[opendtv] Re: Martin: 15% of Stations Face Smaller DTV-Coverage Areas
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:01:03 -0400
Bob Miller wrote:
> No Bert not digital TV, 8-VSB digital TV. If Verizon works
> easily and well using Qualcomm's Mediaflo where 8-VSB fails
> then it is not about digital TV at all, it is about the
> modulation.
>
> If Verizon's service or AT&T's service or another one aimed
> at larger screens using a COFDM based modulation succeeds
> while OTA DTV delivering free HDTV fails or stutters along
> at under 3% of households then it may be because of the
> modulation.
What's frustrating is to have to repeat these points over and over
again.
Once again, Bob, what do they use in Europe for DTT? COFDM. What is the
solution in Europe for situations exactly like you daughter's? Central
antenna systems, or at least professionally installed antennas, on top
of the apartment building. The solution for FOTA TV, in Europe, is not a
dense mesh of small sticks, such as MediaFlo.
The tradeoffs for the schemes you keep mentioning, like MediaFlo, are
that they require many, many more transmitter towers, even if somehwat
smaller ones, than the big stick approach. The MediaFlo you keep
trumpeting, for instance, needs 30 medium power (i.e. 50 KW, which are
not that small) sticks to cover *less* surface area than 4 big sticks
cover now.
Can you imagine how much more manpower it takes to run such a plant,
compared with 4 big sticks? So, that basically kills FOTA TV, just as
easily as cable and DBS does.
> That is not what they do seven miles from the transmitter.
> Seven miles from the transmitter in a situation where you
> can receive up to 17 NTSC signals good enough for audio
> and a fuzzy screen that you can make out the video on
> would mean that with a COFDM system you would have perfect
> reception, no need for an antenna installer.
Wrong, Bob. First of all, local stations for me are between 12 and 20
miles distant. They come in with antenna in fireplace. Baltimore
stations are over 46 miles. The stronger ones come in reliably with
antenna in fireplace. Can you explain any of this?
You aren't getting any 17 NTSC stations in your daughter's apartment.
Which means, the signal level must be way down. So it's all a question
of how much signal strength you get, and also how much echo. The echo
tolerance of new ATSC receivers, pay attention, is at least as good as
the 16-QAM 2K 1/32 GI in use in the UK. So in terms of that specific
strong suit of COFDM, echo tolerance, it's not always as you think it
is.
Another point is that there's nothing preventing broadcasters from
installing gap fillers in Queens, or anywhere else, or low power
translators. But they don't, because they PREFER to get people dependent
on MVPDs.
So it's nothing to do with modulation. It has to do with business
models. It has to do with how much effort OTA broadcasters bother to put
into their transissions plants, and how much effort consumers and
building management are willing to put into reception plants.
The typical, ubiquitous solution for difficult locations in Europe, such
as tall apartment buildings, *IS NOT* rabbit ears. Even if they have
COFDM.
Bert
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