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Sponsored by
Public Media Technology Summit
April 13-14, 2023
Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel
DAY 1:
Technology
Deep Dive
Thursday, April 13
8:00am - 8:30am:
Registration and Breakfast
8:30am - 9:00am:
Opening Remarks
Marc Hand, CEO & Founder, PMVG
Mary Mazur, President and General Manager, Vegas PBS
9:00am – 9:45am:
Differentiating & Innovating with NextGen TV Content
Mark Corl, SVP Advanced Technology Development, Triveni Digital
Skip Pizzi, Senior Advisor, PMVG
Consideration of how to use ATSC 3.0 to deliver improved viewer experiences, including Ultra HD and interactive content.
9:45am – 10:30am:
Configuring the ATSC 3.0 PHY Layer: A Master Class with Gary Sgrignoli, Part 1
Gary Sgrignoli, DTV Transmission Consultant, MSW
A brief summary of the ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer (PHY) standard is presented.
10:30am - 11:00am:
Break (Sponsored by Comark Communications)
11:00am - 11:45am:
Configuring the ATSC 3.0 PHY Layer: A Master Class with Gary Sgrignoli, Part 2
Gary Sgrignoli, DTV Transmission Consultant, MSW
A recommended set of 10 transmission-signal format examples is proposed, providing a variety of design implementation considerations.
11:45am – 12:30pm:
Improving ATSC 3.0 Coverage with SFNs and On-channel Repeaters
Mark Corl, SVP Advanced Technology Development, Triveni Digital
David Neff, General Manager, Anywave Communication Technologies
ATSC 3.0 coverage can be improved with distributed transmission systems, which can be realized via synchronized SFN transmitters, or with gap fillers (on-channel and otherwise), or from a combination of both. This presentation explores technical and regulatory details of these systems to guide broadcasters’ understanding of their capabilities and limitations.
12:30pm - 1:30pm:
Lunch w/ Keynote Speaker Renard Jenkins, SVP Warner Bros. Discovery; President, SMPTE
1:30pm - 2:15pm:
Public TV's Early Lessons with ATSC 3.0—Real-world Implementations
Tim Bischoff, CTO, Kentucky Educational Television
Jason Quinn, Chief Engineer, New Mexico PBS
​James Southern, Business & Product Management, Pearl TV LLC
Moderator: Scott Fybush, Current
Public TV stations that have launched ATSC 3.0 service share their early experiences.
2:15pm – 3:00pm:
AI: Beyond the Hype
Chad Davis, Chief Innovation Officer, Nebraska Public Media
Artificial intelligence has fascinated pop culture for generations. And last year the popular press jumped on that hype cycle, talking about how AI will change every aspect of our lives…as soon as tomorrow. Separating the genuine game-changing advancements from the overhyped buzzwords can be challenging, but amidst the hype and excitement, it is essential to have a clear understanding of AI's true capabilities, limitations, and potential for the future. This session will attempt to demystify AI, providing a practical and realistic perspective on its applications, benefits, and challenges.
3:00pm – 3:30pm:
Break
3:30pm – 4:15pm:
Media Operations on the Cloud: Why? What? How?
Thomas Edwards, Principal Solutions Architect, Media & Entertainment, AWS Industries
Media and entertainment companies, including public media, are reinventing how they create and distribute content. They seek a more personalized relationship with their users, while operating more efficiently, maintaining the agility to experiment with new ways to serve their communities, and enhancing their environmental sustainability. This talk addresses the real-world use of cloud in five primary media-solutions areas: Content Production; Media Supply Chain and Archive; Broadcast; Direct-to-Consumer and Streaming; and Data Science and Analytics.
4:15pm - 5:00pm:
FASTs Are the New Cable
Alan Wolk, Co-Founder/Lead Analyst at TVREV
A look at the rapidly expanding FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) ecosystem from the man who invented the term. The session examines the various types of FAST platforms, their place in the greater TV ecosystem, the myths about FAST channels, where local broadcasters and news fit into this ecosystem, and why FASTs are poised to be the primary ad vehicle of the future.
5:00pm - 6:00pm:
Reception
DAY 2:
Technology Management Advisory
Friday, April 14
8:00am - 9:00am:
Registration and Breakfast
9:00am – 9:45am:
ATSC 3.0 and the Future of Connected Cars
Roger C. Lanctot, Director of Connected Mobility, TechInsights
The emergence of ATSC 3.0 has fundamentally altered the calculations of car makers when it comes to connectivity planning. The format’s relevance for both content delivery and datacasting is a compelling one-two punch, along with enhanced positioning. The path ahead will be challenging, but the opportunities are clear enough based on existing forecasts. The presentation illuminates critical factors that will determine success or failure.
9:45am – 10:30am:
Navigating the Transition to NextGen—LPTV Partnerships & Acquisitions
“SuperFrank” Copsidas, President & Founder, LPTV Broadcasters Assoc.
Greg Petrowich, President & CEO, WFYI, Indianapolis
Jeff Winemiller, Owner & Founder, Lowcountry 34 Media LLC
Moderator: Vinnie Curren, PMVG
A panel discussion of alternatives to the standard “lighthouse” approach for public stations’ transition to NextGen TV, and the opportunities for public and LPTV stations to work together for a win/win.
10:30am - 11:00am:
Break (Sponsored by Aveco)
11:00am - 11:45am:
ATSC 3.0 Datacasting
Skip Flenniken, VP & GM of Technology Business Development, Sinclair Broadcast Group
Guy Hadland, CTO, Unisoft
Erik Langner, CEO, Information Equity Initiative
Joonyoung Park, SVP, DigiCAP Co.
Moderator: Skip Pizzi, PMVG
A panel discussion of mission-oriented and revenue-producing options for public broadcasters’ datacasting with ATSC 3.0, detailing existing deployments by broadcasters, along with near-future prospects.
11:45am – 12:30pm:
Working with Joint Master Controls for ATSC 3.0
Shadi Sabra, CEO, CentralCast Alliance
Joe Walker, VP Technology and Product Solutions, Crispin Corporation
A technical discussion of how public TV stations can work with JMCs during and after the ATSC 1.0-to-3.0 transition.
12:30pm - 1:30pm:
Lunch w/ Keynote Speaker Jerry Whitaker, VP Standards Development, ATSC
1:30pm - 2:15pm:
Emergency Alerting and Information Over NextGen TV
Oliver Botti, SVP Sales & Innovation Director-Global Media, Fincons Group
Jerome McDonald, Chairman, Western Sanders County (MT) TV District
Matthew Straeb, Co-Founder, Americas Emergency Network
Moderator: John Lawson, President, AWARN Alliance
What we now call Advanced Emergency Information (AEI) has been a winning use case for ATSC 3.0 from the beginning. But questions remain about how to actually deploy it. This panel will provide answers on the latest app developments, innovative strategies to fund receivers, and plans to combine FM alerting with ATSC 3.0 to reach battery-powered receivers when cellular and the grid are down. You’ll also hear the encouraging results from the recent AWARN roundtables with emergency managers and local stations in Santa Barbara, New Orleans, Washington, DC, and Raleigh.
2:15pm – 3:00pm:
CE Trends: NextGen Televisions and Accessory Receivers
Alex Day, VP Business Development, Tolka
Luke Fay, Senior Manager, Technical Standards, Sony
Anne Schelle, Managing Director, Pearl TV
John Taylor, VP, LG Electronics
Moderator: Dave Arland, Executive Director, Indiana Broadcasters Association
Analysis of the current state of consumer receiver equipment for NextGen TV.
3:00pm – 3:30pm:
Break
The following sessions will be closed to press to allow uninhibited discussion:
3:30pm – 4:15pm:
Regulatory & Policy Hot Topics
John Burgett, Partner, Wiley Rein LLP
Robert Weller, VP Spectrum Policy, NAB
A look at the very latest status of broadcast technical rulemakings and policy issues at the FCC.
4:15pm - 5:00pm:
Plant IT Security & Recovering from Ransomware Attacks
David Lowe, President & GM, KVIE, Sacramento
John Reilly, VP Information Security & Technology, KQED, San Francisco
Two public stations describe their experiences and recoveries from ransomware attacks.