LAS VEGAS—As it said it would, Sinclair Broadcast Group has debuted at CES system-on-a-chip (SoC) that supports the new ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard.
Through its ONE Media technology unit, Sinclair worked with its India-based technology partner, Saankhya Labs, as well as VeriSilicon and Samsung Foundry, to produce the multi-standard demodulator SoC.
The hardware is based on Saankhya’s patented Software Defined Radio platform and supports 12 DTV standards including ATSC 3.0, DVB-T2, ISDB-T, and satellite and cable standards for TV, set-top boxes, home gateways as well for automotive and mobile applications.
Previously, Sinclair said it would fund millions of chipset giveaways for wireless operators in an effort to support the nationwide rollout of ATSC 3.0, the so-called “Next-Gen” TV standard.
The SoC comes in two flavors: A Demod-only variant, the SL3000, is designed for linear TV applications such as reception in HDTV sets, set-top boxes and home gateways; and Demod-plus Tuner variant, the SL4000, which is designed for mobile and portable devices, making it the world’s first mobile ready ATSC 3.0 chip.
“These mobile 3.0 chips validate the ‘sea change’ in over-the-air distribution of, not only television, but all digital data,” said Mark Aitken, president of ONE Media 3.0, in a statement. 'Broadcasters are doing their part by deploying the Next-Gen transmission facilities, and now there will be devices enabled to recieve that data – personalized and in mobile form. This chip is the key to that disruptive future in a 5G world.”
Separately at CES, Sinclair announced a joint venture with Korea’s SK Telecom to fund and manage a joint venture company within the first quarter of this year. The JV will develop new technologies around ATSC 3.0.
