If you use an antenna to watch TV, you'll need to rescan your set, as WXXI-TV and most of Rochester's commercial stations launched a new digital TV signal on Thursday.
It's called NextGen TV — a new generation of digital broadcasting that will eventually offer ultra-HD pictures, better sound and more interactive features. It begins broadcasting in Rochester on Thursday as a partnership with most of the market's commercial TV stations and WXXI-TV.
Chief engineer Greg Carter says it's part of WXXI's ongoing commitment to staying on top of new technology.
"So that it keeps us on the cutting edge of technology, it allows us to do advanced features for our viewers in the future," Carter says.
Those features will also include datacasting for schools and other institutions.
Your existing TV will still work just fine, but if you use an antenna, you'll want to rescan to make sure you still get all the local channels. Cable, satellite and streaming viewers aren't affected.
Some newer TV sets can already get the new NextGen broadcasts, and more will be hitting the market soon, with the "NextGen" or ATSC 3.0 logos.
There's more information about the new system at WatchNextGenTV.com. You can find out how to rescan your TV with these step-by-step instructions for each major brand from the Federal Communications Commission website.
