[opendtv] Re: 5th gen receivers
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2005 08:12:44 -0500
At 7:38 PM -0500 1/23/05, Mark Schubin wrote:
> >
>>
>>Things take time to change.
>>
>Indeed! NTSC is in its 63rd year.
>
>In 2004, seven years into the digital transition, not even counting
>"analog" LCD TVs, some 23,707,000 of what the Consumer Electronics
>Association (CEA) refers to as "analog" TVs were sold to U.S. dealers.
>
>Many other TVs with no more digital circuitry in them but capable of
>displaying at least 480p were also sold to U.S. dealers, but CEA calls
>them "digital."
>
>And then there are all the "analog" LCD TVs.
>
>TTFN,
>Mark
These things happen when the government gets involved in regulation,
rather than allowing the marketplace to drive innovation.
What's more, 480i displays work just fine for most of the content
available today, and they will keep working fine when NTSC is gone.
What Mark fails to note is that the NTSC OTA service existis today
for one reason:
It is being propped up by government regulation.
During the same time period that NTSC has reigned supreme we have:
Moved from LPs and 45's to 8 track, then cassettes, then CDs, and now
MP3 and AAC files shared over digital networks.
Moved from NO video recording to, 3/4" then VHS and Beta, then DVD,
recordable DVD and PVRs.
I could keep going, but the point is that the marketplace is driving
the evolution of these technologies, even as the monopolies and
oligopolies seek to use their considerable power to control technical
evolution.
Doug contents that the ATSC standard with 8VSB and MPEG-2 will enjoy
a long and productive life because they are part of a government
imposed standard. There is only one problem with this argument.
OTA DTV is no longer the only game in town, as was the case for NTSC.
In order for a standard to become so entrenched that it can last for
decades, first it must become entrenched.
The FCC can lead viewers to the DTV pond, but they cannot force us to
drink their kool-aid.
Regards
Craig
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