robmx
11-15-2003, 04:01 PM
Originally posted by Kon on AVSFORUM:
Canada is going through the same process the USA is. They have a digital Must Carry act. They already carry HD and DTV signals. Their digital cable systems are in many ways more progressive and forward thinking than the majority of their US counterparts. Whoever has been complaining about 'no DTV' or 'no HDTV' needs to do some research spewing nonsense like 'these people are too poor for HDTV'. And if they adopt COFDM, many people may well wish they were in Canada vs. the USA.
Gear wrote:
Before you delete this you should at least be aware that head in the sand as far as you can bury it will not change the simple fact that a delegation of S. Koreans is on the road (19 people) and that they will visit Germany, Australia, Japan, Taiwan and NEW YORK CITY.
They will see real world evidence of the inadequecy of 8-VSB and the power of COFDM. They will go back to S. Korea and they will switch to COFDM six years after having chosen 8-VSB. That will be three out of three countries that have reconsidered and found 8-VSB wanting.
And when they do the controversy over COFDM in the US will be on the front burner again.
Sales of COFDM receivers in the UK are hitting 100,000 a week pre Christmas. That is 433,000 per month and it would be six times greater in the US or 2,980,000 per month.
Now that would be an OTA digital transition!
The UK after one year 8.3% penetration, Berlin after one year 10.2% penetration. US after SEVEN years .5% penetration.
It is not "may" anymore as this story suggest, it is happening.
17.10.2003 Government may re-evaluate Korean digital standard
The Korea Times has reported that the country's broadcasters have become entangled in a row with government authorities over the effectiveness of the standards for digital TV broadcast transmission and digital video and audio data compression technologies that the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) chose in 1997.
South Korea was one of the first countries to choose the US Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standard for its digital terrestrial broadcasting, adopting it for HDTV transmission. Experimental broadcasts were started in 1999 but disquiet soon emerged and by 2000, KOBETA, the Korean Broadcast Engineers and Technicians Association was openly arguing for the standard to be reconsidered.
Munhwa Broadcasting Corp (MBC), one of the country's major terrestrial broadcasters, conducted comparative trials of DVB-T and ATSC systems in the autumn of 2001. At the time, indications were that the Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC) might be prepared to recommend a change of standard to the government. However, despite the results of MBC's comparative test being very much in favour of DVB-T, the MIC dismissed the results as not having been conducted with complete impartiality and said it would stick to the ATSC standard.
Regular broadcast services from Mount Kwanak were commenced in November 2001 with two KBS channels, MBC, SBS and EBS in High Definition, and transmitter network build-out has now covered the capital and metropolitan areas. The Government sees digital television and an 'engine of new growth' and has committed over 350.8 billion won (€258.8 million) in grants, loans and import tax exemptions to encourage broadcasters to invest in HD and digital transmission.
An objective of switchover in 2010 has been set and already some 1.1 million set-top boxes and integrated digital TVs have been sold. However, there are frequent complaints about reception from consumers. The National Union of Media Workers joined forces with KOBETA arguing against ATSC and in July this year state broadcaster KBS requested the Korean Broadcasting Commission to undertake new field test comparisons.
The Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) together with the KBC has now agreed to establish a Joint Investigation Committee. Clearly, in addition to static reception difficulties, the world has moved on in the last six years and many industry leaders now recognise the need to support mobile and portable reception.
The Government also asserts that if the country shifts its digital TV broadcast transmission technology to the European format, both the direct and indirect financial losses would amount to 22.2 trillion won (€16.4 billion). It said direct financial losses would reach 3.98 trillion won (€2.94 billion), which includes 3.48 trillion won (€2.57 billion) investment by manufacturing firms, 211.4 billion won (€156 million) in compensation for people that purchased digital TV receivers and set-top boxes and 93 billion won (€68.6 million) investment in broadcasters' facilities . Indirect losses, which takes into account additional investments and time wasted, would amount to 18.37 trillion won (€13.6 million), it claimed.
The MIC said the government would have to either compensate or change some 140,000 ATSC standard-based set-top boxes that have already been purchased, along with the modulators at transmission stations.
The ministry also claims that considering digital TV and digital set-top box exports to the US, the world's largest electronics market, it would be advantageous for the country to adopt the US ATSC standard as LG Electronics' US affiliate Zenith owns the core technologies.
In contrast, advocators of European DVB-T standard assert that the country should first consider user convenience, and when looking into the long-term, the costs for altering the television broadcasting transmission standard is not that great at all. They said the European market has more potential than the US when considering the country's digital TV broadcasting related exports. The National Union of Media Workers also said the MIC has exaggerated its figures and counterclaims that only 200 billion won would be enough to switch to the European system.
To put an end to the seemingly incessant conflict between the two sides, Minister of Information and Communication Chin Dae-je (right) and KBC chairman Noh Sung-dai has agreed to dispatch a joint government-private delegation overseas to look into which digital TV broadcast transmission technology is superior. Representatives of the KBC were in London last week taking evidence of the UK situation.
Nevertheless, the two sides are once again at odds over which countries the delegation should visit, with the MIC suggesting the UK, Canada and Mexico, while the European backers calling for visits to Australia, Taiwan, Japan, Germany and Singapore.
Meanwhile, there is another row over developing over which data compression technology the country should adopt for the digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) service. DMB is a third-generation broadcasting technology that will allow mobile phone service subscribers to view HDTV programs with their handsets. DMB service comes in two forms - terrestrial-based and satellite-based.
