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FCC Approves Digital TV DTS

tripinva

tripinva

DTS Rules have been adopted and posted!

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-08-256A1.pdf

They essentially approved the WTVE-DT DTS in its current form:

Stations must propose a "theoretical" maximized transmitter from a single location, and then build a DTS to fill in that area, or a main transmitter with DTS repeaters to fill in holes in coverage. This means that a station can propose to maximize to match the contour of the largest station in the market. If they don't wish to do that, there's a "Table of Distances" which specifies how big the coverage contour should be.

All DTS transmitters will be licensed under a single license, as WTVE-DT is.

On top of this, stations can use on-channel translators for unprotected coverage expansion, and can correct problems like those of WECT, which lost large amounts of coverage.

For those who don't know, DTS stands for Distributed Transmission Service. It's essentially using multiple transmitters on the same channel to ensure digital TV coverage reaches the largest number of people.

- Trip
 
I figured you'd be all over this one. :)

Basically, DTS is a lot like a main station with on-channel boosters, except that with DTS, all transmitting facilities are taken as one unit with primary service rights and responsibilities, instead of the boosters, which were secondary services and had to be applied for, approved and managed separately.

The "largest station" clause enhances DTS, especially on UHF, because a station can expand its coverage to match that of the largest station in the market, even if it goes beyond what they'd ordinarily be authorized due to ERP and HAAT restrictions. Not surprising that Paxson (ION) and other broadcasters wanted full-DMA coverage permitted, but it was wise that the FCC turned that down, especially in the west, where some DMAs extend several hundred miles from the broadcasting city.

On-channel translators have already been proposed for use. KDTP is one example, where they had proposed to move their Phoenix LPTV station to channel 11, same as their main Holbrook station.

Hopefully, broadcasters will make a commitment to OTA transmission and use DTS to their (and our) advantage.
 
The interesting part is that they're allowing stations to use on-channel translators beyond the edge of their coverage, so KDTP having a channel 11 on-channel translator in Phoenix would be explicitly allowed by this proposal.

- Trip
 
Hopefully, this will allow stations to truly replicate analog Grade B coverage with their digital signal(s).

Also, it's not entirely a bad deal for Paxson & the like because they can apply to basically add transmitters to what they have, as long as they don't propose a combined facility any larger than the largest in each market.
 
The sad thing, though, is that NOW (in the beginning of winter, and 100 days out from the analog cutoff) the FCC is finally doing something.

How many translator stations and "boosters" will be built in the next three months, to try and fill in all the gaps in DTV coverage?

And, if and when they do get built, will there be an audience to watch them, since the (potential) viewers will have switched (non-voluntarily) to Cable or Satellite on February 18, 2009? Most won't be coming back.
 
tripinva said:
The interesting part is that they're allowing stations to use on-channel translators beyond the edge of their coverage, so KDTP having a channel 11 on-channel translator in Phoenix would be explicitly allowed by this proposal.
Click to expand...

Is that actually a change?

(I thought they were already allowing that; the only reason it appeared in this document was because some commenters had proposed licensing such translators under the station's main license, under DTS, instead of licensing them separately.)

I think before anyone gets too excited about DTS they should read footnote #19 on page 5, which notes that two early experimental DTS authorizations have been allowed to expire...

In practice I think application of DTS is going to be rather limited. The expense of operating multiple STLs and maintaining multiple transmitter sites is going to inhibit most stations from trying this. It'll happen in a limited number of situations where terrain blocks particularly desirable audiences.
 
And yet there are a number of them already in operation.

WVPT
WVPY
WTVE

I've seen those three first hand. Other stations with on-channel digital boosters, being called DTS but that I haven't seen personally:

KTDO
WPXN
WNJU
KMCC

And two that are going to come on the air some time after 02/17/09:

KHIZ
WSTE (already using analog boosters)

- Trip
 
Basically, except ATSC wasn't designed for SFN, so DTS has to be cautiously designed to not overlap too badly.

- Trip
 
tripinva said:
Other stations with on-channel digital boosters, being called DTS but that I haven't seen personally:

KMCC
Click to expand...

I've never seen KMCC's system referred to as a DTS. They have an STA for reduced-power operation in Laughlin NV, their city of license, which, last I checked several months ago, was not operational, and another STA for a temporary LD operation covering the Las Vegas metro area, which was operational. The two signals have no overlap; in fact they are more than 75 miles apart, and once their final facilities near Dolan Springs AZ comes online, the two STAs disappear.
 
dhett said:
I've never seen KMCC's system referred to as a DTS. They have an STA for reduced-power operation in Laughlin NV, their city of license, which, last I checked several months ago, was not operational, and another STA for a temporary LD operation covering the Las Vegas metro area, which was operational. The two signals have no overlap; in fact they are more than 75 miles apart, and once their final facilities near Dolan Springs AZ comes online, the two STAs disappear.
Click to expand...

I was told the new big signal signed on a few weeks ago, though that could be a mistake. I know their last 387 says that they plan to file a license application by 10/31 which, of course, never happened, so maybe it didn't sign on as scheduled.

Its filing number is "BEXP" which is the same as the DTS facilities of WVPT and WVPY, which is why I figured it might as well be called a DTS. I've been calling pretty much any station with a digital on-channel booster "DTS" which may not be the correct label...

- Trip
 
tripinva said:
Its filing number is "BEXP" which is the same as the DTS facilities of WVPT and WVPY, which is why I figured it might as well be called a DTS. I've been calling pretty much any station with a digital on-channel booster "DTS" which may not be the correct label...
Click to expand...

As I understand it... BEXP is the prefix for an experimental operation. Since DTS won't be authorized under the regular rules until 30 days after last week's action is printed in the Federal Register, all existing DTS operations are indeed experimental.

(that said, if one looks up, for example, station WI2XSO, an experimental on-channel booster for AM station WISO-1260, the file prefix is BPEX instead of BEXP...)
 
tripinva said:
And yet there are a number of them already in operation.

WVPT
WVPY
WTVE

I've seen those three first hand. Other stations with on-channel digital boosters, being called DTS but that I haven't seen personally:

KTDO
WPXN
WNJU
KMCC

And two that are going to come on the air some time after 02/17/09:

KHIZ
WSTE (already using analog boosters)

- Trip
Click to expand...

Most of these are in places tailor-made for DTS. WVPT, WVPY, and WSTE in areas where analog translators/boosters are widely used to reach scattered populations in the valleys between the mountains. KTDO, KMCC, and KHIZ because the city-of-license is separated by a mountain from a very desirable larger city.

WNJU and WPXN are a bit harder to explain, but I suppose one who's never lived in NYC shouldn't try to understand the city's unique propagation issues...

There will be more, but I don't think you're going to see 25% of all DTV stations using DTS or anything like that.
 
w9wi said:
WNJU and WPXN are a bit harder to explain, but I suppose one who's never lived in NYC shouldn't try to understand the city's unique propagation issues...
Click to expand...

Those two stations are transmitting from First Mountain in Orange, NJ and thus have little or no coverage of Long Island (since ESB is full). That's why they have an on-channel booster.

- Trip
 
Isn't the main signal for KMCC on Ch. 34, while the 5kW signal in Las Vegas is on Ch. 32?
 
BrandonVegas108 said:
Isn't the main signal for KMCC on Ch. 34, while the 5kW signal in Las Vegas is on Ch. 32?
Click to expand...

The analog signal is on ch 34; the DTV signal is supposed to be on ch 32, but map to ch 34.1. The LV DTV signal is on the same frequency as the main DTV signal is supposed to be, but instead of mapping to ch 34.1, as translators would normally do, it mapped to 32.1 the last time I saw it.
 
Yeah the PSIP data for KMCC is worthless, if you look at Trip's website you can see the TSreader data is all messed up. They don't even have the language of the station defined on there.
 
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