[opendtv] Re: MPs back Ofcom stance on spectrum sale
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 19 May 2007 11:00:43 -0400
At 3:24 PM -0400 5/18/07, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
I don't see any problem at all with separating the two arguments. I see
a very big problem with using the transmission bandwidth issue as a
reason to misinform or mislead on the other discussion. It is perfectly
acceptable to say, "although it would be nice to transmit the Super Bowl
in 1080 at 60p, existing transmission channels do not permit this with
MPEG-2 compression or even with the existing versions of H.264." And
leave it at that.
Or with any optimized versions of H.264 in the future. The
transmission of 1080@60P is not going to be feasible in any channel
constrained to 20 Mbps or less, UNLESS we reduce the information
content to make it fit, which completely defeats the purpose. This is
why the EBU conducted the tests and demonstration at IBC last year.
So, we agree that they can in fact introduce HDTV over Freeview without
needing additional spectrum, but that doing so requires an enforced
standards change on consumer equipment. I thought that was my point.
Then you should have made THAT POINT. You did not.
It is completely obvious that new consumer equipment would be needed
to introduce HD to Freeview, since none of the current receivers can
support it.
it just took the Brits an extra 20 years to utilize the argument
created by broadcasters in the U.S. to hold onto THEIR spectrum...
Maybe, but it's the consumers that are doing the yelling. In the US,
HDTV was introduced before the average consumer seemed to grasp that it
really was a good thing. In the UK, the average consumer is starting to
appreciate that HDTV is a good thing a little too late for regulators
and legislators to be able to accommodate them easily.
I have seen little evidence that UK consumers are the ones doing the
yelling, although I will concede that some may be doing so. It is the
UK broadcasters who are doing the yelling, telling Ofcom that the
Freeview service will not be competitive if they cannot deliver HDTV.
This is EXACTLY THE SAME ARGUMENT made by U.S. broadcasters in 1987.
This is exactly what I said.
The difference is 20 years.
The regulators can easily accommodate them, if they choose to do so.
OR they could force them to buy the spectrum at auction like anyone
else.
It all boils down to the same thing.
Broadcasters believe they have a birthright to the spectrum, since
they have been using it for decades. But they do not want to compete
for it against alternative uses. It comes as no surprise that the
same arguments are surfacing in the UK as those used in the US two
decades ago.
It is also ironic that with a 20 year head start in the U.S., we have
made such little progress relative to the U.K. The reality is that
HDTV broadcasting is just now reaching the tipping point where it is
a viable consumer product. The main factor here is the development
and cost reduction of appropriate display technologies.
So let's compare the US and UK over this time period.
The US has had a DTV standard in place since 1997. This service HAS
NOT been promoted and only a tiny fraction of the population uses it.
The market for HD programming in the U.S. is primarily served by
cable and DBS. The vast majority of U.S. homes that rely upon OTA TV
are still using the legacy analog NTSC service. There is no viable
free-to-air multichannel TV service in the U.S.
The UK has had a DTV standard in place since 1998. The original
service was operated by ITV Digital (On Digital). It was heavily
promoted and captured a share of the UK terrestrial market, but the
BskyB DBS service captured subscribers at a 3:1 ration relative to On
Digital. The service offered digital component widescreen images
delivering a significant improvement in quality relative to analog
PAL broadcasts. On Digital failed due to heavy debt related to the
purchase of rights for a UK football league and was replaced with a
free-to-air service called Freeview in 2002. At the end of 2006
Freeview reached 25.6% of the 60 million TV sets in the U.K. 51.5% of
these sets still use the legacy analog service.
Based on this, the only advantage for U.S. consumers has been the
limited availability of HD programming, primarily via subscription
services. meanwhile in the U.K. consumers are enjoying a free-to-air
multichannel service with significantly improved picture quality
relative to the analog service. This has spurred the sales of new
widescreen TVs, many of which are HD capable. Consumers with HD
capable sets will be able to upgrade to HD service with a new STB
when it becomes available.
And the need to broadcast 1080@60p is not even on the
radar...anywhere in the world.
It's time to drop your argumentative rhetoric Bert. Changes like this
take time. The digital transition is just underway. And it is NOT
being driven by the availability of 1080P displays.
Regards
Craig
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