WASHINGTON, D.C. — There’s another electronics manufacturer that has gained certification to produce NEXTGEN TV upgrade accessory receivers, bringing another way consumers can receive ATSC 3.0-delivered broadcast signals without the need to upgrade to a new television set.
According to Pearl TV, Zinwell has completed the industry’s self-certification test suite and will soon enter the U.S. market with set-top products designed to help more viewers transition to NEXTGEN TV service.
It continues a pivot that Pearl TV made during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, erasing discussions that consumers would naturally upgrade
“The addition of Zinwell to the stable of manufacturers producing certified receivers is terrific news, bringing to six the total number of companies now producing NEXTGEN TV receivers for the home,” said Anne Schelle, Managing Director of Pearl TV, a business organization promoting the interests of more than 820 network-affiliated U.S. television stations. “The TV industry is eager to promote the advantages of NEXTGEN TV – including enhanced audio and video – and the addition of another NEXTGEN TV certified manufacturer will expand options for consumers.”
As of now, Zinwell’s first receiver will be available to consumers in the fourth quarter, and is being pitched as a holiday season season, and the second upgrade accessory receiver available for consumers.
“We anticipate a robust market for affordable upgrade accessory receivers for existing displays in viewers’ homes,” Schelle said.
Meanwhile, Schelle added that “thousands of television sets with NEXTGEN TV electronics inside are now being sold each day,” even as some retailers including BrandsMart continue to lack staff knowledgeable of NEXTGEN TV while Costco did not have any NEXTGEN TVs on display at its Boca Raton, Fla., location as of late June.
