B2C Rock Star: Willie Perez, P.Eng., CPBE, B²C Lab Engineering Manager
B2C Simplified | Humber College is leading the way in Canada!
Humber College is leading the way towards the development of Canada’s first Broadcast-Broadband Convergence B2C Lab to explore NextGen television and data delivery applications enabled by the new Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) 3.0 television broadcast standard. The new 3.0 broadcast television standard is set to replace the current ATSC 1.0 standard in North America and has already launched in nearly 50 markets in the U.S.
The B²C Lab has come to fruition through a $4.5 million joint NSERC/CFI College-Industry Innovation Fund grant awarded in fiscal year 2020-2021, under the supervision of Humber’s Office of Research & Innovation (ORI).
Orest Sushko is Director of the B²C Lab and the visionary and driving force in its development. This project is a historic first for Humber College and a milestone for Humber’s ORI team. Humber’s Lab will be the first industry research lab in North America equipped with both an ATSC 3.0 broadcast system and 5G core network, including an RF anechoic test chamber supporting design and testing of a wide range of wireless devices and prototypes. This complement of technology clusters positions the Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning at the forefront of research and innovation with new technologies related to NextGenTV and 5G systems.
The B2C Lab recently brought on board Willie Perez as B²C Lab Engineering Manager. Willie is a Professional Engineer with specialization in broadcast and radio frequency (RF) engineering. He brings many years of experience in TV/FM transmitter site design, installation, commissioning, and operations. His tenure in various TV broadcasting companies locally and internationally gave him practical experience in the application of various codes and standards in broadcasting operations, streaming media, antennas, and radio frequency applications.
Journey to ORI
Willie celebrates over 30 years of experience in the broadcast industry. An electronics and communications engineer by trade, Willie humbly shares that his experience began in the Philippines back in 1984 as a transmitter technician rising to the position of Supervisor-TV Transmitter with GMA Network, Inc. from 1984-1991. In this role, he was responsible for 22 affiliate stations across the Philippines, leading the operations, maintenance and expansions of these stations.
An opportunity with Saudi Technical Engineering Systems Associated (STESA), a subsidiary of Thales, took him to Saudi Arabia from 1991-2004. In his tenure with STESA, he was widely recognized as the subject matter expert and was assigned to high-impact projects across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates). During this time, he specialized in project management, field engineering, and engineering design, standing up new transmitter sites for several government contracts and innovation projects.
Desiring a better future for him and his family, Willie moved to Canada in 2004. Before joining Humber as the B2C Lab Engineering Manager, Willie worked with Rogers Media Inc. as transmitter technician from 2008-2021. At Rogers, he was involved in various projects, including the CRTC Analogue OTA Shut-off project, supporting the successful transition of all Rogers broadcasted TV signals in Ontario from analog to digital (DTV). His role also allowed him to develop real-time remote-control system applications and apply practical networking solutions to operational innovations.
Willie is a passionate and hands-on engineer. Adopting a can-do attitude with a love for coding allows him to take on challenges and deliver high-performance results. Leaving the comfort of an already promising career, we asked Willie what motivated him to join the B2C Lab at Humber:
“It was not an easy choice; however, I want to be involved in this revolutionary opportunity. I decided to join Orest Sushko, Director of the B2C Lab and the visionary who pioneered this one-of-a-kind initiative. I am passionate about technology, and I could not pass along this chance to work with ATSC 3.0. To be a part of the very first of its kind B2C Living Lab in Canada-that was too tempting, and I just had to jump on board. The core mission of the B2C Lab to advance ATSC 3.0 technology and 5G convergence research and development will offer innumerable opportunities for new innovative television and data delivery models to emerge. This is a fascinating time to work at Humber and the Office of Research & Innovation (ORI)–without their support, we would not reach this far!” –Willie Perez
B2C Simplified
Broadband-Broadcast Convergence—what does it mean? How does ATSC 3.0 add to a world of improvements? Willie simplifies it for us.
ATSC 3.0 can be used across multiple platforms to deliver innovative solutions and services in the automation industry, agriculture, distance learning, public safety and Internet of Things (IoT), and so much more that we are probably not even aware of. Broadband is the transmission of wide bandwidth data over a high-speed internet connection. Broadcast distributes audio or video content in all directions over radio or TV in a one-to-many model. Broadcast internet or datacasting distributes content or data using TV broadcast instead of using broadband or Wi-Fi.
