[opendtv] Re: CBA and Microprose team up on NTIA DTV Boxes

At 7:27 PM -0400 5/22/08, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:

Richard Hollandsworth wrote:


 If you use an RF Splitter to feed a Converter Box and
 your old TV there is a 3.5-4.0+ dB loss of sensitivity.


True, although the CECB manufacturer can still meet his -83 dBm
sensitivity requirement, at 15.x dB of C/N, without having to worry
about that loss incurred by SOME of the customers, and at no extra
expense (loss of profit) to himself.

My assumption is that in these very low profit margin designs, the
manufacturers want to avoid any extra expense. So that's pehaps why they
disabled the NTSC demod. To more easily meet their NTIA specs.
They had no choice. The NTIA specifications prohibit the inclusion of an NTSC tuner. Some manufacturers designed chips without the NTSC tuner, and some used existing chips and just disabled it.
Ther is a belief among some manufacturers that the legislation creating the DTV coupon program specifically prohibits the inclusion of an NTSC tuner. I do not read it that way, but the NTIA bought into the propaganda from a few manufacturers that the NTSC tuner would increase the cost of the box, so the NTIA prohibited it in their specs. In reality it may cost more to not include the NTSC tuner, as off-the-shelf chips could have been used...the NRE on a new chip design is considerable. 

Regards
Craig


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