- NextGen TV is free over the air and needs an antenna.
- A full-power station that airs ATSC 3.0 must also simulcast its main program in today’s ATSC 1.0.
- Buy only equipment with the NEXTGEN TV certification logo.
NextGen TV is the marketing name for ATSC 3.0, a newer broadcast TV standard. You will see the logo on TV boxes in Austin stores, and you may hear that a local station has launched it. Here is what it means in practice for someone with an antenna on the roof or in a window.
In one paragraph
NextGen TV is still free, over-the-air local TV. With the right TV or receiver and an antenna, it can bring sharper pictures, better sound and some interactive features. Thanks to the FCC’s simulcast rule, you do not need it to keep watching the same stations. If you are buying a TV anyway, a certified NextGen model is a sensible option; if not, there is no rush.
What the standard adds
| Feature | What the industry says |
|---|---|
| Picture | HDR and 1080p video, with 4K upgrades when available |
| Sound | Improved, movie-theater-style audio |
| Guide and extras | An advanced program guide, program restart and personalized features |
| Cost | Free over the air with a NextGen TV and an antenna |
Those descriptions come from the NEXTGEN TV consumer site. ATSC, the standards association, says ATSC 3.0 is defined in a suite of more than 20 standards and recommended practices and is Internet Protocol-based. Which features you actually see depends on what each Austin station chooses to offer.
Will my TV stop working?
Not under the current rules. The FCC’s rule at 47 CFR 73.3801 says a full-power TV station that chooses to air an ATSC 3.0 signal must simulcast the primary video programming stream of that signal in the current ATSC 1.0 format, with substantially similar programming. Stations meet this by sharing transmitters: one station’s facility may carry another station’s signal in one format while its own transmitter carries the other. To you, the channel number usually stays the same, though you may need to rescan.
Tip: If a channel vanishes around the time a station launches NextGen TV, rescan before anything else. The simulcast may simply have moved to a partner station’s transmitter.
What is not guaranteed
The simulcast rule covers the primary programming stream; the FCC’s text says it does not apply to multicast streams on the ATSC 3.0 channel. Some subchannels may therefore exist in only one format. And the industry site notes that stations are beginning to secure ATSC 3.0 signals, which means some NextGen broadcasts may play only on certified equipment.
Equipment
- A TV with a built-in NextGen tuner, or a certified upgrade receiver for your current TV.
- An antenna. In Austin, make sure it also receives VHF, because FOX 7 and Univision 62 broadcast on VHF channels.
- A full channel scan after setup.
The NEXTGEN TV site lists certified TVs from several major brands and certified upgrade accessory receivers, and recommends looking for the certification mark when you buy.
Is it on the air in Austin?
NextGen TV launches market by market, and which stations carry it can change as they rearrange shared transmitters. The NEXTGEN TV website has a city lookup; check the Austin listing before you buy and again after a rescan. We do not list Austin’s NextGen stations here because the line-up changes and we could not confirm it from the stations themselves.
Hill Country reception
NextGen TV does not change the basic physics of reception. If hills block a station’s signal to your house today, they will block its NextGen signal too. Antenna height and placement still matter most; see The Best TV Antenna for Austin and the Hill Country.
Bottom line
Keep your current setup if it works. When you replace a TV, consider a certified NextGen model. Either way, the free stations in Austin TV Channels: The Local Stations You Can Watch for Free stay available with an antenna.
Questions to ask in the store
- Does it carry the NEXTGEN TV certification logo?
- Does it also receive today’s ATSC 1.0 broadcasts, so you keep every channel?
- Does it have an antenna input, and are you planning to use one?
- Will it handle VHF channels, for FOX 7 and Univision 62?
If a salesperson suggests that NextGen TV is a subscription or streaming service, it is worth correcting: the industry describes it as free, over-the-air TV that requires an antenna. Any monthly charges would be for something else.
If you already own a NextGen TV, rescan every few months. As stations change which transmitter carries which format, new NextGen channels can appear and older ones move, and your TV only learns about them after a scan.
A final practical point: NextGen TV does not replace the need to rescan when stations move. Whether your TV is old or new, a fresh scan after any station announcement is still the first thing to try when a channel disappears, and it costs nothing.