Willie paints this picture for us; imagine spending the day by the beach with your laptop but without your smartphone and still being able to watch broadcast TV on your device. Imagine your vehicle is prompted to a software upgrade, and you are able to do so without data use. Accessing broadband connectivity in hard-to-reach spaces like basements, datacasting to areas out of reach, one-to-many over-the-air transmission, targeted advertising, and so much more. The use cases with ATSC 3.0 as a delivery medium are enormous.
ATSC 3.0 standard is the newest version (from earlier ATSC 1.0) of the over-the-air TV built on an IP backbone = Broadcast + Broadband. It offers next-generation higher resolution (much higher sound and picture quality from current 1080 full HD signal to 4K signal HDR at a higher frame rate per second). It can combine broadcast with broadband internet, which means more robust signal deliveries at multiple frequencies in parallel, offering interactive, uninterrupted and immersive experiences; basically, while watching TV, you could have the possibility of personalized commercials, and you could even click on a pop-up, browse and shop right from your TV.
Willie had the opportunity to witness this offering in action on a recent trip to the USA to visit Triveni Digital Solutions, where the Broadcast App was demonstrated.
Eventually, you could have a remote ATSC 3.0 TV tuner, and you could watch broadcast TV on your phone or any other smart device.
The B2C Lab will provide opportunities for in-depth research on what the future could hold with broadband-broadcast convergence technology. The Lab offers faculty, researchers, students the opportunity to work with industry partners and stakeholders leading to innovative solutions at local, regional and national levels, all supporting the adoption of ATSC 3.0 in Canada.
The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) is an international, non-profit organization developing voluntary standards for digital television. It is comprised of roughly 150 member companies and roughly 375 active participants from those companies involved in the development of the ATSC standard. Humber College is proud to be a member of ATSC. Now that’s something to be really proud of!
South Korea literally paved the road to ATSC 3.0, followed by the United States, where ATSC 3.0 is being deployed on a voluntary basis by broadcasters. In addition, India is considering adoption while Jamaica is preparing to adopt the standard.
The funding for the B2C Lab extends over a period of 5 years and the College can apply for Technology Access Centre (TAC) status during this period so that the lab may become a permanent entity. Willie shares that at the moment, the lab is operating in Phase 1, which consists of the in-lab equipment in B2C Lab. Phase 2 will include the installation of multiple TV transmitters and antennas at both Humber North and South campuses. Phase 2 is expected to be completed in the spring/summer of 2022. The B2C Lab is housed in the 90,000 sq. ft. Barrett CTI at Humber College, North Campus.
“I was most excited to turn the system on and declare that we now have ATSC 3.0 technology in our lab,” says Willie. He adds, “the lab offers tremendous opportunity for Humber students to demonstrate their creative skills and technical abilities (including coding), to build broadcast applications for many uses” and we strongly believe that Humber students will be able to deliver on that!
“Phase 2 would be when we can officially declare we are on the air with ATSC 3.0 on public airwaves but in an experimental capacity only,” shares Willie. In that phase, service will be provided around the college area to explore field use-cases and extended lab testing.
ORI and the B2C Lab are indeed lucky to have Willie onboard. The experience, hands-on knowledge, and global exposure that Willie brings to the B2C team adds immeasurable support to achieve the vision of this ground-breaking research and innovation opportunity at Humber College.
Get to Know
Willie displays a humble passion for all things in the realm of transmission, RF, antennas, broadcast and broadband. We wanted to get to know him a little better. So, here are 5 things you didn’t know about Willie:
When he is not working: He is coding in C++ and C-Sharp; he is walking the family’s pet dog; he is dining out with his wife and spending time with their son.
He loves to read: Anything technical in his line of work.
He loves to watch: Netflix and Amazon prime shows.
Hidden talent: Expert lawn-mover.
Coffee or Tea: Coffee! “That’s a requirement in my line of work,” says Willie.
“This initiative and the dream of the B2C Lab would not be possible without the vision and commitment of Orest Sushko. I also want to express my deep appreciation to Dr. Ginger Grant, Dean of the Office of Research & Innovation, for her unwavering support. The research and development opportunities that will evolve from this lab will be highly beneficial to everyone involved. Faculty, researchers, students, industry partners and global representatives will have the chance to meet at the B2C Lab, which will serve as a melting pot of ideas and innovation.” –Willie Perez