Barry Wilkins wrote: > I notice here that TVNZ are about to launch FTA DTV in > early May but there has been very little marketing of > this new platform. Nobody is promoting it - yet. > Sounds familiar? Yes, it does, and the same story is repeated just about everywhere. There are web sites available, over here it would be mostly the FCC, in European countries their respective equivalent organizations or the Freeview-style companies, that explain what's going on, but the public at large is not bombarded with this info. And the broadcasters, even in Europe, don't seem to make any special efforts to advertize DTT. Any broadcaster web site I go to, in the US or Europe, is exactly the same in this regard. You might find some information, if you use their search engine, but not much. > Does the DTV transition in the US offer the majority of > current analog OTA customers sufficient advantages to > compel them to make the change willingly, i.e. how many > of them will be impressed by the better picture quality, > both from a resolution and interference aspect? I was, and am, and I'd never go back. OTA TV gained some people who are DBS subscribers, for local broadcaster HDTV content. But the majority seem to be uninterested -- until they get used to the better stuff, of course. Just like the TV set itself. The average Joe will claim that his CRT is just fine, until he finally buys the flat panel system and then wonders how he could watch that grainy old analog picture. > So if ATSC receivers are now viable and relatively cheap, > and HDTV would be embraced by all once educated, who is > paying who to not promote OTA HDTV? As you know, we have been speculating about that on this list. I think probably Craig is right when he says that it is in the cable compnies' and in the broadcasters' best interest to get people addicted to cable. In New Zealand, how popular is cable compared with OTA TV? If cable is popular already now, I'd expect your experience will be as it is here (and in Germany, and in the Netherlands). Bert ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways: - Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.