[opendtv] Re: 20060901 Free Friday Fragments (Mark's Monday Memo)
- From: "peter wilson" <peter.wilson@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 09:20:36 +0100
Hi all,
If its of any use a UK Digital Freeview Receiver STB for SD costs £24.97
($45)in the local Tesco supermarket.
Terrestrial boxes for HD @ 1080P50 & 720P50 will probably roll out in 2010
and the consumer will expect to pay no more than £75.
There are now significant numbers of 1080P50 displays shipping into the UK
which will need the STB upgrade for Terrestrial HD.
The interesting political battle is between SKY who have started HD on
Satellite and firmly believe they should have the exclusive on HD and the
Freeview camp who believe the consumer has the right to receive over the air
HDTV.
The switch off frequency allocations will be a very serious bun fight.
Peter
-----Original Message-----
From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Bob
Sent: 04 September 2006 04:48
To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [opendtv] Re: 20060901 Free Friday Fragments (Mark's Monday Memo)
Albert Manfredi wrote:
> Mark Schubin wrote:
>
>> - The idea of the coupons was that they would cover $40 of
>> the cost of a $50 converter box, but, according to the sidebar
>> to this story, Thomson vp Dave Arland said that price was just
>> a "wish." "Today these boxes would cost $200. Nobody's box
>> today will cost only $40, or $50. It will probably cost less than
>> $200 by 2009, but not as low as they want":
> <http://www.tvtechnology.com/features/news/2006.08.23-n_NTIA.shtml>
>
> Supposedly, the Samsung box due (I think it was) next month is to cost
> $168.
>
> The real question is, if the guts of the built-in ATSC receivers now
> incorporated in TV sets are transplanted to a separate box, how much
> should that box cost the consumer? Seems to me that as a built-in
> component, that receiver is now very cost effective.
>
> What's strange is that stand-alone STB prices (and performance) have
> stayed steady since what, Christmas of 2003? Something like that.
>
> Anyway, the $50 guesstimate was made by the CE vendors, as I recall.
> It wasn't a mandate of any kind. The CE vendors can always claim that
> price to represent a SD-only STB with only an NTSC signal output, for
> example.
>
> Bert
I watched an "estimate" put together by a company showing a group of
Legislative Assistants in DC a prototype of a converter box. Basically
the LA's repeated over an over the question "and this will cost about
$50 right? At first the company officials tried to go over what went
into the box, IP cost, power cord, led lights and various other
essentials but in the end they just answered "right" accompanied by a
silent shrug.
The cost had to be $50 because that is what they wanted to hear. They
also didn't want to hear about any problems with reception. Same
scenario at a meeting with Senator Barton. Didn't want to hear their was
any problem. I was shouted down in that conversation by a Motorola rep
who basically chanted that all problems had been solved.
Bob Miller
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