[opendtv] Re: How important are new Codecs wrt OTA Broadcasting?
- From: Bob Miller <bob@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 11:49:50 -0500
Craig Birkmaier wrote:
>It is not too late to save OTA broadcasting, however, it is the
>business model, not the technology that is the big hurdle.
>
The business model includes the technology. It relies on it. The
current technology in the US kills the business model. First it limits
it to fixed reception. That alone kills a significant number of business
models and limits all others. Next it does not work reliably enough for
many business models.
Limited to fixed reception any OTA business model has to consider that
it will have lots of competition that is able to change there modulation
and codecs at will and who have vastly more bandwidth to use in the
first place on top of OTA's being reception challenged. Second any such
business model has to consider that new competition in the OTA market
will be also free to use any modulation and codec and will not be
reception challenged mobile or fixed and that a lot of bandwidth will be
coming on the market for just such purposes.
The only business model that works under these circumstances is the
current one. Maintain your control of Congress as to must carry and
obtain multicast must carry. Make consumers pay for your programming
over cable and take a piece of the action. Maintain OTA broadcasting
only in so far as it is necessary to maintain must carry. So far 8-VSB
works for those purposes. It stops working for those purposes when the
transition actually happens and many consumers who actually depend on
OTA find out the reality. Then all hell breaks loose IMO.
It also stops working when cable takes multicast must carry to the
Supreme Court.
Technology is the big hurdle but one that is easy to hurdle once must
carry goes away. Without must carry 8-VSB doesn't exist for an RF minute.
It is going to be interesting to watch S. Korea go through the process
once again. This time broadcasters and manufacturers may tell their
government where to shove it as to 8-VSB. They are the ones losing in
world markets because of this 8-VSB fetish of LG's. After all it is in
the home market where manufacturers hone their marketing skills with
each new product. They don't have one with 8-VSB. Even LG must be
counting their coin in dismay over 8-VSB. There is no bonanza there.
Bob Miller
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