They came up with a new logo that will be shown on all new TVs and devices that can support the new ATSC 3 antenna TV that is in process of rolling out around the country. You might see the logo (and the new 8K logo) on TVs in stores beginning next year.
The new standard is being tested around the country now, but you will need to get a dongle for your TV to see or wait for the new TVs to come with it built in, as is with ATSC 1 on current TVs. Current antennas and cables will work for both.
The new standard should offer 4K over your current antenna as well as two-way communication, immersive Dolby audio, and more. It will provide local and national emergency alerts, even if the TV is turned off. The only downside is that it is two-way, meaning the TV companies can now check what we are watching and provide more direct ads to us.
Incidentally, broadcasters are required to provide the current service for five more years, so you can ignore NextGen TV for a while.
--------------
Technically the new standard for over the air 4K
is ATSC 3.0. This new broadcast standard is generally called
"Next-Gen Broadcast TV" for simplicity sake.
There are some differences between the current (ATSC 1.0) antenna
TV and the new Next-Gen TV. The new standard is internet
protocol-based, which means it can carry internet content along
with traditional TV broadcasts. The broadcast can also include 4K
video and high dynamic range (HDR) content. It also has higher-quality 3D multi-channel sound
from content that supports it. All of which are more and
better than what is available on normal (expensive) cable TV.
In addition to all those goodies, these new signals will be
available on mobile devices as well as TVs.
Next-gen TV will enable enhanced emergency alerts, so consumers
will receive more precise, localized warnings during natural
disasters or fast-moving weather events.
The move to ATSC 3.0 is voluntary for broadcasters, unlike the
Digital TV transition, when they were given a firm deadline for
stopping analog broadcasts. Now each company gets to decide when
to make the move, or not.
Traditional signals will still be free by law as now, but some
additional services could be charged for as the new standard has
two way communication built in. This presumes the FCC holds
broadcasters to the same public interest obligations with the new
broadcasts as they have with the current ones.
Of course, if all this seems to be too good to be true, it likely
is. The new standard is not compatible with the current standard.
Because all current TVs have ATSC 1.0 tuners, they will not be
able to receive the new signals.
TV manufacturers will soon add both old (ATSC1) and new (ATSC3)
into new sets. This will likely begin in late 2018 and 2019. LG is
now shipping TVs in South Korea with both technologies built in.
Someone will pay for this. . .
Also, another round of sticks and boxes for converting will come
along, such new versions of Roku, FireTV, AppleTV etc., sticks and
boxes.
So, the bottom line is that it will be immensely better to receive
everything over the air, but it will likely not be free, and maybe
not even cheap. This will be a major disruption for cable
companies and change the whole digital landscape and players
again.
The good news is that, since it is voluntary and costly to set up,
it will be slow. We can enjoy what we have and do not need to
dream of sugar plums for a few years. That is except for some
techno geeks who just cannot wait to suffer more early adapter
slings and arrows from new whiz-bang technology stuff. Oh, is my
anticipation showing?