Toby Marshall and Peter Marshall
Canada is going through the same process the USA is. They have a digital Must Carry act. They already carry HD and DTV signals. Their digital cable systems are in many ways more progressive and forward thinking than the majority of their US counterparts. Whoever has been complaining about 'no DTV' or 'no HDTV' needs to do some research spewing nonsense like 'these people are too poor for HDTV'. And if they adopt COFDM, many people may well wish they were in Canada vs. the USA.
Gear wrote:
Before you delete this you should at least be aware that head in the sand as far as you can bury it will not change the simple fact that a delegation of S. Koreans is on the road (19 people) and that they will visit Germany, Australia, Japan, Taiwan and NEW YORK CITY.
They will see real world evidence of the inadequecy of 8-VSB and the power of COFDM. They will go back to S. Korea and they will switch to COFDM six years after having chosen 8-VSB. That will be three out of three countries that have reconsidered and found 8-VSB wanting.
And when they do the controversy over COFDM in the US will be on the front burner again.
Sales of COFDM receivers in the UK are hitting 100,000 a week pre Christmas. That is 433,000 per month and it would be six times greater in the US or 2,980,000 per month.
Now that would be an OTA digital transition!
The UK after one year 8.3% penetration, Berlin after one year 10.2% penetration. US after SEVEN years .5% penetration.
It is not "may" anymore as this story suggest, it is happening.
17.10.2003 Government may re-evaluate Korean digital standard
The Korea Times has reported that the country's broadcasters have become entangled in a row with government authorities over the effectiveness of the standards for digital TV broadcast transmission and digital video and audio data compression technologies that the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) chose in 1997.
South Korea was one of the first countries to choose the US Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standard for its digital terrestrial broadcasting, adopting it for HDTV transmission. Experimental broadcasts were started in 1999 but disquiet soon emerged and by 2000, KOBETA, the Korean Broadcast Engineers and Technicians Association was openly arguing for the standard to be reconsidered.
Munhwa Broadcasting Corp (MBC), one of the country's major terrestrial broadcasters, conducted comparative trials of DVB-T and ATSC systems in the autumn of 2001. At the time, indications were that the Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC) might be prepared to recommend a change of standard to the government. However, despite the results of MBC's comparative test being very much in favour of DVB-T, the MIC dismissed the results as not having been conducted with complete impartiality and said it would stick to the ATSC standard.
Regular broadcast services from Mount Kwanak were commenced in November 2001 with two KBS channels, MBC, SBS and EBS in High Definition, and transmitter network build-out has now covered the capital and metropolitan areas. The Government sees digital television and an 'engine of new growth' and has committed over 350.8 billion won (€258.8 million) in grants, loans and import tax exemptions to encourage broadcasters to invest in HD and digital transmission.
An objective of switchover in 2010 has been set and already some 1.1 million set-top boxes and integrated digital TVs have been sold. However, there are frequent complaints about reception from consumers. The National Union of Media Workers joined forces with KOBETA arguing against ATSC and in July this year state broadcaster KBS requested the Korean Broadcasting Commission to undertake new field test comparisons.
The Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) together with the KBC has now agreed to establish a Joint Investigation Committee. Clearly, in addition to static reception difficulties, the world has moved on in the last six years and many industry leaders now recognise the need to support mobile and portable reception.
The Government also asserts that if the country shifts its digital TV broadcast transmission technology to the European format, both the direct and indirect financial losses would amount to 22.2 trillion won (€16.4 billion). It said direct financial losses would reach 3.98 trillion won (€2.94 billion), which includes 3.48 trillion won (€2.57 billion) investment by manufacturing firms, 211.4 billion won (€156 million) in compensation for people that purchased digital TV receivers and set-top boxes and 93 billion won (€68.6 million) investment in broadcasters' facilities . Indirect losses, which takes into account additional investments and time wasted, would amount to 18.37 trillion won (€13.6 million), it claimed.
The MIC said the government would have to either compensate or change some 140,000 ATSC standard-based set-top boxes that have already been purchased, along with the modulators at transmission stations.
The ministry also claims that considering digital TV and digital set-top box exports to the US, the world's largest electronics market, it would be advantageous for the country to adopt the US ATSC standard as LG Electronics' US affiliate Zenith owns the core technologies.
In contrast, advocators of European DVB-T standard assert that the country should first consider user convenience, and when looking into the long-term, the costs for altering the television broadcasting transmission standard is not that great at all. They said the European market has more potential than the US when considering the country's digital TV broadcasting related exports. The National Union of Media Workers also said the MIC has exaggerated its figures and counterclaims that only 200 billion won would be enough to switch to the European system.
To put an end to the seemingly incessant conflict between the two sides, Minister of Information and Communication Chin Dae-je (right) and KBC chairman Noh Sung-dai has agreed to dispatch a joint government-private delegation overseas to look into which digital TV broadcast transmission technology is superior. Representatives of the KBC were in London last week taking evidence of the UK situation.
Nevertheless, the two sides are once again at odds over which countries the delegation should visit, with the MIC suggesting the UK, Canada and Mexico, while the European backers calling for visits to Australia, Taiwan, Japan, Germany and Singapore.
Meanwhile, there is another row over developing over which data compression technology the country should adopt for the digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) service. DMB is a third-generation broadcasting technology that will allow mobile phone service subscribers to view HDTV programs with their handsets. DMB service comes in two forms - terrestrial-based and satellite-based.
Toby Marshall and Peter Marshall
