this time around for people to get a tuner for cheap. I'm sure this is at least partly due to how few people actually still use OTA as their sole form of TV reception. Maybe this will change as more stations convert, but we're a ways away from that.
As you can see, there are lots of parts that need to get upgraded all along the chain before you can get 3.0 in your home.
ATSC/TVTechnology.com
Here's another way to think about it: The first HD broadcasts began in the mid-90s, but when did you buy your first HDTV? As far as the 3.0 transition is concerned we're in the late-90s, maybe generously the early 2000s, now. Things seem like they're moving at a much more rapid pace than the transition from analog to DTV/HDTV, but even so, it will be a long time before ATSC 3.0 completely replaces the current standard.
How to get NextGen right now
LG
If you want to check it out for yourself, many of you already can. The first stop is to go to WatchNextGenTV.com. That website will help you find what stations in your area are broadcasting, or which ones will soon.
Next up you'll need something to receive it. If you're in the market for a new TV there are several options available from Hisense, LG, Samsung, and Sony. Here's our list of all the 2022 TVs with built-in next-gen tuners.
If you want to check out NextGen TV without buying a new television, you'll need an external tuner. It's still early days, so there aren't many options.
The Tablo ATSC 3.0 Quad HDMI DVR
Nuvvyo
At CES 2022 Nuvvyo announced the Tablo, a quad-tuner box that can connect to a TV directly, or transmit over a network to Rokus, Apple TVs, or computers on your home network.
The Silicon Dust has two models, the $199 HomeRun Flex 4K and the $279 HomeRun Scribe 4K. Both have ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 tuners.
If you want a more traditional tuner, BitRouter plans to start shipping its first ZapperBox M1 tuners in the spring. You can reserve one now for $249. It doesn't have internal storage, but BitRouter plans to add the ability to save content on network-attached storage, or NAS, devices via a firmware update. They also plan to add the ability to send the content around your home network, like what the Scribe 4K does.
Zapperbox
Then there's what to watch. Being early in the process, you're not going to find much 4K content, possibly not any. This was the same with the early years of HDTV. It's also going to vary per area. There is certainly a lot of 4K content being produced right now, and that has been the case for several years. So in that way, we're in better shape than we were in the early days of HD.
Basic and paid cable channels over-the-air?
One company is using the bandwidth and IP nature of NextGen to do something a little different. It's a hybrid paid TV service, sort of like cable/satellite, but using over-the-air broadcasts to deliver the content. It's called Evoca, and right now it's available only in Boise, Idaho. Edge Networks is the company behind it, and it wants to roll it out to other small markets where cable offerings are limited, and broadband speeds are slow or expensive.
It's an interesting idea for underserved and often forgotten-about markets.
Read more: Cable TV channels and 4K from an antenna?
Seeing the future
The transition from analog broadcasting to HD, if you count from the formation of the Grand Alliance to the final analog broadcast, took 16 years.
Though many aspects of technology move rapidly, getting dozens of companies, plus the governments of the US and many other countries, all to agree to specific standards, takes time. So does the testing of the new tech. There are a lot of cogs and sprockets that have to align for this to work, and it would be a lot harder to fix once it's all live.
But technology moves faster and faster. It's highly doubtful it will take 16 years to fully implement NextGen TV. As we mentioned at the top, dozens of stations are already broadcasting. Will every station in your city switch to NextGen TV? Probably not, but the bigger ones likely will. This is especially true if there are already other NextGen TV stations in your area. There's a potential here for stations to make additional money in the long run with 3.0, and that's obviously a big motivator.
There's also the question of how much content there will be. If it follows the HDTV transition model, big sporting events in 4K HDR will come first, followed by lots and lots of shows featuring nature scenes and closeups of bugs. Seriously -- this was totally a thing. Then we'll see a handful of scripted prime-time shows. My guess would be the popular, solidly profitable ones that are produced (not just aired) by networks like CBS and NBC.
So should you hold off buying a new TV? Nope, not unless you only get your shows over the air. And even if you do, by the time there's enough content to be interesting, there will be cheap tuner boxes you can connect to whatever TV you have.
For now, NextGen TV seems to be well on its way.
As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000 mile road trips, and more. Check out Tech Treks for all his tours and adventures.
He wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines, along with a sequel. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.
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Why Huawei smartphones are locked out of the US
Why Huawei smartphones are locked out of the US
Heading into this year, Huawei's prospects for finally gaining a foothold in the US appeared to be brightening.
The world's third-largest smartphone maker had just launched its latest flagship, the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, and it was garnering favorable reviews. Speculation had bubbled up that Huawei was poised to announce a partnership with AT&T, the second-largest carrier in the US -- a coup for the Chinese telecommunications giant.
Then CES 2018 happened.
Huawei's latest smartphones aren't coming to the US.
Josh Miller
Even before Huawei's planned keynote address at the conference, word got out that the rumored partnership with AT&T wouldn't happen, reportedly due to political pressure. So when Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei's consumer business, got on stage at CES, he spent nearly an hour talking about an already launched product like it was new. At the end, he acknowledged the lack of a carrier was a hit to the company, which would sell its smartphone through retail partners like Amazon and Best Buy.
Days later, reports emerged that Verizon had similarly dropped plans to sell a Huawei smartphone, again because of political pressure. On Wednesday, CNET broke the news that Best Buy would stop selling all Huawei products -- including laptops and smartwatches -- in the coming weeks.
Just in time for a new smartphone, right?
On Tuesday, Huawei unveiled the P20 smartphone and the higher-end P20 Pro, which both pack an insane amount of camera technology. The company, however, confirmed that the P20 wouldn't be heading to the US, despite holding briefings with the press here.
