WRAL in NC Lights Up ATSC 3.0 4K Signal

[Jeffhs]

Not necessarily. I recently read in an edition of TV Technology that, when the new ATSC 3.0 standard is adopted, broadcasters will still be able to transmit their station signals in the current standard (2.0), alongside the signals broadcast under the new standard. They likely will do just that, at least for the foreseeable future.

The ATSC 3.0 standard, if adopted, will affect OTA TV reception only, not cable or satellite; this means your TV will continue to operate as normal, regardless of the ATSC standard in use at any given time if you get your TV via either platform. It will be up to the cable/satellite providers to deal with the new standard; they will provide cable boxes or satellite receivers which will decode the ATSC 3.0 standard to one existing FP TVs can process. This means, of course, 1080i/p flat panel TVs currently in use will likely be usable for many years to come after the new standard is adopted.