The receiver is capable of operating over both ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 transmissions by employing a modular tuner approach. The receivers leverage MSU and GAIAN Solutions patent pending 3 in 1 innovation in broadcasting 3.0 services over a 1.0 transmission,
Apollo PublicTV Platform receivers support all major 3.0 next generation capabilities like Dynamic Advt Insertion, Interactivity, NRT, Receiver and Broadcast App, AEA, DRM and A/344 etc even when operating over an ATSC 1.0 Transmission.
The receivers employ USB based plug n play tuners and can be ordered with either 1.0 tuner or 3.0 tuner or with both tuners. This allows them to be ready to be used with all NextGen TV capabilities when receiving in native 3.0 with a 3.0 tuner or in 1.0 reception mode when operating with a 1.0 tuner yet able to receive 3.0 services inside the 1.0 Transmissions leveraging Apollo’s 3 in 1 solution.
As 3.0 tuner prices continue to defy gravity primarily attributed to lackluster demand, Apollo PublicTV Platform hopes to play a pathfinder role to accelerate 3.0 adoption across three dimensions of innovation.
Firstly, the 3 in 1 solution helps broadcasters start broadcasting 3.0 services inside of 1.0 transmission liberating them from need for lighthouse stations or partnerships or expensive 3.0 broadcast chains.
Secondly, Apollo Platform’s receivers hybrid and modular design allow consumers as well enterprises to receive 3.0 services using inexpensive 1.0 tuner based receiver. The same receiver is built modularly to swap out the 1.0 tuner with a 3.0 tuner when the market adoption has picked up resulting in reduced 3.0 tuner costs. This ensures that Receiver costs are kept low facilitating adoption of NextGen TV services here and now.
Lastly the Apollo PublicTV platform allows for broadcasters to quickly create carrier grade services to test market demand and evangelize consumers and local communities with a fresh breed of NextGen TV services deployable and marketable on low cost receivers.
Combined with additional Apollo capabilities in rapid app development, receiver middleware systems, audience analytics, and NextGen MCR, NGB as a Service ensures that broadcasters can offer high fidelity, production grade 3.0 services today with minimal effort.
“The promise and potential of NextGen TV is now brought much closer with these low cost receivers. Any broadcaster who wants to experiment with NextGen Broadcasting or launch fully thought through NextGen TV services or test market readiness for new NextGen TV services simply has no reason to wait. The 3 in 1 solution, the low cost receiver and various tools and API’s available on the Apollo TV platform remove all barriers to entry for broadcasters to the NextGen TV world says Susi Elkins of WKAR Public TV, a partner on the Apollo PublicTV platform.
Apollo is all about offering variety of tools as cloud services so broadcasters and their ecosystem can innovate quickly and with a substantially lower investment to create and launch new services. The coming NextGen TV economy will ensure overall growth of the broadcast industry and its long overdue integration with the digital transformation ecosystem,” said Chandra Kotaru, CEO and founder of Gaian Solutions. “Public broadcasters are in a unique position to leverage NextGen TV opportunities. Apollo PublicTV Platform was designed to accelerate this phenomenon”
“We are inviting all public broadcasters to begin their NextGen TV journey with us today as we strive to use our innovation lab and our college of Communications resources to build capability that helps lift all boats.. We are proud of our partnership with GAIAN Solutions.” said Prabu David, dean of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at MSU. “Gaian Solutions has been instrumental in conceptualizing, designing, developing, and operating the Apollo PublicTV Platform with WKAR at MSU. We are very hopeful this will put public broadcasters at the forefront of leading innovation in the NextGen TV space.”
“America’s Public Television Stations see great potential in the Apollo PublicTV Platform developed by Gaian in cooperation with Susi Elkins and her team at WKAR-TV,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO. “We look forward to working with them and with the public station community to make Apollo PublicTV Platform an accelerator of ATSC 3.0 adoption and of all the new service and revenue opportunities the NextGen broadcast standard holds in store for public television.”
Butler continued, “APTS intends to play an active role in familiarizing stations with the Apollo PublicTV Platform and ensuring that every station understands the transformative promise of ATSC 3.0 and the ability of Apollo PublicTV Platform to help make that promise come true for stations of every size.”
WKAR at Michigan State University, Gaian Solutions, and APTS invite all content and spectrum based entrepreneurs, digital transformation agencies, broadcasters, and technology vendors to collaborate on Apollo PublicTV Platform, the new open platform for NextGen TV.