[opendtv] CBS' Early Show Clear on HDTV, Fuzzy on DTV
- From: "James Albro" <jalbro@xxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2007 22:08:05 -0500
CBS' Early Show Clear on HDTV, Fuzzy on DTV
Behind the Buy's David Gregg, CBS' Harry Smith Scramble HD, DTV
By B&C Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/23/2007 1:00:00 PM
With the transition to digital broadcasting only 15 months away, legislators
have been pushing broadcasters to make sure viewers get the information they
need. And consumer advocates are keeping an eye on makers of HDTV sets to
ensure that they don't exploit the transition to "upsell" viewers on pricey
HDTV sets they don't need.
So let's hope they caught the "Hot Holiday TVs" segment on the Nov. 13
broadcast of CBS' Early Show, in which anchor Harry Smith interviewed David
Gregg, senior editor of Behind the Buy, a Web site for "non-techie, time
starved, curious consumers."
"In 2009, the television world is going all digital," Smith began. "That
means you don't have much time to replace your TV with the rabbit ears." So
far, so good.
But as the two stood beside a quaint little rabbit-eared Sony, Gregg, an
Early Show and shopping-channel regular, proceeded to explain: "In 2009, the
federal government, the FCC [Federal Communications Commission], has
mandated that all commercially licensed broadcast stations are now required
to broadcast in high-definition."
"Wow!" Smith responds. The correct response, however, would've been, "Come
again?" That's because the federally mandated transition requires the
majority of broadcasters to broadcast in digital, not HD.
Gregg then explained, "If you don't have an HDTV" after the transition, "you
will need a converter box."
Wrong again: Non-HDTV sets with digital tuners can receive digital
over-the-air signals just fine. It's the analog-only sets that need
converter boxes. And if you have digital-cable, satellite or telco service,
you're golden.
Gregg did get it right when he tried to explain the government voucher
program for subsidizing those converter boxes. But Smith inexplicably
laughed through the explanation before segueing into an on-set appraisal of
several HDTVs ranging from $3,500 to "under $900."
For what it's worth, a basic DTV set that'll work after February 2009 will
set you back only a couple of hundred bucks.
At least one CBS viewer noted the problems with the segment and posted a
response on CBSNews.com.
"Broadcasters will be required by the FCC to transmit in DIGITAL, not HD,"
the viewer wrote. "There is a big difference between the two. It would be
like telling people that the law requires that you license your pet when, in
fact, they only need to license their dog."
In an online response, Gregg acknowledged that the viewer's "observation
about digital-TV signals is technically correct." But he maintained, "The
main objective of this segment was to address a possible TV purchase during
the holidays," adding, "Using the term HD as a blanket reference to this
digital-broadcast changeover was intended to simplify an already-confusing
concept for most consumers to understand."
The segment can be streamed at CBSNews.com, where the accompanying story
provides the correct information on the transition. A CBS spokesperson said
the network has no plans to broadcast an on-air clarification.
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