[opendtv] Re: Brazilian SBTVD STB ready for Christmas
- From: "negrjp" <negrjp@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 10:19:34 -0200
This week, the Minister of Communications Hélio Costa expressed concern on the
first projections of the prices of converters "Set Top Box."
These converters to be used in the first stage of the process of transition
from analogue to digital television, so that the (huge) legacy of analogue
receivers can capture images generated in the new digital transmissions,
available in the brasilian state capitals , the effect of the year that comes.
For the average consumer, this conversion seems very simple, is reminiscent of
the beginning of transmissions of TV on UHF in Brazil, where a small box on the
TV was the conversion of channels 14 to 83 (UHF) for the channel 3 or 4 (VHF ).
These boxes allow that old televisions, able to select only the channels on VHF
(2 to 13) could capture the new channels on UHF.
This conversion was very simple and can be explained with algebra:
Example 1:
25-22 = 3 or 25-21 = 4,
Example 2:
47-44 = 3 or 47-43 = 4.
To perform this task, the uhf-VHF converter box depended on the service of only
three transistors!
Over time, all new televisions have been manufactured with selectors able to
capture from the channel 2 by the channel 83 and these boxes were discarded.
Unfortunately the same will not happen now, because the digital-analog
conversion is highly complex, it is done through a special computer, with
thousands of transistors and auxiliary circuits.
To better understand how the conversion is done, we understand how analogue
transmission is made:
See Figure 1:
Click and again!
http://negrjp.fotoblog.uol.com.br/photo20071110044124.html
Then see how it is executed a digital transmission
See Figure 2:
Click and again!
http://negrjp.fotoblog.uol.com.br/photo20071110043930.html
An analog-digital converter must have in your core a digital receiver, a system
for convertion of matrix images to linear images done by computer, a modulator
PAL M, a low power transmitter TV, which can operate both on channel 3 or 4 in
addition to circuits axiliares to promote interactivity. All this very
expensive.
Someone may say that, even then, the price of converters designed between 500
to 1000 reais (279 to 550 dollars), are very expensive, so that only those who
have giant screen TVs would be able to make such investment.
Prices for converters will fall? They will, but perhaps not with speed expected
by the consumer.
A pocket calculator, has already cost more than 1000 dollars, the first
apparatus of videocassette and more than 3000 dollars, the first computers were
so expensive that only governments and large corporations could have one.
Currently, a calculator of four operations can be purchased for less than
twenty real (11 dollars) .
What explanation of this?
Simple:
When business is the manufacture goods for consumption, major investments are
needed.
For an idea becomes a product in, investments are made in research and
development, laboratory instruments, manufacturing of prototypes, training of
staff, investment in machinery systems, tools, industrial plants, marketing
campaigns, logistics, etc., etc., etc. .
The cost of all this investment is diluted (rata) in each product sold.
Here comes the dilemma of egg and the chicken:
To that products are sold to download prices,
For prices lower, we need that products are sold ...
To overcome this dilemma, uses is the "strategy of the umbrella": the goods
produced are sold primarily to the higher social classes until the basis social
classes.
The product prices fall as each strip of purchasing power is saturated.
The converter or digital televisions will be cheap?
Yes, but now a scene of "breach of arms." The price of these goods will have to
fall within a period defined by the government and not by the laws of the
market.
A recipient of TV in Brazil is used for approximately fifteen years. The
government wants to switch off the analogue transmissions in ten years.
Does this time will be sufficient for the price of the converter is accessible
to the entire population?
Even in the United States, country where the law of the market, the government
will deploy a plan of subsidies to help the poor.
A cheap STB in the land of Uncle Sam is costing 70 dollars. The government will
subsidize 40 US dollars in the purchase of a unit for each family.
Who will manage this process of subsidies is IBM. (The same as, incidentally,
was the first to use computers in Census).
Who will foot the bill? The government hopes to recover that money with the
auction of the channels vacant after analog switch off, within two years.
