[opendtv] Re: Freeview realities
- From: Richard Hollandsworth <holl_ands@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 18:52:41 -0800 (PST)
We all know how much more difficult it is to receive analog UHF compared to
VHF--and it's not just the range differences.
Considering all the handicaps, I'm surprised ANYONE actually relies on DTV
reception:
1. Pre-Fifth Gen Receivers lack sensitivity and have very little resistance to
multipath (see FCC-05-199).....and even the LG/Zenith Fifth Gen PROTOTYPE
tested by CRC had significant problems handling short delay echo test
conditions (eg. reflections from nearby houses and terrain):
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6344959&highlight=crc#post6344959
2. Most DTV stations were forced to operate in the UHF band, which severly
limits propagation range and non-LOS "coverage" and building penetration
compared to VHF....not to mention the higher cable and RF Splitter losses.
This forces many viewers to install an attic or contract for a large/expensive
roof-mounted antenna installation (sometimes a Preamp and rotator) whereas for
analog VHF stations offentimes only a simple rabbit ears antenna (or a simple
chunk of wire) would suffice. [Of course come the Feb2009 transistion back to
VHF for some stations, this situation could improve somewhat.]
3. Cable and Sat offer very affordable entry tiers (e.g. TWC-SD is $12.49/mo
for over a dozen channels, including local Networks in HD if you have QAM
tuner). Most metropolitan areas only offer a handful of OTA programs--and may
require an expensive outdoor antenna with rotator to get them all due to
inexplicable scatter gun approach for station locations in many locations.
4. And other than the USDTV experiment (initially using deficient "4th" Gen
Receiver technology), there is just no contest when it comes to piling on
additional channels....(TWC-SD Family Choice Tier starts with another $13/mo
plus $8/mo for digital STB.)
Hence OTA DTV remains either 1) the HD supplement to fill-in those HD stations
not yet carried on Cable (e.g. CW-HD for me), 2) the HD supplement for a Sat
system (whether SD-only or because HD-LIL is missing several local HD channels)
or 3) the low-budget option for those who are content to accept whatever OTA
DTV signals happen to leak into whatever antenna 'system' they figure they can
afford....or their local HOA/WAF permits....
The Cable and Sat filler systems should start to fade out as the "missing"
local HD channels are hopefully added (e.g. CW-HD, MyNetworkTV-HD).....and
remaining DMA's get HD-LIL and users finally upgrade to HD-SAT Receivers.
The ability of new Sat Receivers to "back-feed" the second tuner signal
throughout the house wiring on an unused UHF channel can also reduce the need
to attach an antenna to second/third TV's.
I would be interested to see statistics on actual OTA DTV users and how many
fall into these different categories.....
holl_ands
===========================================
Bob Miller <robmxa@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: It is not just that we don't have many
STBs for sale here. You can say
that most people want an integrated set.
No the reality in the US is virtually no one is even interested in
OTA. Retalers, consumers and broadcasters are all showing little to no
interest in OTA.
In many other countries OTA is very much alive and GROWING.
Bob Miller
On 11/15/06, John Shutt wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Manfredi, Albert E"
> To:
> Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 1:17 PM
> Subject: [opendtv] Re: Freeview realities
>
>
> > John Shutt wrote:
> >
> >> Choice of modulation is what allows Australia, a country of
> >> 20 million people, to have "80 models of STBs for sale" while
> >> we have almost none in ATSC.
> >
> > The funny thing is, in spite of all the evidence of global decoder
> > chipsets, global tuners, and easily integrated 8-VSB demods, is that you
> > and Bob continue to believe that the reason for this is the modulation
> > standard.
> >
> > How about, just for example, if the difference were that in Australia,
> > the retailers are willing to market these boxes, while in the US, the
> > retailers are encouraged to hide them? That's just a conspiracy theory
> > example, but it illustrates that JUST MAYBE, it has nothing to do with
> > modulation?
> >
> > Or just maybe, US consumers are truly unwilling to use OTA TV, whereas
> > consumers in Australia know it exists?
>
> Bert, Occam's razor. Australia has a ton of boxes. They're a DVB country.
> Italy has tons of boxes. They're a DVB country. The UK has tons of boxes,
> too. They are a DVB country. The United States has very few boxes. They
> are an ATSC country.
>
> John
>
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways:
>
> - Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at
> FreeLists.org
>
> - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word
> unsubscribe in the subject line.
>
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways:
- Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at
FreeLists.org
- By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word
unsubscribe in the subject line.
---------------------------------
Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta.
Other related posts:
