ADTH And Tolka Awarded First Certification As NextGen TV Upgrade Accessory Receiver

Atlanta DTH (ADTH) says it will be the first vendor to produce officially certified NextGen TV upgrade accessory receivers. The ADTH NextGen TV Box is powered by Tolka ATSC 3 Stack.

Working in collaboration with Pearl TV’s FastTrack program, Tolka Telecommunications Corp. ensured that the ADTH NextGen TV Box met the requirements of the Consumer Technology Association NextGen TV logo program and the expectations of ATSC 3.0 TV broadcasters. Designed for use with household TV receivers, set-top boxes, in-car receivers, mobile phones, tablets or computers, the Tolka ATSC 3 Stack enables television viewers to experience NextGen TV free-to-air television programs on Android and Linux platforms.

Anne Schelle, managing director of the Pearl TV consortium, said: “On behalf of the nation’s broadcasters who are spearheading the introduction of NextGen TV channels throughout the country, we delighted to recognize Tolka for its expertise in developing a software stack that can power the ADTH upgrade accessory receiver comments. The TV industry is eager to promote the advantages of NextGen TV — including enhanced audio and video — and the addition of an affordable set-top device with the official NextGen TV certification opens new avenues for broadcasters and for the millions of viewers looking for an easy upgrade solution. It’s as simple as connecting the power, an antenna and an HDMI cord with the new ADTH device. And this is just the first of several products that are coming for viewers who are hoping upgrade to enjoy the enhanced NextGen TV experience.”

NextGen TV certification services and tools are provided by Resillion (formerly Eurofins Digital Testing) on behalf of the CTA and the NAB which joined forces in 2019 to launch the logo program. “We congratulate ADTH and Tolka for being the first accessory device to be certified NextGen TV,” says Dr. Bob Campbell, Resillion director of engineering. “The NextGen TV logo is essential to maximize device sales, demonstrating compliance to the standards and giving consumers confidence in a product, and we hope to support many more to carry the mark in the coming months.”

“We would like to thank Pearl TV, the Consumer Technology Association, the U.S. National Association of Broadcasters and Resillion for their efforts in promoting NextGen TV as a major step in the advancement of broadcast television standards across the USA,” said Alex Day, Tolka Telecommunications’ vice president of business development. “NextGen TV offers a major advance in terms of viewer experience including 2160p 4K video resolution, 120 Hz frame rate, high dynamic range, wide color gamut and cinema-quality audio. It is already accessible in 60 percent of homes across the U.S.A. and expected to reach 75% of American viewers by December of this year.”

The ADTH NextGen TV Box allows ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV and ATSC 1.0 free-to-air television programs to be viewed on any IP-compatible TV display. Housed in a compact unit designed to fit beneath or alongside the display, the ADTH NextGen TV Box comes with ATSC 3.0 and ATSC 1.0 support, ethernet, Dual-band Wi-Fi, HDMI, S/PDIF digital audio and RCA connectors. A wide range of features are supported including an electronic program guide and parental controls. Dolby AC-4 Dialogue Enhancement, audio description, and closed captions can be activated to support viewers with impaired hearing.

The ADTH NextGen TV Box is scheduled to ship in July and is available now for pre-order on ADTH’s website. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price  for the NextGen TV receiver is $119.99 and it is available for pre-order at the discounted price of $79.99 for a limited time.