However, analog broadcasting Community (LPTV-Low Power TV) will continue
operating in analog system for an indefinite period, and will also need
financial help to convert the digital signals of programs in analog ...
For these and other, I believe in visionary strategy dPAL-M.
click!
http://negrjp.fotoblog.uol.com.br/photo20071027083439.html
If manufactured converters capable of operating both in ISDTB-T as in dPAL-M,
business investment turn faster, so that the final price of the converter can
be accessible to the entire Brazilian family in less than ten years.
To learn more about converters:
Architecture of Set-top Box for Digital Interactive TV
This material has been produced at the Institute of Computation of Unicamp by
Lara Schibelsky Godoy Piccolo.
Lara, our thanks for the authorization of the publication of this interesting
work.
Click!
www.cin.ufpe.br/ ~ gds/TAI/GDS_CEMR-APLIC-06.pdf
Original portuguese blog
http://sbtvd.anadigi.zip.net
tks for all,
Jonas,
from Brazil
> That was fast. I mean, availability of an STB for the Brazilian system.
>
> The ST contribution, this STi 7100, is a multistandard HDTV decoder
> "compliant with ATSC, DVB, DIRECTV, DCII, OpenCable and ARIB BS4
> specifications." It includes MPEG-2 and AVC decoding. The specs are dated
> 2006, so SBTVD isn't mentioned.
>
> Still, this does show that all these supposedly different systems ain't all
> that different after all.
>
> Bert
>
> ----------------------------------------------
> http://www.st.com/stonline/stappl/cms/press/news/year2007/t2228.htm
>
> STMicroelectronics Leading-Edge Decoder Technology Powers New Set-Top Box in
> Brazil
>
> Use of ST's single-chip STi7100 decoder in Gradiente high-definition set-top
> box means next wave of TV technology will be available in Brazilian homes for
> Christmas 2007
>
> Geneva, November 15,2007 -
>
> STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), one of the world's largest semiconductor
> manufacturers and the worldwide leader for set-top box (STB) chips, today
> announced that leading Brazilian consumer manufacturer Gradiente's new DHD800
> high-definition (HD) set-top box - the first to offer full compliance with
> the new Brazilian SBTVD (Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão Digital) digital
> terrestrial TV standard - is based on ST's industry-leading STi7100
> single-chip HDTV decoder technology.
>
> Digital terrestrial TV broadcasts in high definition are due to start on
> December 2, 2007 in Sao Paulo, with other major Brazilian cities such as Rio
> de Janeiro and Curitiba to follow in 2008. With an estimated 60 million
> households in Brazil, the emerging digital STB market is poised for rapid
> expansion following the launch of SBTVD broadcasting, with at least half a
> million STBs expected to retail in 2008
>
> Gradiente was founded in 1964 and is today one of the largest and most
> respected manufacturers of consumer electronics of the Brazilian market.
> "Digital terrestrial TV will bring consumers more channels and better sound
> and picture quality through their aerials, and the STi7100 platform, with its
> high level of integration, was the natural choice for our new set-top box
> product families," said Moris Arditti, Vice President of Business Development
> for Gradiente. "We are proud that Gradiente, working with the local ST's
> engineers, has developed a product that will be available in volume for
> Christmas 2007, ready for Brazil's launch of the new digital terrestrial TV
> broadcasts."
>
> "Leveraging our market leadership and expertise in high-definition digital
> TV, we have been able to provide leading-edge technology support to
> contribute to the success of this exciting new STi7100-based set-top box and
> demonstrate our strong commitment to the Brazilian electronics industry,"
> commented Thierry Tingaud, ST's Corporate Vice President and General Manager
> Emerging Markets Region. "This is a strong example of ST's winning strategy
> to meet the needs of emerging and fast-growing markets, such as the set-top
> box market in Brazil, by offering a unique blend of market knowledge,
> cutting-edge technology and manufacturing capability, and world-class
> application engineering support."
>
>
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