[opendtv] Re: First look at ATSC HD Broadcast
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 09:35:10 -0400
At 9:42 AM -0400 6/9/05, John Golitsis wrote:
>The CODEC used for something like broadcast television cannot be a
>moving target! Otherwise, we'll all be like Bob Miller...chasing the
>"next big thing" and accomplishing absolutely nothing.
Legacy thinking John.
Like it or not, it IS a moving target...
One that will keep moving for decades.
But this does not mean that codec evolution cannot be managed, nor
that all future upgrades will be as painful as current upgrades.
The reality is that video is NOT a moving target. You can argue that
we are migrating to High Definition, which needs more bits than
Standard Definition, but his is not true. We are migrating to
multiple definitions, and most important to the ability to put sharp
images on big screens. We know now that 1 Mpixel is adequate to do
this. It will take a few years to max out the capabilities of 1
Mpixel formats, but the tools and the computing power needed to do it
right will swallow up video, just as they did audio before.
There are two ways to deal with codec evolution.
1. Replace the decoders periodically, adding new codes while
continuing to support legacy codecs. This is the business model for
DBS, and to a lesser extent for cable.
2. Migrate to software decoders that can be upgraded after
deployment. This is the PC/Internet model which has been the primary
driven in codec evolution over the past decade.
Over the next decade, the tremendous gains in MIPs, and in the
ability to drive cheap high resolution displays will totally consume
the requirements to properly handle high quality video. With
sufficient MIPs it will be easy to manage codec evolution via
software upgrades.
The major shift, yet to take place, will be to reprogrammable
hardware, AWAY FROM dedicated codec chips.
Broadcast television is no different than ANY OTHER form of digital
media. Thinking of it in legacy terms is what is killing it.
Regards
Craig
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