[opendtv] Re: UK DTV: 250,000 STBs a month

  • From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sat, 23 Oct 2004 08:54:02 -0400

At 9:16 AM -0400 10/22/04, Mark Schubin wrote:
>Terry Harvey wrote:
>
>>If US broadcasters really cared about the future of their industry, they
>>would have promoted digital OTA, pushed harder for better production
>>quality and extended services etc.(the often upconverted MPEG-NTSC
>>mutilation is dire),  To date the broadcasters have not done so and as a
>>result US terrestrial DTV continues to languish.
>>
>I would like to suggest a perfectly good reason why broadcasters had not
>done so previously.
>
>Until the 5th-generation LG receiver (which is not yet available to the
>public) was tried in my home, I had selective DTT reception.  In one
>antenna location (not merely orientation), I could receive only Fox.
>  So, if other broadcasters were to promote DTT to viewers like me, they
>would potentially be driving audience to their competitors.
>
>It is significant, I believe, that Sinclair began promoting DTT in
>earnest after their testing of the 5th-generation LG receiver.
>
>As for production, it takes time to justify a change of recently
>purchased equipment, but, as technical supervisor of many broadcast
>shows, I can assure you that more and more of my work is in HDTV.
>
>TTFN,
>Mark

Both arguments are completely valid.

Yes, the lack of viable receivers did provide a good excuse for doing 
nothing. But is the corollary necessarily true. That is, will the 
existence of receiver that work cause broadcasters to start promoting 
DTV?

Singling out Sinclair as an example is kind'a ironic. It is clear 
that they are the Mavrick of TV land. I doubt that they would have a 
huge impact on DTV uptake if they ran promotional ads for DTV 24/7 on 
all of their stations. What matters is whether Joe Six-Pack is going 
to give up cable or DBS and rely on an antenna. Yes, some brave souls 
will put up an antenna to supplement their MPVD service, especially 
those with DBS. But this is not enough to bring about a significant 
change. I see no evidence that the broadcast networks (like those 
that Sinclair stations carry) are going to start promoting DTV at the 
expense of NTSC. I see no evidence that most local stations are going 
to promote DTV.

The one area where 5th Gen receivers are likely to have a positive 
impact is with USDTV. This makes their service much more viable from 
a technical perspective. The jury is still out on the viability of 
the business model.

Regards
Craig

P.S. Having said all of this, the pending FCC ruling on digital cable 
carriage is likely to have a larger impact on the future of DTV than 
5th Gen receivers.
 
 
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