[opendtv] Re: Let them eat cake (and ATSC while they're at it)
- From: Bob Miller <bob@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 13:23:28 -0400
Shapiro is an ignorant nut case. He is as much responsible for the
present 8-VSB disaster as anyone. But he does express the silent opinion
of many in Congress and the FCC that OTA is essentially dead. Or was
this what was planned all along?
I don't see how they are going to explain the rebirth of OTA worldwide
using COFDM while they try to shut it down in the US. This will be the
story with the public once the media picks it up. Why they haven't so
far beats me. I keep thinking some reporter will break the story one of
these days.
Bob Miller
John Shutt wrote:
>This makes fascinating reading on many levels. The wisdom and necessity of
>E-VSB is questioned, and also this tidbit:
>
>"Shapiro had already raised the ire of broadcasters with remarks he made at
>the annual meeting of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC). At
>that gathering, held at the Crystal City Hilton in Arlington, Va., on
>Tuesday, he told broadcasters their medium was dying, and he made veiled
>allusions to pulling the CEA out of the organization, according to those in
>attendance."
>
>Don't let the door...
>
>Cheers,
>
>John Shutt
>
>TV Technology Newsbytes
>
>http://www.tvtechnology.com/dailynews/one.php?id=2952
>
>Date posted: 2005-05-13
>
>Shapiro to Broadcasters: Let Them Eat Cake
>
>Gary Shapiro leaves the impression that he was once forced to play the role
>of human antenna by wearing aluminum foil rabbit ears while balancing on a
>hassock. The chief of the Consumer Electronics Association delivered
>multiple messages this week about households that rely exclusively on
>over-the-air TV signals, the theme of which was more or less, "let them eat
>cake."
>
>In this particular case, cake signifies cable. In a letter dated May 11 to
>House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton, Shapiro argued for a hard
>analog shut-off date on the premise that so few people rely on OTA signals.
>
>"...if the cut off occurred today, less than 13 percent of the population of
>110 million TV households would not have access to a broadcast signal
>through cable or satellite," he wrote. "Though they could certainly start
>subscribing."
>
>Hellooo, the National Association of Broadcasters shot back.
>
>"It has come to our attention that the Consumer Electronics Association
>recently sent you a letter in which CEA President Gary Shapiro dismissed the
>value of free, over-the-air television and made a series of wildly
>inaccurate claims," NAB chief Eddie Fritts said in his own letter to Barton.
>
>The government's own estimate of OTA reliance, from GAO testimony on Capitol
>Hill in February, is 19 percent, Fritts pointed out.
>
>"The GAO's Mr. [Mark] Goldstein testified that 'roughly 21 million' homes in
>America are totally reliant on an over-the-air signal. That is more homes
>than are located in the states of Texas, Florida, Michigan, Mississippi,
>Montana, Alaska and Hawaii, combined," Fritts continued, and then removed
>his gloves.
>
>"Perhaps CEA believes people who rely solely on over-the-air television
>reception are not important," he said. "If so, CEA should tell that to
>parents of more than 200 kidnapped children who have been rescued by Amber
>Alerts, an initiative launched by free, over-the-air broadcasters. Or CEA
>should tell that to victims of last year's Florida hurricane victims--
>weather alerts from local television stations with saving their lives."
>
>Shapiro had already raised the ire of broadcasters with remarks he made at
>the annual meeting of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC). At
>that gathering, held at the Crystal City Hilton in Arlington, Va., on
>Tuesday, he told broadcasters their medium was dying, and he made veiled
>allusions to pulling the CEA out of the organization, according to those in
>attendance.
>
>In an interview with Doug Halonen of TV Week later the same day, he said,
>"There are a number of organizations that are questioning their commitment
>to ATSC."
>
>The CEA later released a statement summarizing Shapiro's remarks at the
>meeting. It made no mention of pulling out, but instead leveled criticism at
>the process by which E-VSB became a standard.
>
>"The recent activities to develop enhanced-VSB standard have been a
>disappointment and a misguided endeavor," he said. "Furthermore, we strongly
>believe that standards should be created and decided upon by consensus,
>which did not occur in the development of E-VSB."
>
>Parties familiar with the ATSC vote on enhanced-VSB confirm that it was a
>close and sometimes contentious vote. Several sources said Zenith (owned by
>LG Electronics) was a major supporter of standardizing E-VSB because it
>could serve to prolong the life of its VSB patent portfolio.
>
>Not exactly, said Richard Lewis, senior vice president of technology for
>Zenith. Lewis said Zenith is offering the use of E-VSB for free with any
>8-VSB license, (8-VSB demodulators are necessary for digital over-the-air
>reception). When the 8-VSB patent portfolio expires in 2016, the E-VSB
>licensing program would then kick in. Lewis said E-VSB patents are pending,
>but "if and when they are" awarded, they would run to about 2022.
>
>"E-VSB patents have no effect on 8-VSB patents," Lewis said. "There's going
>to be an 8-VSB program and an E-VSB program. People will be free to patent
>one of those or both. During the life of 8-VSB, there will be no patent fees
>on E-VSB. After that, there would be an E-VSB program."
>
>"We know the transition is slow and there's concern with E-VSB
>applications," he said. We developed this program to help stimulate it."
>
>Zenith does not divulge its 8-VSB licensing fees. John Taylor, vice
>president of public affairs at LG Electronics USA said licensing is
>negotiated with each manufacturer.
>
>Sources indicated that TV set manufacturers pay about $16 for the
>intellectual property rights for each ATSC receiver made. Zenith's portion
>of that for 8-VSB is in the neighborhood of $5, manufacturers say.
>
>The situation leaves Shapiro in the midst of a membership with diametrically
>opposed interests, which one member noted is par for a Washington, D.C.
>lobby. The vocal CEA chief returned to the theme of plugging the broadcast
>horse at a breakfast of the Federal Communication Bar Association on
>Thursday morning.
>
>"The NFL is no longer on free over-the-air TV, and no one noticed," he said,
>alluding to ABC's recent announcement that it would boot Monday Night
>Football over to sibling cable net ESPN next year. He again referred to
>over-the-air households as a "diminishing" group, and castigated
>broadcasters for not promoting free TV, as he did in his letter to Barton.
>Broadcasters responded that local cable franchise managers do not take
>kindly to such promotions, and have threatened to pull lucrative advertising
>accounts from broadcasters.
>
>Shapiro's campaign to kill analog broadcast signals comes as folks await the
>other shoe to drop on the broadcast flag, which the court kiboshed last
>week. The CEA railed against the flag, but when it came to the court
>challenge, Shapiro's team let public interest groups led by Gigi Sohn at
>Public Knowledge do the heavy lifting. Ask if he was going to let Sohn
>continue to carry the water, Shapiro only replied, "we love Gigi Sohn."
>
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