----- Original Message ----- From: "John Willkie" <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
You merely make an assumption that broadcasters need to transmit MPEG-2 content in the clear (in at least SDTV quality); I think the wording isn't all that clear on this point, and MPEG-4 content could apply. However, it would be outside the spirit of the legislation.
John,If I, or anyone else on this list, made such an ill-informed statement, you would have jumped on their throat with both feet.
It is trivial to prove your statement "I think the wording isn't all that clear on this point" wrong. 47CFR73, governing DTV transmissions, states in part:
"73.624(b): DTV broadcast station permittees or licensees must transmit at least one over-the-air video program signal at no direct charge to viewers on the DTV channel."
And:"73.682(d): Effective February 1, 2005, transmission of digital broadcast television (DTV) signals shall comply with the standards for such transmissions set forth in ... ATSC Doc. A/53B, Revision B with Amendment 1 and Amendment 2..."
The version of A/53 adopted by the FCC both by part 73.8000 and by modification in the Federal Register can be found at: http://www.atsc.org/standards/a_53-Part-1-6-2007.pdf
In the above document, which the ATSC acknowledges is the version adopted by the FCC but not necessarily the most current version, there are 99 references to "MPEG-2" and exactly zero references "MPEG-4."
Since all ruling documentation spells out MPEG-2 compression constraints, and doesn't even define MPEG-4 compression, I hardly think that any video transmissions encoded in any format other than MPEG-2 would qualify as satisfying 73.624(b), and would place the offending station in jeopardy of FCC sanction.
John
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