Five leading TV stations launch NextGen TV in Portland, Maine

WMTW, WGME-TV, WPFO, and WMEA-TV/WCBB Launch NextGen TV in Portland, Maine

PORTLAND, Maine — Five leading television stations serving the Portland Maine television market have begun broadcasting with NextGen TV, a revolutionary new digital broadcast technology. The launch includes WMTW (ABC), WGME-TV (CBS), WPFO (FOX), WMEA-TV (Maine Public) and WCBB (PBS).

Based on the same fundamental technology as the Internet and digital apps, NextGen TV can support a wide range of features that are currently in development. In addition to providing a new, improved way for broadcasters to reach viewers with advanced emergency alerts, NextGen TV features stunning video with brilliant color, sharper images and deeper contrast to create a more life-like experience.

NextGen TV adds a new dimension to TV viewing, with vibrant video and new Voice+ dialogue enhancement that brings voices to the foreground. Movie theater-quality sound lets viewers hear every voice clearly and keeps volume consistent across channels. NextGen TV can also be enhanced with Internet content to enable viewers to get the most out of live sports, live news, and live events in real-time, without looking away from TV screens.

Powered by ATSC 3.0, NextGen TV is the most significant broadcast technology upgrade in history. Features available on NextGen TV will vary by device and station as broadcasters roll out service across the country.

The launch in Portland follows a decade of development and months of planning and preparation by the local stations. WPFO, which is owned by Cunningham, has converted to ATSC 3.0 transmissions. WPFO will broadcast its own programming, as well as the programming of the other participating stations, in NextGen TV format. All programming of all participating stations will continue to be available in the existing DTV format, which can be received on all modern television sets.

BitPath, which is developing new data broadcasting services, led the planning process and coordinated efforts across the five television stations.

From New York to Honolulu and from Miami to Seattle, NextGen TV service is already on the air in more than 70 cities across the country reaching three out of four people.