[opendtv] News: TV Transition/ Where Does It End?

TV Transition/ Where Does It End?

March 31, 2004 12:00am
Source: PBI Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

CableFAX : Vol. 15 No. 60

It was clear from CEA's HDTV Summit that the DTV=20
transition has made great progress. So much so=20
that the big question was how and when the=20
digital transition ends. "There will be a hard=20
date at some point," CEA pres/CEO Gary Shapiro=20
predicts. "There has to be." He's placing his=20
bets for after 2010, possibly as late as 2012.=20
=46CC DTV task force chmn Rick Chessen throws out=20
'06, '09 and '12 as possibles, calling '09 "more=20
likely" as the digital tuner mandate will be in=20
full effect by then. The FCC Media Bureau's=20
consideration of a plan to redefine when 85% of a=20
market can receive digital signals was a hot=20
button at the 9th annual Summit in DC Mon (hard=20
to believe there have been that many). NCTA chief=20
Robert Sachs says he's been briefed about it, but=20
hasn't commented. The real challenge will be=20
homes that don't subscribe to cable or satellite=20
today, he says. Under the Media Bureau's=20
proposal, a market would reach the 85% mark if=20
consumers could receive digital signals converted=20
by their cable companies to analog-thus they=20
wouldn't need a DTV. NAB pres/CEO Fast Eddie=20
=46ritts was vocal in his opposition to such a=20
move, saying converting back to analog would be a=20
tremendous set back to the DTV transition. As for=20
a hard date, "we can live with a hard date,"=20
=46ritts says, "but the question is can consumers=20
live with a hard date?" -- Living Up to His Name:=20
The fireworks were kept to a minimum, but Fritts=20
made sure to tweak cable on digital must carry=20
and multicasting. "We think carriage is the last=20
big impediment to moving the transition forward,"=20
he said, complaining that cable isn't carrying=20
all of the 1175 local stations broadcasting in=20
digital. (NCTA announced cable is carrying 382=20
stations, up from 92 in Jan '03. It's in 99 of=20
the Top 100 US TV markets, or 84mln HHs out of=20
108mln.) Sachs noted repeatedly that cable is=20
carrying stations offering HD or compelling=20
content-and questioned why NAB offers no stats as=20
to how many of the 1175 digital stations are=20
transmitting HD or are low-powered stations. (We=20
never heard an answer from Fritts). Sachs got=20
some help from newfound plug & play ally Shapiro,=20
who told Fritts he didn't even understand the=20
multicasting argument since neither Congress nor=20
consumers were demanding those services.=20
[Copyright 2004 PBI Media, LLC. All rights=20
reserved.] .end (paragraph)<<CableFAX --=20
03/30/04>>

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