[opendtv] Re: Mobile DTV test
- From: "John Willkie" <jmwillkie@xxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 18:57:55 -0700
Frank;
By what measure of density does the U.K. have more transmitters than the
U.S.? Last time I checked, there were 1600 or something full service
transmitters in the U.S., and more than 5K translators/lptv. The average
british tv station is slightly more powerful than the average U.S. LPTV.
John Willkie
-----Original Message-----
From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Eory Frank-p22212
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2004 2:24 PM
To: 'opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx'
Subject: [opendtv] Re: Mobile DTV test
Bob Miller wrote:
>And why do you say a few offerings per market?
Because OTA is the big 4 networks, the smaller networks like WB, UPN and
PAX, the Spanish networks, a few independent local stations and some other
stuff that's in the noise (shopping channels, fire-and-brimstone channels,
etc.). It pales in comparison to the cable or satellite content offerings.
The ability to watch a mere handful of OTA offerings is NOT why people buy
expensive HDTV sets.
> They have 30 or so
>channels in Berlin and the UK and that has been enough. In the US we
>could have more per market. Even with 30 channels in the UK something
>like 80% of the viewing is of just six of those channels.
We COULD have more OTA program 'channels' per market, but we don't. We COULD
have a much higher density of TV transmitters, like the UK, but we don't. We
COULD even (theoretically) have COFDM, but we don't -- and it doesn't matter
that we don't.
The closest thing we have here for comparison to Freeview is USDTV -- which
isn't free, isn't available everywhere, nor is it the technology mandated
for inclusion in future U.S. TV sets.
I personally don't believe in DTV tuner mandates of any kind, but it's
rather ironic that the FCC mandated DTV tuners for the least important (in
terms of number of viewers) DTV distribution mechanism. They would have done
better to mandate digital cable or satellite tuners.
-- Frank
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