[opendtv] Re: How About Portable ATSC Receivers?
- From: Terry Harvey <tjharvey@xxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2005 21:44:37 -0700
One consideration was left out of the flawed thought process below. As with
Cable and Satellite STBs: why would anyone want one of those? The answer,
of course, is to receive services one cannot receive with an integrated
receiving device. Perhaps the real problem with DTV OTA is that there is
very little which is compelling to watch which would justify the expenditure.
Blaming the 8VSB transmission system to me is a cop out: there is little
mention of the struggle many local broadcaster's are facing with having to
manipulate the DTV stream BEFORE 8VSB modulation. I can tell you from
experience that many broadcasters are having problems with the elements of
their stream which prevent clear reception and seamless channel navigation.
Matching MPEG-2 PSI tables with the PSIP TVCT, ensuring descriptors are
correct, that the TSID is inserted correctly in the PAT and TVCT etc, etc
will greatly affect the way the variety of DTV receivers will function.
Unfortunately, many local broadcasters are not investing in proper stream
management as well as proper 8VSB monitoring tools.
The bottom line is that many broadcasters do not take DTV OTA seriously: in
many cases, the transmitter was installed four years ago and the
manufacturer has to be called to make routine adjustments. Bear in mind
that any sophisticated digital modulation scheme depends upon a proper
analog setup adjustment to ensure adequate audience reach.
So before jumping to superficial conclusions, please consider the above.
Terry Harvey
At 04:11 PM 3/31/2005, BenWebber@xxxxxxx wrote:
>John Shutt wrote:
>
> > If the United States were 90% wired (and/or DBS),
> > and Australia were0% wired, that would still make
> > a market of 10 million US TVHHs, and only 7
> > million AU TVHHs.
> >
> > Where is your logic? Mine says every manufacturer
> > that has tried to make an ATSC box has found out
> > they are difficult and expensive to make, don't work
> > very well, and there is too high of a return rate.
> > Therefore there is no profit in them. Yes, it is
> > market forces, but with, as the CEA claims, over
> > 16.5 million DTV sets sold in the United States
> > since 1998, shouldn't that be a big enough market?
> > Bigger than Australia, and they have plenty of STBs
> > to choose from.
>
>Demand and market size are two different things. It doesn't matter how
>many dogs live in your town if they won't eat the dog food you're
>selling.
>
>There is negligible demand for standalone ATSC tuners (i.e., STBs) at
>present. Why? As a thought experiment, ask yourself what subset of U.S
>TVHHs would actually want to buy a standalone ATSC STB. Basically, that
>subset would include:
>
>a) a few thousand hobbyist and engineer types; and
>
>b) people who own a tuner-less DTV set AND for some reason don't want to
>watch HD via cable or satellite.
>
>
>Everybody else either:
>
>a) watches TV via cable or satellite;
>
>b) buys a DTV set with an integrated tuner;
>
>c) cannot afford a DTV set to begin with; or,
>
>d) is content with NTSC, and will only switch when forced by government
>fiat or attracted by a significantly better value proposition (e.g.,
>multiplex).
>
>
>Notice, I haven't said one word about manufacturing costs, receiver
>performance, or modulation scheme. Even if ATSC worked really well (I
>have no idea if it does or not), demand for standalone ATSC tuners would
>still be negligible.
>
>Regards,
>
>B.
>
>------------------------------------------
>Ben Webber Managing Director
>Psychofish, LLC ben@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>180 N Stetson Ave #810 312-819-4042(v)
>Chicago, IL 60601 USA 312-819-4041(f)
>------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>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.
Other related posts:
