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OTA TV Stations Streaming?

landtuna

landtuna

I'm wondering if this is a future possibility. It likely couldn't work as does current radio streaming as the data handling capacity and number of connections currently supported are insufficient.

But if it was, what bandwidth would the end-viewer require to receive the same PQ as OTA (HD)?
 
Under the current network structure and Syndex...not a chance. If local affilates were willing to forgo having exclusive rights...maybe then.

WRAL-TV/Raleigh did flirt around with full program streaming for a while...as long as your computer was in the Raleigh/Durham DMA. I don't think they do this anymore.

Many stations are streaming a few newscasts. Stations could launch a stream of their newscasts and locally produced programs (or a 24/7 newschannel that could be a DT subchannel). The technical capacity can be implemented. But until the issues with the networks are resolved...don't count on full streaming.
 
I was looking at this from a technical perspective rather than a marketing or political view.

With all the issues revolving around OTA DTV reception now would it be technically possible to do a full stream?
 
landtuna said:
I was looking at this from a technical perspective rather than a marketing or political view.

With all the issues revolving around OTA DTV reception now would it be technically possible to do a full stream?
Click to expand...

The full OTA ATSC bitstream is 19.39 mbps. There aren't many ISPs that can support that kind of bandwidth to the home, and the cost to serve all that bandwidth would be prohibitive to the streaming provider.

Of course, you don't need to stream the entire 19.39 mbps at once, in most cases. If you're willing to tolerate more latency for error correction, there are compression algorithms that can produce a decently plausible HD picture using far less bandwidth. (This is possible in part because streaming is bi-directional, so if a packet is lost, it can be resent; you don't have that option on one-way OTA broadcasting.)

Even so, you're still eating up a LOT of bandwidth...way less efficient than OTA broadcast to reach a mass audience.
 
I used to be able to get Belo's stations on the Internet;
I used to watch WHAS/11 Louisville's news nearly every
day, and occasionally I'd check on WFAA Dallas/Ft. Worth
and KENS San Antonio, since I've lived in both markets.
Then Belo pulled the streaming except for specific stories,
and I don't know what they're doing now. Sure would like
to have their newscasts back.
 
jal41 said:
WRAL-TV/Raleigh did flirt around with full program streaming for a while...as long as your computer was in the Raleigh/Durham DMA. I don't think they do this anymore.
Click to expand...

Buffalo's WKBW-TV back in the 90's somewhat did this...back then not only did they stream their "Eyewitness News" live but also the local "AM Buffalo" talk show and I am pretty sure they streamed at least some of the syndicated and ABCshows they had at the time as I can recall watching "The View" on their website back in the late 90's.

Then one day I tried to watch their newscast only to get a message from WKBW that one must be within the Buffalo DMA to receive any program that airs on WKBW including "Eyewitness News".

The only exception WKBW made was the last newscast anchored by longtime WKBW personality/news anchor Irv Weinstein..WKBW did stream that live. I imagine because of all the snowbirds in Florida ( and elsewhere ) who were familiar with Buffalo, WKBW-TV and Irv. A way for them to say "goodbye" to Irv Weinstein I suppose.
 
There are all sorts of Internet rights issues that get in the way of streaming newscasts. While stations can do anything they want with video they've shot themselves, there are often restrictions on material from other sources. Until OTA and Internet delivery are considered equal for rights purposes, there won't be any simulcasting of OTA programming on the web.
 
I don't think local advertisers like so much as the possibility
that someone might be watching an out-of-market local newscast,
either.
 
I'm not sure the advertisers much care one way or another. How many viewers in Rochester are really going to spend serious time watching local news from Syracuse or Utica or Erie just because it's available on a stream?

Stations, on the other hand, probably don't much care to spend the resources needed to stream to out-of-market viewers when that viewership won't ever count toward their ratings, and when those out-of-market viewers are of no value to the local advertisers paying the freight for those local newscasts.
 
Good point Scott but I was actually thinking of streaming to overcome the OTA reception issues with DTV in many areas. Assume the stream could be restricted to the local DMA then it becomes simply an alternate signal delivery system.
 
A few years ago, someone put up a live stream of WFXT/Fox 25 in Boston. It's probably no longer online...
 
The BBC streams nearly all of its programming online within the UK. RTE, Ireland's National TV network streams much of its programming live. Bandwidth aside, why not here?
 
WPPCProductions said:
... syndex and other copyright issues will not let entire day of tv to be streamed.
Click to expand...

Assuming online viewers could be restricted to the same DMA served by the OTA broadcast what would be the legal issues?

Seems to me an internet delivery would be virtually the same as local cable/sat carry provisions already in place.
 
It's a good quality picture but it is very small. Way too small to read any text and almost too small to identify the faces of the actors.
 
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