[opendtv] Re: 7" ATSC TV
- From: "Dale Kelly" <dalekelly@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2007 16:02:50 -0700
Frank wrote:
> I don't know how you can say with certainty that these
> Performance issues are entirely related to "poor RF front end design.
My statement was based upon a tuners "selectivity" performance* in the
packed channel environment which will now include new unlicensed signals
introduced into the so-called "unused white spaces". In such an environment
better receiver front ends are required to deal with the IM and image
products produced by "minimal" tuners.
Clearly, other A/74 related failings could very well be non-tuner related.
* = Good selectivity performance generally requires some combination of
multi conversion IF, wide band AGC and tracking filters to achieve desired
performance.
> In any case, the market will continue to decide how much incremental
> Receiver performance is worth. My guess is that CE products will
> Continue to include the very best RF front end + base band chips, as
> long as those also happen to be the cheapest ones -- because of
> the perceived value of an ATSC receiver to most consumers is pretty
> close to $0.
I see this as a somewhat more complex issue than pure economics and don't
believe that the CE industry should receive a free pass. Please bear with me
for a short historical review, as I recall it:
* The ATSC/8VSB system was developed and proposed by the CE community, who
also control the current ATSC standards process and is responsible for the
very marginal A/74 RP.
* 8VSB was "sold" to broadcasters and adopted by the FCC with certain
receiver performance expectations.
* The original ATTC (Blue Rack) test receiver incorporated a well-designed
double conversion tuner that met those expectations.
* During initial testing, the industry was "blind sided" by the poor
multi-path performance issue, even though it was predicted by a number of
engineers.
* The CE industry, having no where to hide and needing to protect it's IP
investment and stave off a broadcaster revolt, committed significant
resources to resolving the multipath problem. After a number of false starts
laced with questionable performance claims and five years time, they were
able to demonstrate satisfactory performance using a Zenith 5th gen. "black
box" receiver, whose performance was never duplicated in any commercial
product (as tested by the FCC and others).
IMO, that same CE industry, who developed this system and who now proposes
and will benefit from, the new unlicensed services, while likely not guilty
of fraud, is, through it's failure to provide receivers capable of
functioning in the environment they created, disingenuous and completely
untrustworthy.
They are, through their manipulations, largely responsible for "the
perceived value of an ATSC receiver to most consumers being pretty close to
$0", which was a self fulfilling prophesy based upon their actions, or lack
thereof.
Dale
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