"We know that most of the publications have a global readership," said a spokeswoman. "We thought it was important to make sure you were aware of the latest from Huawei"
The result: Americans will miss out on the chance to buy some of the flashiest new Android smartphones, including one that packs an intriguing Leica triple camera.
How did we get here? Let's do a breakdown of the drama.
Remind me again, what's Huawei?
Huawei (pronounced wah-way) got its start selling cheap Android smartphones in China, but has since expanded throughout the world with high-end offerings. It's among the world's largest telecommunications companies, building network infrastructure gear, mobile processors and, yes, smartphones.
It's the third-largest smartphone vendor behind Samsung and Apple, according to Gartner.
One of its newest smartphones, the Mate 10 Pro, is smart enough to drive a Porsche for a little while.
So what's the problem?
It's all about national security. The US government has expressed concern that Huawei might be spying on us through its products, specifically its telecommunications equipment. In 2012, a House Intelligence Committee report detailed concerns that both Huawei and ZTE, a fellow Chinese vendor, pose a threat to national security. US companies were banned from buying Huawei equipment.
On Monday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai proposed new rules that would bar broadband companies from using a government subsidy program to buy telecom equipment from companies that pose a national security threat. Though the FCC didn't name any companies or countries, Pai had previously written a letter to lawmakers sharing his concerns about espionage threats from Huawei.
But what about Huawei smartphones?
At the time, the committee members specifically said the threat didn't include its smartphones.
At the time?
Last month, the heads of the FBI, CIA and NSA all expressed their concerns about the risks that Huawei and ZTE posed. They also warned against buying the companies' phones, which added a new wrinkle to the story.
Where does this concern come from?
The source of much of the trepidation comes from Huawei founder and Chairman Ren Zhengfei, who was formerly with the Chinese military. Huawei has downplayed his military background, focusing on his ability to take $2,500 in 1987 and turn it into a multibillion-dollar telecommunications juggernaut today.
Still, the perception problem is likely to persist.
"The problems that Huawei is having with the US government are unlikely to blow over anytime soon," said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Global Data.
So are the phones safe?
That's incredibly hard to say with any certainty, which is the core dilemma that Huawei faces. The rest of the world doesn't seem to have a problem with the company. The only exception is Australia, which previously barred Huawei products, but ultimately revoked its ban. Still, the government blocked the company from working on its national broadband network.
Huawei boasts relationships with major carriers, corporations and consumers in more than 170 countries. "We have earned the trust of our partners across the global value chain," said a spokesman.
Still, the comments of US government officials leave you wondering what they know that we don't know.
Does politics play into this?
Perhaps, but there's no real way of knowing. The flare-up of anti-Huawei activity coincides with President Donald Trump last week imposing an estimated $50 billion in tariffs on China, which followed new aluminum and steel tariffs from earlier this month.
Keep in mind, this is also the White House that signed an executive order to block Broadcom's planned $117 billion blockbuster acquisition of Qualcomm because of the perceived national security threat posed by Singapore-based Broadcom buying San Diego-based Qualcomm.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, which issued its recommendation to Trump, pointed to Huawei as a company that could threaten the US' influence over 5G wireless technology.
"Without carrier or even big-box retail distribution, it is basically impossible to sell premium smartphones in the US, and the political pressure to keep Huawei phones [out] is clearly rising as the US and China edge toward a trade war," Greengart said.
What about ZTE?
ZTE is an odd one because it often gets roped into the conversation with Huawei. Yet unlike with its Chinese rival, US carriers do sell ZTE phones. ZTE budget phones are a favorite of the prepaid service providers, and AT&T sells its foldable Axon M smartphone.
ZTE denies any wrongdoing and argues that it's "collateral damage" in the scrutiny over Huawei. The company points to the US resources and components that go into its products.
Well, if Huawei phones are safe enough for everyone else, that's good enough for me. Where do I buy one?
Huawei still sells its products through Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg and B&H. Best Buy will stop selling its products in the coming weeks. So if you want to see Huawei smartphones, laptops and smartwatches in person, you may want to check a local Best Buy out while you can.
iHate: CNET looks at how intolerance is taking over the internet.
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Apple's M2 MacBook Pro Sees First Ever Discount With $200 Savings
Apple's M2 MacBook Pro Sees First Ever Discount With $200 Savings
Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro received a big upgrade in 2022 with the addition of the M2 chip. While the machine has the same design as the M1 version that came before it, the new chip offers a significant boost to power and efficiency without increasing the price. In fact, you can score the very first discount on one today at Best Buy with a $200 price cut. At $1,100, this is the best M2 MacBook Pro deal we've seen to date and a surprisingly good deal on such a new Apple product.
If you're looking for a pro-grade Apple laptop and don't want to spend top dollar on the M1 Pro or M1 Max-equipped MacBook Pro models, the M2 MacBook Pro is for you. It's the most powerful 13-inch laptop Apple currently offers and it has some advantages over the similarly priced M2 MacBook Air. Though the new Air received a physical redesign this year with a larger display and a lighter build, it's missing one key component: a fan. The M2 MacBook Pro does have an active cooling system meaning it doesn't have to constrain its power to avoid overheating. There's also more room for batteries in the Pro's thicker chassis meaning the M2 MacBook Pro offers the best MacBook battery life in this size class at 20 hours per charge.
Aside from the new M2 chip, the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro remains mostly unchanged from the previous iteration with its two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, Touch Bar control strip and choice of 256GB or 512GB SSD. Both configurations are $200 off at Best Buy with the higher capacity model also discounted at Amazon.
Purchasing via Best Buy will you score six months of Apple Music and Apple News Plus, as well as three months of Apple TV Plus, for free alongside your MacBook deal if you're a new or returning customer to those services. That's an additional $135 value.
