robmx
11-02-2003, 12:57 PM
Originally posted by peter0302 on AVSFORUM
So what you are talking about is the death of OTA. Ok great, except for poor people, who will get screwed, as usual. I guess I'm the only one who cares about that.
Gear wrote:
I don't think I am saying that.
First new services including SD and ED TV offered free over the air via spectrum bought at auction using receivers that cost $50 to $100 will arrive. That is not the death of OTA. The poor will be able to receive 20 to 40 channels with the purchase of an inexpensive receiver.
Second current broadcasters can continue delivering HD OTA. Maybe with the new Linx receivers and the mandate the real number of people viewing OTA TV on channels 2 thru 51 will start increasing instead of declining. In that case maybe free (for some) OTA will survive on channels 2 thru 51. If not then auctions will deliver these channels to new broadcasters who will use better modulations and offer free OTA DTV services.
OTA will not die and I don't think free OTA will die. It is really only a question of how long we stick with the current modualtion on channels 2 thru 51. NTSC lasted 50 years. ATSC has now lasted 7 1/2 years.
It is unfortunate that the US choice of ATSC has so delayed the adoption of HD and DTV in general over the whole world. If we had chosen more wisely the whole world would be on a fast track to OTA HDTV. IMHO.
China seems destined to pick up the leadership role in this area. Both China and Japan have their own modulation schemes. China in particular has picked both an advanced compression (VP6) and will chose DMB-T (their own modualtion) for DTV. They will shut off analog in 33 cities in two years.
And they will be able to export all this to the US. That is modulation, compression technology and the receivers and displays to view it on.
I don't think ATSC has another 42 1/2 years to get it right. I don't think it can compete head to head with any of the new modulations. It will have to however.
The only reason ATSC was adopted was to facilitate the quick sale of large quantities of high profit margin HDTV displays. That is now happening but not because of ATSC. Those sales are being driven by viewers who want to watch DVD's on better displays and whatever HD they can get from satellite and cable. How ironic since DVD's only offer 480i information.
By the time the tuner mandate kicks in on most TV sets whatever sales of HD equipment are being made will be because of cable and satellite HD content. OTA spectrum will never get any credit for having sold any quantity of HD equipment in the US.
So what you are talking about is the death of OTA. Ok great, except for poor people, who will get screwed, as usual. I guess I'm the only one who cares about that.
Gear wrote:
I don't think I am saying that.
First new services including SD and ED TV offered free over the air via spectrum bought at auction using receivers that cost $50 to $100 will arrive. That is not the death of OTA. The poor will be able to receive 20 to 40 channels with the purchase of an inexpensive receiver.
Second current broadcasters can continue delivering HD OTA. Maybe with the new Linx receivers and the mandate the real number of people viewing OTA TV on channels 2 thru 51 will start increasing instead of declining. In that case maybe free (for some) OTA will survive on channels 2 thru 51. If not then auctions will deliver these channels to new broadcasters who will use better modulations and offer free OTA DTV services.
OTA will not die and I don't think free OTA will die. It is really only a question of how long we stick with the current modualtion on channels 2 thru 51. NTSC lasted 50 years. ATSC has now lasted 7 1/2 years.
It is unfortunate that the US choice of ATSC has so delayed the adoption of HD and DTV in general over the whole world. If we had chosen more wisely the whole world would be on a fast track to OTA HDTV. IMHO.
China seems destined to pick up the leadership role in this area. Both China and Japan have their own modulation schemes. China in particular has picked both an advanced compression (VP6) and will chose DMB-T (their own modualtion) for DTV. They will shut off analog in 33 cities in two years.
And they will be able to export all this to the US. That is modulation, compression technology and the receivers and displays to view it on.
I don't think ATSC has another 42 1/2 years to get it right. I don't think it can compete head to head with any of the new modulations. It will have to however.
The only reason ATSC was adopted was to facilitate the quick sale of large quantities of high profit margin HDTV displays. That is now happening but not because of ATSC. Those sales are being driven by viewers who want to watch DVD's on better displays and whatever HD they can get from satellite and cable. How ironic since DVD's only offer 480i information.
By the time the tuner mandate kicks in on most TV sets whatever sales of HD equipment are being made will be because of cable and satellite HD content. OTA spectrum will never get any credit for having sold any quantity of HD equipment in the US.
